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Interview
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #


Stream of Passion



Out In The Real World



Prologue
Each time Dutch multi-instrumentalist Arjen Anthony Lucassen releases a new album of his main project Ayreon, the music world is first struck with awe, and then is nervous to see what comes next. Each time it’s very difficult to imagine how Arjen can surpass the things he already achieved, and not only for the listeners, but for the mastermind himself. Thus, in order to waste no time and evade pressure, he creates a variety of other projects, the latest of them being Stream Of Passion. Coming out just a year after “The Human Equation” (2004), Arjen’s top achievement in my opinion, Stream Of Passion’s debut CD “Embrace The Storm” brings together Arjen and Mexican singer Marcela Bovio, who performed the part of Wife on the above-mentioned masterpiece. However, musically it’s very different, it hardly has anything to do with progressive, and I would rather call it gothic metal, but with a specific “Lucassen” twist that each of his albums has. Read more to find out what Marcela has to say about her cooperation with Arjen.
Stream of Passion
Can you recall when and how you first heard Ayreon? What impression did you have from this music? Was Ayreon among your favorite bands when you were sending your CD to Arjen?

The first time I heard from Ayreon was back in the days of the “Into The Electric Castle” release (1998); a guy from a metal shop showed the album to me and I was very impressed. When the “The Human Equation” contest came up I had already heard some other Ayreon albums and the Ambeon project; I own “The Dream Sequencer” (2000), it’s one of my favorite albums ever!

What impression did Arjen make on you when you first met and started working together? Did he turn out the person that you expected him to be, or completely the opposite person? Is he easy to work with?

I had no idea what to expect, but I had the impression he’d be a very serious and somewhat strict person. Quite on the contrary, he’s a very nice and easy going guy; he’s a wonderful vocal producer, when you’re with him in the studio he knows exactly what to say to make you give your best performance.

After the release of “The Human Equation” you were immediately exposed to a new broad audience. How much did the success of that album influence the career of your main band Elfonía?

It was a huge impact. A lot of Ayreon fans discovered our music and really liked it, which was amazing for us. Especially considering it’s a very different musical approach.

For those of our readers who are not familiar with Elfonía, can you say how much your main band is different from the music of Ayreon and Stream Of Passion? And how much are vocal parts different? Was it a challenge for you to sing on “The Human Equation”?

I guess you could say Elfonía is more experimental; there are some very atmospheric parts, but also wilder moments, with complex rhythm patterns and song structures. We define our music as progressive rock with post-rock, jazz and ethereal influences. The vocal melodies in Elfonía are a bit more experimental as well. Singing in “The Human Equation” was a challenge indeed; I wasn’t really used to singing someone else’s lyrics, so I had to focus and concentrate on the character. Once I was familiar with the story and the ideas behind it, it was easy and very fun, though.

How did you get involved in the re-recording of “Waracle” for the 2004 re-release of “The Final Experiment” album? Was it you who chose this particular track, or was it Arjen’s suggestion?

It was a suggestion from Arjen. He just wrote me an e-mail asking me if I’d like to contribute on the re-release of that album and
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I said yes; it was very fun and challenging creating a new version, since the original is sung in a very different way.

As Arjen said, Stream Of Passion was originally supposed to be an acoustic album. Why did you eventually abandon this idea and added electricity to the music?

It just happened! Arjen got my melodies on top of his acoustic guitar song sketches, and while working on them the idea of adding heavy guitars just came up. The songs evolved in a very natural matter I think.

For “The Human Equation” you recorded your vocal parts in Arjen’s studio, but why did you record in Mexico for “Embrace The Storm”? As far as I know, you did travel to Holland eventually for the photo and video shoots…

It was easier for us to work this way. Sometimes we were composing and recording on the fly, it allowed us to experiment more with the songs and it gave us more time and freedom. Otherwise we would’ve had to spend much more time in Holland, and that would’ve been a bit harder for us Mexicans hehe.

Arjen usually writes lyrics himself for all his projects, but this time it’s you who is the lyric writer. How did it happen? Was that your wish to be responsible yourself for what you are singing, or was Arjen tired of always having to write some words?

He just wanted to give me the opportunity to express myself through the lyrics; he wanted to give me total freedom to experiment with them, as well as the melodies. I of course was very flattered about this, to have him trust me to do the job; and I think it makes the album more interesting and sets it apart from his other projects, having so much input from other musicians.

What are the main topics that you deal with in your lyrics on “Embrace The Storm”? Do you have any kind of concept or main theme in the album?

You can somehow sum everything up in a “darkness and light” concept. The lyrics deal with human emotions and experiences; most of them are dark and melancholic, but there are also some light and hope filled tracks.

