Without any prior knowledge whatsoever about who was involved in this project, I was captivated from the very first moment I pressed play.

It wasn’t until upon further investigation that I discovered the true identities of the key musicians involved in this group, and it suddenly all made sense.

For those unaware, Stream Of Passion is the latest project to emerge from Dutch progressive mastermind/multi-instrumentalist Arjen Anthony Lucassen.

Following hot off the heels of his 2004’s double conceptual effort The Human Equation (Under the name of Ayreon), Lucassen soon set out on an entirely new project, with the idea of forming a proper band (His first in over a decade since the split up of Vengeance) around Mexican vocalist Marcela Bovio (Who is also a member of progressive rock acts Hydra and Elfonía, and who also guested on Ayreon’s ‘The Human Equation’).

After assembling a group of unlikely musicians from entirely different musical backgrounds and corners of the globe (Such as American lead guitarist Lori Linstruth, Dutch bassist Johan Van Stratum, Mexican pianist Alejandro Millán (Who is also in Elfonía) and Dutch drummer Davy Mickers), Lucassen (Who provided the guitars and the musical compositions) and Bovio (Who, aside from vocals, was responsible for the albums lyrics and violin) collaborated together, with the results speaking for themselves.

Opening in dramatic fashion with tribalistic drums, jaunting piano work and Middle Eastern like keyboard work, ‘Spellbound’ soon opens up to heavier guitar work (Without destroying any of the subdued atmosphere that was built with the slow unfurling beginning), before exploding with Bovio’s eventual majestic and captivating voice.

Lucassen’s past is a little more evident in the heavier still ‘Passion’, ‘Haunted’ and ‘Deceiver’, but that’s not to say that it’s all that obvious either. Lucassen has obviously taken care to ensure that Stream Of Passion isn’t another variation of Ayreon (Or his numerous other projects), and has allowed all the musicians involved put forward their own collective ideas and influences, and it shows.

‘I’ll Keep On Dreaming’ marks a turning point for the album as the heaviness of the guitars are taken away, allowing the guitar solos and keyboard work (Along with Bovio’s vocals of course) to steer the mood of the song, while the hypnotic melodies within ‘Wherever You Are’, the title track ‘Embrace The Storm’, ‘Out In The Real World’ (Again, another very Ayreon sounding track), the Spanish vocalised simplicity of ‘Nostalgia’ and the bombastic progressive finale of ‘Calliopeia’ all showing the diversity the band are capable of, regardless of Lucassen’s input and creative influence.

If Lucassen’s work in the past has made an impression, or if the more progressive output from fellow Dutch act The Gathering (Particularly with the fact that Bovio has a distinctly similar style and sound to Anneke Van Giersbergen) struck a chord, then Stream Of Passion’s debut isn’t one to be missed.

» streamofpassion.com