Reviews
4,5 / 5,0
Prolific composer and multi-instrumentalist Arjen Lucassen and vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen are no strangers to each other. They worked together several times over the last fifteen years or so. Now, for The Gentle Storm, the Dutch musicians work almost exclusively together for The Diary.
As you might expect from a Lucassen project, the album, it's concept and music, is grand and immense. Van Giersbergen supplies the lyrics and voice for the theme. Set during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century, it's the tale of the two Dutch lovers separated when the man goes off to sea. They communicate only by letters, which form the breadth of the songs. Anneke expression comes in her typical range from pop rock vocalist to operatic diva.
Lucassen provides the music with intent of creating melodies that lift her voice and carry the story. From his Ayreon compositions, you can expect some significant depth to the music. The songs are largely symphonic with a strong measure of rock and folk music, then wrapped some progressive rock intrigue. Surprisingly, none of Lucassen's ubiquitious keyboards are found in the arrangements. But there is a choir, hammered dulcimer, and French horn, to name some of the many instruments involved. Largely, I found The Diary to remind me of early The Gathering blended with general Ayreon elements.
The basic album package consists of two CDs of the same material, the Gentle version and the Storm version. As you might suspect, the latter is the more bombastic full-blown symphonic and rock version of the songs. The former dials those back for lighter symphonic notes and greater acoustic and folk tones. Frankly, I like both approaches, perhaps leaning to the Storm version. But the Gentle version has the ability to lift both the melodies and van Geirsbergen's voice. Essentially, if you like either artist in the aforementioned music context, you will like this work and should buy the album. You won't be disappointed.
4 / 5 estrelas
The Gentle Storm is the latest project from Dutch maestro Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon and Star One, among others) and singer Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering and Devin Townsend, also among others). While most of Arjen’s projects have infused prog rock and metal with a heavy folk influence, for The Gentle Storm’s debut album The Diary he has taken the unusual step of releasing two versions of it together in one package. For an incredibly thorough and in-depth analysis of the ‘Gentle’ first disc, containing folk versions of all the songs, check out Evermind’s top-notch review! I have the privilege of taking on the ‘Storm’ second disc.
First thing’s first, this is certainly not the “full-on metal onslaught” that the album’s promo material describes it as. I was all ready to have my face shredded to pieces, so was a little surprised to be met with a disc that is, in fact, very balanced. This is absolutely not a criticism, by the way, but I think is important is setting sensibly expectations. The tracks on this disc are all very much rock songs, but they still include plenty of folk elements in keeping with the vibe of the Gentle disc. The album is somewhat akin to Ayreon in tone and style, but with one important difference: no synthesisers! Arjen’s music has almost always made use of synthesisers, be it leads sound or atmospheric pads, but what allows The Diary’s Storm disc to distinguish itself from Ayreon in particular is how much more organic it sounds.
This is just one of the features of the way Arjen has put the album together that, for me, makes it a success. Unlike the Ayreon or Star One projects which have had a strong sci-fi narrative, where synthesisers are very fitting, The Diary is a story set in the 17th century about a sailor who embarks on a two-year voyage, leaving his wife at home. The concept and lyrics of the album tell the story through the letters that the two characters write to each other, which given the era would have been the only way to communicate. This old world vibe is told very nicely through Anneke’s lyrics, which are very touching at times and mark a welcome increased contribution compared with her other recent collaborations with Arjen and Devy. The acoustic instrumentation (on both discs, it should be said) is appropriate and lends authenticity to the story.
So, what about the quality of the Storm disc specifically? Well, while I perhaps wasn’t as blown away by it as Evermind was by the Gentle disc, it really is a very good listen. Right from the first time I heard the album I noticed and enjoyed the instrumentation for the reasons above. Not as diverse as on the Gentle disc, perhaps, but the heavy use of strings and piano creates a very natural sound that feels genuine to the story, even when also rocking out with electric guitars.
The songs themselves are for the most part great as well. For me personally, the majority of the songs are slightly better on the Storm disc – the rock style gives them a little more power and Arjen is the master of infusing his rock music with folk styling. While they’re not my favourites on the album, the opening two tracks Endless Sea and Heart of Amsterdam are great examples of this – very enjoyable folk rock songs.