All the lyrics on the album are in English, except the song “Nostalgia” that you sing in Spanish. Why did you choose the Spanish language for this particular track? Does it have any kind of message or meaning that is difficult or impossible to convey in English?

It was actually Arjen’s idea to include some lyrics in Spanish. It’s something I got very excited about, because of course it’s easier for me to express myself in my native tongue. It’s definitely possible to express the same things in English, but each language has its distinctive tone and musicality; t
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he Spanish lyrics give the album a distinctive and sort of exotic touch.

By the way, what is the reason for the inclusion of several tracks in English in the second Elfonia album? Are you trying to reach a broader international audience with this move?

Having all this international exposure through Ayreon and Stream of Passion made us consider the idea of including English tracks. We want to give people who don’t speak Spanish an opportunity to connect with our music directly as well. And as I said, each language has its own thing to it; to me there are some things that just sound better in English, and while writing the songs the spaces for English tracks just appeared.

You once said that you are seriously considering the career of an interpreter. What languages do you speak? Is there any chance that we will hear lyrics in other languages on Elfonia albums in the future? What about a song in Russian, for instance?

That would be super! I also speak a bit of French and a tiny bit of German; unfortunately I haven’t had the time to continue my studies, but it’s something that I’d definitely love to do.

As it is always the case, the music of Stream Of Passion is compared in the media with a variety of other bands (The Gathering, Within Temptation, etc.). What comparisons make you proud, and what comparisons make you think the reviewer totally misunderstood the album?

All comparisons have their pros and cons I think. It’s useful and nice for people to know what to expect when they become interested in the band, but there’s a risk of being typecast as well. I think our music is different from all the bands we’ve been compared with, but for instance I don’t mind being compared to The Gathering; they’re a very experimental and innovate band, and although their music is quite different that’s the kind of idea I’d like for people to have about Stream of Passion.

You and Arjen played an acoustic set at the Sony/BMG conference in Holland in September. How was it like playing there? And what are your expectations from the upcoming tour?

That was our first live performance together and I was very nervous! But it came out great and we got an amazing response from the Sony/BMG team. I’m really excited about next year’s tour, I think we’ll have a great time on stage; we’re already getting ready for it, so our excitement is building up.

What will your set-list for the tour look like? As far as I understand, you will play a lot of Ayreon songs, but can you name just a few of them? And what criteria do you apply when you choose the songs for live performan
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ces?


We combined some obvious choices like “Waracle” and “Valley Of The Queens” with some challenging heavy tracks. It’s going to be interesting, because of course we can’t play them the exact Ayreon way; those songs usually have tons of keyboard layers and lots of different vocalists. So we’ll have to create our own versions, it’ll be fun.

You have a month-long European tour scheduled for January and February. Are there any chances of doing more concerts outside Western Europe (I’m not talking about Russia, but probably countries like Poland or the Czech Republic)? And have you ever considered bringing Stream Of Passion over to your home country?

There are no further touring plans unfortunately, but I do hope we get the chance to visit Eastern Europe as well as I’ve never been there before. And of course I’d love to bring the guys over to Mexico for some gigs and show them a good time over here!

Do you have any plans to continue with Stream Of Passion after the tour? And is there a chance to hear you again on future Ayreon albums?

I think time will tell whether there’ll be a new Stream of Passion album, I sure hope so though. And as for the Ayreon question, that depends entirely on Arjen. (smiles)

In Russia, not much is known about the progressive rock/metal scene in Mexico. Does this genre of music have a broad audience in your home country? And what Mexican bands of the genre could you recommend to our readers?

There’s a very large metal and progressive scene in the country; what I like most about it is that there’s a huge diversity of bands and styles. Some really nice progressive rock bands I can recommend are Cabezas de Cera and Gigur.

You said in an earlier interview that lately all the music that has made a big impact on you are really old albums, like Ella Fitzgerald or Thelonious Monk. In your opinion, what do the bands of today lack? Why aren’t they as impressive for you as the musicians of earlier decades?

Oh there are definitely very impressive things done musically these days! I just come from a period from discovering amazing old albums; it’s sometimes a huge impact to hear great music that’s already been there forever and you knew nothing about.

What is the role of music in your life? How would your life have developed if you hadn’t had a chance to become a singer?

Wow, I have no idea; I guess I would’ve further pursued my career as a Computer Systems Engineer, or I would’ve become an interpreter. (smiles)

To round up this interview, can you say a few words to the audience of Stream Of Passion and Elfonia in Russia?

My warmest regards from this side of the ocean! I hope you guys like these new albums and hopefully we’ll meet on a live setting sometime!


Special thanks to Yvette Boertje (Ayreon Management) for arranging this interview

Roman Patrashov
November 9, 2005
24 íîÿ 2005
the End


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