Defenders Of The Faith, le forum Metal

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 band is currently negotiating an album deal.

Netherlands-based gothic/progressive metal band STREAM OF PASSION, which is fronted by Mexican female vocalist Marcela Bovio (AYREON), will release its sophomore album, "The Flame Within", on May 29 via Napalm Records. According to a press release, "The Flame Within" "leaves its predecessor in the dust, thanks to more mature songwriting. Carried by Marcela Bovio's fantastic vocal lines, STREAM OF PASSION delivers the entire spectrum of human emotions — at times dreamy and melancholic, at others uninhibited and forward pressing. In this way, heavy riffs merge with romantic undertones in majestic unity. Jens Bogren's (Fascination Street Studios) mastering work allows the tracks' subtle nuances to come into play. 'The Flame Within' is more than a loosely arranged sequence of songs, but rather a holistic gothic metal masterpiece complete with mystic elements and sonorous symphonic romanticism."

"The Flame Within" track listing:

01. The Art Of Loss
02. In The End
03. Now Or Never
04. When You Hurt Me The Most
05. Run Away
06. Games We Play
07. This Endless Night
08. My Leader
09. Burn My Pain
10. Let Me In
11. Street Spirit
12. A Part Of You
13. All I Know
14. Far And Apart (bonus track; digipack only)

STREAM OF PASSION's current lineup:

Marcela Bovio - Vocals, Violin
Johan van Stratum - Bass
Davy Mickers - Drums
Jeffrey Revet - Keyboards
Eric Hazebroek - Guitars
Stephan Schultz - Guitars

STREAM OF PASSION parted ways with founding members Arjen Lucassen (guitar), Lori Linstruth (guitar) and Alejandro Millán (piano), back in March 2007.

The band's debut album, "Embrace the Storm", was released in Holland in October 2005 via Sony/BMG Benelux. The CD was issued in the rest of Europe and the U.S./Canada via InsideOut Music.

STREAM OF PASSION, the brainchild of Arjen Lucassen (AYREON, STAR ONE), have issued the following update:

"After many years of great musical collaboration, Stream Of Passion and drummer Davy Mickers decided to part ways. Due to personal reasons, Davy took this step as he needs to devote more of his time to his family. Thus, he could not longer give Stream Of Passion 100% of his energy. The band members wish him much happiness on this new journey in his life!

Stream of Passion is thrilled to present their fans with their new drummer: Martijn Peters. Martijn earned his extraordinary skills by playing and touring with bands like NOVACT, BACKWATER and STENTORIAN. He joined Stream Of Passion just in time to play with them on the upcoming dates in support of their new album, The Flame Within.