Stream Of Passion

Embrace The Storm

Inside Out

12 tracks; 53:50

The Wife is back!

Yes, you heard me. Here's the scoop:

On his last big rock/metal opera project, The Human Equation, Arjen Lucassen set out to find an mind-blowing lineup of guest singers, with the intention of giving some lesser known talent a break along the way. Enter Marcela Bovio, vocalist of the barely recognised Mexican band Elfonía. "When I first heard Marcela's recordings, it sent shivers down my spine," Lucassen revealed. She successfully signed on to play the part of "The Wife" on the album, but naturally, Lucassen wasn't ready to let go of such powerful talent just yet.

Following that album, Lucassen formed Stream Of Passion - his first band in 10 years - primarily to showcase Bovio's immense talent. And that is exactly what this album does, down to a tee. Her powerful, passionate vocals come out way to the front in the mix and it sounds simply stunning. Set amidst a melodic gothic progressive background, Bovio almost resembles a far more refined Johanna De Pierre (of Amaran). But what makes her so unique? For starters, she manages to find this strange balance between a sweet, innocent, liquid voice through to long soaring vocals, while sounding like she isn't even putting any effort into it! It's rare, almost awe-inspiring, to see such power displayed with such delicacy.

Fans of Lucassen's past work will find that while Embrace The Storm is a huge departure from his trademark space/cyber/prog style, you can still hear it surface every now and again. Oddly enough, the title track is extremely reminiscent of the style he used in The Human Equation, specifically the song Day Eleven: Love. Think Sentenced style gothic combined with elegant piano and Ulver trip-hop elements, backed by a huge wall of Ayreon prog and squealing solos - this is an album that has really broken new ground. It's no wonder that they recently scored a deal with Sony/BMG!

Tarja, Angela, Christina - move over. I think it's safe to say that you're facing some pretty stiff competition here. It's hard to imagine that Marcela Bovio will go unnoticed within the metal community for too long. Following his personal trend, Lucassen has once again put out the sort of album that will surprise listeners based on his past history, in a good way of course. Embrace The Storm is another fantastic example of his incredible knack for bringing out the best in anyone he works with.

Tina Sequeira