My own highlights are Cape of Storms and The Moment, both of which contain terrific melodies and luscious orchestration, and have a superb way of building up from soft beginnings to climactic endings. I do find it funny that my favourite songs on the Storm disc are also two of the softest, but they really are gorgeous and I have such a soft spot for music that builds up in the way that these do. The last full song on the album, New Horizons, is another really good one, though I struggle to decide whether I prefer the Gentle or Storm versions because both are so good.
Some of the songs don’t work quite so well on the Storm disc, though, most notable and ironic of which is the title track The Storm. Having heard the Gentle disc first, where this song was a real standout, I was and still am rather underwhelmed by the Storm version. It’s not bad, but it really does feel to me like a great folk song with a metal style awkwardly crowbarred in. The riff doesn’t quite work and the song as a whole doesn’t quite hang together. That’s probably the worst offender, and even that is still a decent song, which is a testament to the quality of the album.
Of course, I can’t properly review this disc without talking about Anneke’s vocals, which are as lovely as ever. On the Storm disc especially, she nails everything, with just the right balance of power, sweetness and emotion. She’s never really been one to go over the top with huge soaring operatic vocals; her strength lies in the delicate timbre in her voice and the artistry with which she chooses to sing out or hold back, and this album is another great example.
All in all, The Diary is a solid album and the Storm disc in particular is very strong. Purely my own personal preference, but I find that for almost all the songs I have a clear preference for which I enjoy more (except New Horizons, curse it!). I therefore expect that I will create a single-album playlist picking my favourite of each. However, this was an experiment that allows each listener to pick their own favourites, and as is evident from the reviews that Evermind and I have written, both discs work very well on their own. Another fine addition to Arjen Lucassen’s growing catalogue.
10 / 10
If there is one (social) recluse who has learnt the methods of teasing his fans, then the award goes to Dutch pride Arjen Anthony Lucassen. After a bombastic comeback in 2013 with Ayreon’s ‘The Theory of Everything’, the man is taking the next step along with Anneke Van Giersbergen for an epic double CD concept album to be called ‘The Diary’ under the name of The Gentle Storm. Anneke has worked with Arjen on two Ayreon albums, ‘Into The Electric Castle’ (1998) and ‘01011001’ (2008). Arjen has earned a name for himself after releasing series of nothing but concept albums, touching on all the areas of music and emotions. After covering everything, it is time to go beyond imagination, and that’s where ‘The Diary’ makes a glass-shattering entry.
In the words of the man himself, ‘The Diary’ is “an epic double concept album of ‘classic meets metal’ and ‘acoustic folk’.” Turning a regular concept into an “epic double concept” album is something that only people like Arjen can think of and execute. ‘The Diary’ follows a love story of two protagonists - Susanne and Joseph, a couple living in 17th century Netherlands, which was then known for its trade all over the world. Joseph has gone on his voyage of endurance, sailing across the sea for 2 years. The only way for Joseph and Susanne to communicate is via letters, which form the base of the songs. The second concept of the album is quite vivid; kind of like Ayreon’s ‘The Dream Sequencer’ and ‘Flight Migrator’, but with similar yet more epic songs. Both the CDs have the same songs played with different arrangements. The first CD, ‘Gentle’ includes 11 songs played on folk and acoustic instruments, while the second CD, ‘Storm’ includes same songs but with a heavy sound combined with the progressive edge that Arjen is known for. The music and lyrics are exact and intact on both the CDs; it’s the difference between the instruments they’re being played with.
While making Ayreon albums, Arjen has worked with n-number of musicians throughout, and he has somehow managed to get the best ones out of them for one band now known as The Gentle Storm. It’s safe to say that Ed Warby is now full-time partner of Ayreon and Arjen’s other projects. When Anneke asked Arjen if he had a band to take The Gentle Storm on roads, he brought a team he has worked with and is still working with. With Ed Warby taking drum duties, Anneke on vocals and lyrics with Marcela Bovio (Lead vocalist, Stream of Passion) for backing vocals, along with Johan Van Stratum (bass), Rob Snijders (percussion), Hinse Mutter (double bass), Maaike Peterse (cello), Ben Mathot (violin) and the Epic Rock Choir (which will be taking Ayreon’s ‘The Human Equation’ on stage this September), this album could not be more perfect.
