Stream Of Passion
Embrace The Storm

THE REVIEW

In 2005, a new side project of Ayreon's mastermind, Arjen Anthony Lucassen, comes to life. A new creature is preparing to enter the challenging world of progressive metal, dominated by musicians brilliantly skilled in technique but often stingy in transmitting even a small emotion to their listener. A principle from which even the well-known Dutch composer (who decides to devote himself only to rhythm guitar on this occasion) seemed to be an exception until the birth of this project.

With the recruitment of various members from several places around the globe, Stream Of Passion thus comes to life. From Mexico comes the most evident talent of the entire ensemble, and symbol of the band itself: Marcela Bovio, discovered by the mastermind in 2004 during the monumental double album "The human equation." The eclectic singer lends her enveloping and warm voice, technically impeccable and emotionally charged for every single track, crafting a performance that would be limiting to merely call excellent. As if that were not enough, her violin enriches the melodic lines of the songs without shying away from solo interludes, leaving the four violinists and the three cellists who took part in the recordings to sculpt the backdrop of sound. Intentionally, only acoustic instruments appear (and no sampling), replacing a synthesizer that would have clashed with the naturalness of the sound output. And it is always Marcela who weaves the deep and passionate lyrics of each song, among which stand out for intensity (accentuated by the use of her mother tongue, Spanish) those of the romantic "Nostalgia." From the same exotic homeland comes Alejandro Milian, an exceptional pianist who manages to craft autumnal elegies that give voice to broken hearts. On guitar, we find another revelation, also female, from Sweden: Lori Linstruth; on bass and drums, we find, respectively, the equally talented Johan Van Stratum and Davy Mickers, authors of rhythms not too complex but nonetheless enjoyable and in continuous crescendo.

Looking at Stream Of Passion and listening to their music immediately brings to mind a certainty that serves as a guarantee: this is not a band formed at the table, but a group of six people fully convinced of wanting to convey strong sensations to their listener, without getting entangled in intricate sound paths and always remaining spontaneous and natural. No forcedness emerged from listening to this debut. Natural and immediate was also my falling in love with the album, which seems designed to probe the deepest aspects of human emotion and is composed of twelve tracks that find their strength in the sound simplicity that holds the key to perfection (although stating this is atypical in the prog realm) and in the sincerity of the feelings conveyed. With these words, Marcela described the lyrical concept of "Embrace the Storm": "An introspective journey that narrates the dilemmas and vicissitudes that can arise over the phases that delimit life. These are different problems that can lead to radical changes in our existence, and the journey aims to interpret them in the best way, without excessive trauma."

Images in black and white flow in the mind. A slender, black-dressed female figure on the cliff reads old yellowed letters, occasionally drying a tear, while the wind tousles her hair and stirs the waves, to which she turns her hope, the vain hope of days that can never return. It is autumn, and the falling leaves around seem to carry away the joy of those distant days when peace reigned, inside and out. The joy of hours when passion flowed impetuously, like a river in flood, inundating the heart and mind. Now, we are left only with the regret of moments that were too fleeting and the awareness of a love that is lost forever, of eyes that will no longer see the light of day. A distant voice, an echo constantly disturbs our dreams, but the fear that invades the silent quiet of the night hours is nothing but an illusion. That voice is nothing but a muse, which with its delicate song invites us to let ourselves go to our emotions, to embrace the storm, feel its majesty, and let ourselves be carried away into the clouds.

An emotional storm that reaches towering heights as in the cathartic title track, in the Mediterranean melancholy of "Nostalgia", in the disenchantment of "I'll keep on dreaming", in the stream of consciousness of "Deceiver", in the Gothic unease of "Haunted", in the faded memories that emerge in "Breathing again" and in the boundless sadness of "Open your eyes".