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Erityisesti Ayreonista tutuksi tullut Arjen Lucassen julkaisee jälleen uutta materiaalia uuden projektin merkeissä. Monet saattavat muistaakin, kuinka hän lupaili The Human Equationin jälkeen tekevänsä vielä musiikkia kyseisellä albumilla vokalisoineen Marcela Bovion kanssa ja siitä syntyi Stream of Passion. Yhtye julkaisee ensimmäisen albuminsa 26. syyskuuta.
 
STREAM OF PASSION - EMBRACE THE STORM
 
01. Spellbound
02. Passion
03. Deceiver
04. I'll Keep on Dreaming
05. Haunted
06. Wherever You Are
07. Open Your Eyes
08. Embrace the Storm
09. Breathing Again
10. Out in the Real World
11. Nostalgia
12. Calliopeia
 
Arjen Lucassen : Kitarat, sävellykset
Marcela Bovio : Laulu, sanoitukset, viulu
Johan van Stratum : Basso
Davy Mickers : Rummut
Lori Linstruth : Kitarat
Alejandro Millán : Piano
 
TAUSTAA
 
After Dutch guitarist/composer/producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen had finished his latest endeavour, the Ayreon rock opera The Human Equation, he wanted to do two things: showcase the many talents of Mexican singer Marcela Bovio, one of the vocalists on the Ayreon album, and form a band for the first time in 10 years.
 
“The response of critics and fans to Marcela’s vocals on the Ayreon album was really great. People were simply blown away.” Arjen explains, “However, already when she was in my studio recording for the Ayreon project, I realized that she had many more talents that I regretted not being able to use at that time. So, hating to let a good thing go to waste, I decided to construct a project completely centered on her singing, composing and writing.”
 
Two years ago, Marcela entered a vocalist contest through Lucassen’s website. The winner would have a chance to sing on the highly successful Ayreon rock opera series. “When I first heard Marcela’s recordings, it sent shivers down my spine. To find a vocalist who sings with that much passion and power, is rare. Very rare.” And Lucassen should know, he’s worked with over a hundred different vocalists for his many musical projects in the past.
 
“I refused to start the project with a musical direction in mind, because I wanted Marcela to feel completely free to experiment with some simple acoustic guitar demos I had made. She added her musical ideas, and I went into the studio to work on the songs some more. Then the other band members added their ideas. The music had to develop as naturally as possible, as would happen with a real band, which was an interesting challenge considering that at the moment some band members live thousands of miles apart. The whole thing turned into one big world-wide jam session.Which is very unusual, exciting and a lot of fun.”
 
To form the band, Lucassen used the Internet to tap into the numerous talents that reside all across the globe. A year ago, Dutch drummer Davy Mickers downloaded a special track from Lucassen’s website to enter a musicians contest, and used it to showcase his incredible drumming skills. And just recently Lucassen discovered Lori Linstruth, an amazingly skilled American female guitarist residing in Sweden, among the members of the online Ayreon Yahoo group. Completing the band are Mexican pianist Alejandro Millán and Dutch bass player Johan van Stratum from the Rock Academy in Tilburg.
 
The band’s creative juices are flowing to and fro between computers stationed in all corners of the world - recording, writing and matching up musical ideas to form songs. The end result is as diverse and driven as each individual band member.
Blending mysterious gothic vocals, metal guitars and atmospheric trip-hop, with haunting pianos and live celli- and violin quartets. The album Embrace the Storm will be released September 26, 2005 through InsideOut Music.
 
VIRALLISET SIVUT & NÄYTTEITÄ -> http://www.streamofpassion.com/
 
Itse tuossa näytteitä kuuntelin, mutta en niiden perusteella lähde kyllä sanomaan vielä juuta enkä jaata, mutta ensivaikutelma oli kyllä melkoisen neutraali. Marcelan vokalisoinnit eivät olleet ihan sellaista puhdasta ja viatonta tunteen paloa, mitä The Human Equationin jäljiltä odotin, mutta ehkäpä sitä kuulee vielä paremmin koko albumin muodossa myöhemmin. Arjenin projekteja odottelee ja kuuntelee kyllä aina mielellään, vaikken esimerkiksi Ambeonia tai Star Onea kykenekään asettamaan kilpailemaan Ayreonin kanssa, sillä kyllä sen tärkeysjärjestyksen tekijälleen itselleenkin huomaa helposti. Eiköhän sieltä vähintään kelvollista materiaalia tule, mutta kieltämättä odotin ainakin aiemmin juuri Arjenin ja Marcelan takia ehkäpä enemmänkin kuin nämä näytteet antoivat ymmärtää. Albumia odotellessa.