Reviewing each track will be an injustice to the never-ending simplicity and beauty of this album. After distributing the work on this album, it was time for Arjen to enter and show his magic, which he always does; taking up more than 10 instruments and just playing them whole heartedly. From his usual instruments like guitar, mandolin, acoustic bass, keyboards and few percussions, he goes beyond his own limits, bringing other instruments like the Hammer Dulcimer, Tabla, banjo and what not. The ‘Gentle’ CD is quite exotic, after all. Different styles of music are also infused within the album, therefore not limiting it to just rock or metal. The Jazz vocals on “Heart of Amsterdam” and the mixing Indian classical with Middle Eastern influences on “Shores of India” are probably things that only Arjen can think of, followed by the soul-smiling outro of “The Moment”. In the lowest of times, this album comes out of the blue and brings out small pieces of music that just ought to make you smile.
The next CD ‘Storm’ is progressive metal at its best, making it more massive and epic with orchestral elements and the Epic Rock Choir. Beginning with an epic Dutch chorus is again, “Endless Sea”, just this time, on a heavier note. If the ‘Gentle’ CD swayed you away with its simplistic yet extremely blissful music, the ‘Storm’ CD would just makes you fly to the sky, smiling beyond limit and for no reason. The guitar solos on “Endless Sea”, “Heart of Amsterdam” and “The Moment” by Arjen and Timo Somers are the cherry on the cake. With more groovy music, the ‘Storm’ CD just takes the album to yet another level where you can just stand up and dance your heart away (literally). This album is not just for progressive music fans; it covers almost all the genres of music and somehow amalgamates them into these 22 songs. Essentially, ‘Gentle’ and ‘Storm’ are just covers of each other.
While making Ayreon albums, Arjen has worked with n-number of musicians throughout, and he has somehow managed to get the best ones out of them for one band now known as The Gentle Storm. It’s safe to say that Ed Warby is now full-time partner of Ayreon and Arjen’s other projects. When Anneke asked Arjen if he had a band to take The Gentle Storm on roads, he brought a team he has worked with and is still working with. With Ed Warby taking drum duties, Anneke on vocals and lyrics with Marcela Bovio (Lead vocalist, Stream of Passion) for backing vocals, along with Johan Van Stratum (bass), Rob Snijders (percussion), Hinse Mutter (double bass), Maaike Peterse (cello), Ben Mathot (violin) and the Epic Rock Choir (which will be taking Ayreon’s ‘The Human Equation’ on stage this September), this album could not be more perfect.
Reviewing each track will be an injustice to the never-ending simplicity and beauty of this album. After distributing the work on this album, it was time for Arjen to enter and show his magic, which he always does; taking up more than 10 instruments and just playing them whole heartedly. From his usual instruments like guitar, mandolin, acoustic bass, keyboards and few percussions, he goes beyond his own limits, bringing other instruments like the Hammer Dulcimer, Tabla, banjo and what not. The ‘Gentle’ CD is quite exotic, after all. Different styles of music are also infused within the album, therefore not limiting it to just rock or metal. The Jazz vocals on “Heart of Amsterdam” and the mixing Indian classical with Middle Eastern influences on “Shores of India” are probably things that only Arjen can think of, followed by the soul-smiling outro of “The Moment”. In the lowest of times, this album comes out of the blue and brings out small pieces of music that just ought to make you smile.
The next CD ‘Storm’ is progressive metal at its best, making it more massive and epic with orchestral elements and the Epic Rock Choir. Beginning with an epic Dutch chorus is again, “Endless Sea”, just this time, on a heavier note. If the ‘Gentle’ CD swayed you away with its simplistic yet extremely blissful music, the ‘Storm’ CD would just makes you fly to the sky, smiling beyond limit and for no reason. The guitar solos on “Endless Sea”, “Heart of Amsterdam” and “The Moment” by Arjen and Timo Somers are the cherry on the cake. With more groovy music, the ‘Storm’ CD just takes the album to yet another level where you can just stand up and dance your heart away (literally). This album is not just for progressive music fans; it covers almost all the genres of music and somehow amalgamates them into these 22 songs. Essentially, ‘Gentle’ and ‘Storm’ are just covers of each other.
All in all, this double album is the epitome of happiness. Arjen has gone beyond expectations with each release, but this control freak and social recluse has gone beyond his own imaginations this time. He has made an album with Anneke and team that is so anachronous and beyond perfection that artists two to three decades from now will attempt to achieve the musical heights ‘The Diary’ has achieved. The only doubt for me after this album is that either this is just a start of new Arjen, or there will never be an album as epic as ‘The Diary’.
