STREAM OF PASSION
Embrace the Storm
Inside Out Music 2005
www.streamofpassion.com

Read the Marcela Bovio interview

What’s the 4-1-1?
The debut album from the new project of Ayreon mastermind Arjen Anthony Lucassen; features the vocals of Mexican powerhouse Marcela Bovio.

Genre
Progressive metal / symphonic metal

The Good
The moody and atmospheric feel of this album is definitely in line with the gothic style of vocals from singer Bovio. The feel of the album was conveyed even more by the fact that I initially listened to the album on a rainy day. Bovio’s vocals are the kind of soaring and powerful operatic vocals you’d expect on this type of album. They live up to the advance billing of the promo material. I’m sure her singing will bring about the general comparisons between bands like Nightwish, Within Temptation, and most likely even Evanescence.

I’ve heard all three of those bands, and I’d say that judging solely on the quality of her vocals alone, Bovio ranks right up there with Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen. I really enjoyed the drumming of Davy Mickers on this album. The opening song “Spellbound”, in particular, really lets him stand out. The stand out track is the rocker “Deceiver.” The guitar work is excellent on the song as well as the cuts “Open Your Eyes” and “Calliopeia.” Even the ballads are good ("Nostalgia”).

The Bad
This is not an easy album to get a handle on. At least that’s how it was for me. I listened to the album twice, and most of the songs 3 times in order to really grasp everything that was available to hear. While I think Bovio’s vocals are great, I did notice that in some songs there seems to be a rather odd disconnect between the music and the vocals. It just didn’t seem to mix together properly for the entirety of the set. I don’t know if that’s a result of the album’s parts being recorded separately in the various parts of the world where the band members live, but I did find it a bit distracting.

The Verdict
After listening to the album the first time, I wasn’t all that impressed. A second time through, gave me a better appreciation of what was being done here. It’s a good album and I think serves notice for what could be coming in any subsequent releases from the group.

Did You Know?
Singer Marcela Bovio was discovered by Lucassen when she entered a contest on his website to sing on one of his Ayreon rock operas. The band’s lineup is a mini United Nations. Three members are Dutch, two from Mexico, and an American guitarist who lives in Sweden.

Rating: out of 5

-- Jay Roberts