4,8 / 5,0
The Gentle Storm is the newest in a growing list of projects from Dutch maestro Arjen Anthony Lucassen, and features lyricist and vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen. While that pairing alone should have any prog fan turning their head, the pairings’ debut work, The Diary, is more than simply great composer meets great vocalist. The album comes in two discs, one “gentle” and one “storm”, featuring softer and heavier versions of the same songs. But don’t be fooled into thinking the softer album is simply your typical stripped down acoustic album. Instead the songs, while seemingly built from the same cores, are constructed quite differently on each disc.
The glue between the two discs is most certainly Anneke, who’s beautiful and melodic vocals shine through on both versions of each song. For those unfamiliar with her previous work, most famously on Devin Townsend Project albums, you are in for a treat. She manages to have a hauntingly beautiful timbre to her voice, but she has the ability to present it with significant power. Not to be confused at all with more “ballsy” female vocalists, she simply manages to hang on high notes without appearing thin.
Instrumentally I would say the “gentle” disc is certainly the more interesting of the two versions. There is an amazing diversity of instruments that put unique stamps all over the tracks. The “storm” album isn’t particularly heavy or metal by many standards, but has a traditional drum setup and is generally more guitar driven than its counterpart and is probably closer to Ayreon than Star One. The “gentle” tracks however bring full on folk and eclectic sounds that have not been seen since Ayreon debuted with The Final Experiment. The “gentle” album is also where you will likely notice what a fantastic job Arjen has done with the piano on this album, as it is featured prominently on several tracks.
One of the aspects I enjoyed about the “storm” album, is that the only keys are the piano; no minimoog, or synthesizers; truly a first for Arjen. With that in mind, if you take a moment to notice the sounds you’d so often associate with a keyboard patch on the albums and listen closely, you can fully appreciate how nice the plethora of instruments sound in their place. Even on the heavier “storm” album the violins, double bass, and other strings really stand out. The analog synths that Arjen has often employed has always been one of my favorite parts of his sound, and so for an album without them to be so good is a big credit to him.
Arjen’s songwriting and use of the many instrumentalists is stunning throughout both discs. Arjen clearly did not set out to make the “gentle” album more than an album featuring cheap acoustic versions usually used as b-sides and fillers by other artists. The thought and arrangement of the music clearly shines through, and the albums don’t feel identical songs with instruments swapped out. Anneke’s lyrics and vocals are captivating and powerful, as to be expected based on her recent collaborations. With every listen new songs and new parts always seem to stand out, and in the end this looks like another home run from Holland’s leading progressive mastermind.
9 / 10
You know it’s going to be a long review when you realise it will take two paragraphs just to explain who is is involved, what it’s about and why. But it has to be – The Gentle Storm’s debut offering “The Diary” demands it. Two CDs containing two different arrangements of each song, a lyrical concept, and all masterminded by Arjen Lucassen of Ayreon/Star One etc. fame and Anneke van Giersbergen, who initially rose to fame as the vocally distinctive front-woman for The Gathering as well as being a renowned solo artist. CD1 is entitled ‘Gentle’ and CD2 is ‘Storm’. One lighter/more acoustic, the other heavy/more bombastic. The track-list is the same but the performance and attitude markedly different for each. Unashamedly patriotic for these two Netherlandian musical giants, the lyrical concept focuses on a love story full of trials and tribulations, set in 17th century Holland and…when was this album’s release date again? Bugger, not enough time to analyse the lyrics then or I’ll be here until May – maybe for the best, so let’s go with…Lyrics Excellent, Concept Interesting, Much Emotion. Sorted. Right, let’s get on to the songs…
Arjen has a song-writing style of his own, a trademark if you will, that always shines through in everything he does. But he also has a talent for writing musical melodies for particular vocalists that he is currently working with. He proves this time and time again with Ayreon – a knack of bringing out the best in a singer. Never more apparent for me than with Anneke. I didn’t really gel with The Gathering personally, they just weren’t a style I liked, but it always kind of bugged me that I didn’t like a band with such a great singer. It just didn’t happen for me until I heard Anneke’s contribution to Ayreon’s “Into The Electric Castle” album. She was fantastic – one of the album’s highlights, and a feat she emphatically repeated a decade or so later on Ayreon’s “01011001” opus! So what an absolutely mouthwatering prospect a whole album featuring the two of them is! My only reservation when I heard the news was a slight concern that the album would be torn between showing off Anneke’s acoustically leant prowess and Arjen’s Metallic Progressiveness. Neatly sorted by having 2 discs, with 2 different treatments of the same songs – nice solution!
Now, listening to any new Ayreon-related album is always a bit of a ritual for me I’m slightly embarrassed to admit. It’s OK, I don’t have a lucky pair of underpants I must wear or anything, but I do like to sit on my own with the lyrics/booklet – list of singers/musicians to hand, drinking in each person’s contribution (along with a glass of red wine or few), enjoying the arrangements and losing myself in the whole sound-scape and experience of the thing. But then it needs to be said that I’ve never actually reviewed an Ayreon album. So how do I to go about putting “The Diary” into words – It’s not Ayreon firstly of course (though obviously it has plenty of musical similarities), and it’s all one singer, rather than many. It is just as complex, interesting and innovative as any Ayreon album…and add to that the fact that it is as complex, interesting and innovative as an Anneke van Giersbergen solo album. What to do? How to approach it? Luckily my rather ancient, wheezing computer made my decision for me. When I downloaded my review copy it didn’t split the two discs, it stuck the ‘Storm’ version of each song right after it’s ‘Gentle’ counterpart, making it easier to directly compare each version. That’s a stroke of luck, thought I, and waded in…
With the review now reaching Essay proportions and readers having to order out for food, I shall refrain from going through the album on a track by track basis – after all, there really is no need to spoil the fun of the prospective listener! But there are some things about “The Diary” that should be mentioned. The use of every single instrument, be it cello, flute or mandolin through to distorted guitar or full orchestra is expertly thought out and executed. Yes, yes, I know, Arjen fans now expect it, but sometimes you just need to take a step back and marvel at the time and effort that goes into arranging the music for just one of his songs. Now, like a few people I’ve spoken to, I initially wondered about the need to do two versions of each song. Either pick a version or incorporate the two elements in one yes? Well what if you have got the layout and length of the song perfect and you can’t cram everything in? And what if the best parts of the quieter version are then hidden, buried in the production, or just don’t work in the heavier? Take ‘The Greatest Love’ for instance – my favourite version is ‘Storm’, but my favourite ELEMENT (the fabulous mandolin and violin melody lines) are only apparent on the ‘Gentle’ version! Two versions justified straight away. And in this computer/I pod era we can all make our own play-lists, and therefore compile our own personal favourite version of “The Diary”. It’s a marvellous idea really.
It’s not like each song just has two different mixes either – these are two different recordings, with different instruments and different vocal emphasis and delivery. Sometimes the tracks aren’t a million miles apart, like with the subtleties of ‘The Moment’ (until ‘Storm’s giant crescendo), but usually each track’s alter ego really does have a totally different approach. ‘Brightest Light’ is just one example of this. ‘Gentle’ echoes Blackmore’s Night (a similarity on a few of the ‘Gentle’ tracks), playing in a seedy, dimly lit bar, crossed with prime ”Electric Castle” Ayreon – but ‘Storm’ is up-to-the-minute Ayreon/Star One heaviness with the fantastic drums of Ed Warby driving the song ever onward and drenched in orchestration for added power and drama. Vocally the stripped back single voice of the first version is replaced by Anneke using more harmonies and letting her voice soar and rather than ebb on the second. To be honest, when you really delve into the album, it is a nerd’s nirvana, a reviewer’s retinal headache and a fan’s phenomenon!
It was never really in doubt though was it? These two together for a whole album with their collective experience and ability, it was always going to be a bit special. On the whole, this is more an extension of Ayreon than an appendage to Anneke solo releases, but rather cleverly there is enough of both that everyone is happy. Anneke’s versatile voice also means that most areas of Ayreon past and present are visited (along with plenty of Ambeon and fledgling Stream Of Passion too). Two great albums for the price of one and arrangement-wise no stone left unturned. This isn’t self-indulgence if you understand what fans of Arjen and Anneke would want. They understand their fans and they have delivered an absolute gem that is very difficult to find fault with – so why try? Just immerse yourself!
