THE
DIARY
THE
GENTLE STORM! AN EPIC MADE STORM!
The Review!
By
Darkzen
A little biography of the band!
It is a proyect musical with the
talented Anneke van Giersbergen author
and composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen, founder and leader of other
musical projects such as Star One, Ayreon, Guilt Machine and Ambeon musical
project. The duo previously collaborated on albums Ayreon Into The Electric
Castle and 01011001. The Journal and The Diary, was released on March 23, 2015,
in Europe, and the next day in the US and it consists of a double album, with
the first part being a full metalera work and the second with a lighter popular
approach so that both parties have music!
The concept of the álbum
The album depicts the life of Joseph
Warwijck (born in Amsterdam in 1644) and Susanne Vermeer (born in Delft in
1647). They married in 1666 and lived in Lindengracht, Amsterdam. The story is
set in the 1600s during the Golden Age of the 17th century, when the Dutch
sailed to many distant parts of the Dutch world; trade in gold, silver and
goods with many other territories. Joseph was a young officer serving with the
VOC (Verenigde Oost-In-Dische Compagnie), also called the Dutch East India
Company, which recounts the events of their lives and unexpected moments until
today diaries and letters Joseph and Susanne of as heirlooms handed down from
generation to generation. Finally they were stored in a wooden box and placed
in the attic of the family farm. There they remained until they were rediscovered
in the 21st century.
Álbum:
The Diary
Country:
Netherlands
Band:
The Gentle Storm
Alignment:
Anneke
van Giersbergen - lead singer
Arjen
Anthony Lucassen - Electric and Acoustic Guitar, bass, keyboards and hammered
dulcimer
Musicians
and Members
Marcela Bovio - Voices background (Live
Shows)
Johan van Stratum - bass
Ed Warby - Drums
Rob Snijders - Percussion
Joost van den Broek - Piano
Ben Mathot - Violin
Maaike Peterse - Cello
Hinse Mutter - Double bass
Jenneke de Jonge - French Horn
Jeroen Goossens - Wind Instrument
Michael Mills - Irish bouzouki
Timo Somers - Solo Guitar
Epic Rock Choir - Choir
Genre:
Symphonic / Progressive Metal / Folk Rock
Let's Review! As the album is extensive, I
will summarize for this you see the two versions given that one has the soft
disk arrays and the second part Metal version!
CD1:
Gentle and CD2: Storm
1
Endless Sea
2
Heart of Amsterdam
3
The Greatest Love
4
Shores Of India
5
Cape Of Stoms
6
The Moment
7
The Storm
8
Eyes Of Michiel
9
Brightest Light
10
New Horizons
11
Epilogue: The Final Entry
Sound of the sea, folk mixed with nature,
temple bells, choir and orchestra give us the way to a tragic story full of
emotions where the beautiful voice of Anneke anger building beautiful melodies
and passages of history and so we enter with "Endless Sea", where the
elements are appearing in this way. "Heart of Amsterdam" is a sublime
subject and gives us a part of what will be the story of the album, being
chosen as the first single from the álbum music video era with many excellent
detail, with melodies reminiscent of chamber music a chorus that hooks to
follow the story a brilliant guitar solo and violin in its intermediate part of
the song, where they end up mingling melodiously. "The Greatest Love"
is unique and beautiful with curious chorus to be heard with great attention
and other union guitar-violin brilliant!
Then we have a gem "Shores of
India", the second single from the album, an excellent work that has a
very beautiful conceptual impact, together with the music takes us to that
special moment with a rhythm sound coupled with their unique voice of Anneke .
In "Cape of Storms" atmospheres
created by the orchestra and choruses where the topic is bound with electrical
instruments into total relaxation in exquisite sounds. And this style is very
similar to "The Moment", a calm, orchestral sounds that ultimately
leaves us with a surprising theme Baroque sound. "The Storm" is where
we find the hardest riff of this work, now reaching more heavies very Epic
fragments!
"Eyes of Michiel" very original
work, shapes or builds an entire song based on it, with the violin and the
guitar joint one by one. "Brightest Light" a song a little different
with this touch but maybe something a little repetitive and less composed as
above we have heard, "New Horizons", reminds us a little to the tune
of "Brightest Light" although unlike This lengthens the flute sound
we feel Brightest Light. And finally "Epilogue: The Final Entry" a
short work of two minutes ends the story reproduced one by one, with something
like "The Moment" style.
My
Recomendation;
Musical
Creativity and Technical
It's a very creative álbum, and expected
something like Arjen Master!
Musically the album '' Suave''o '' Gentle
'is more complex and interesting for both versions, there is an incredible
diversity and equity instruments that give the unique style of the band. The
second album '' Storm '' as we have heard is not very heavy, with a style of
traditional drums and guitar driven softer counterpart.
The album "The Diary", the first
album by The Gentle Storm. It gives us the opportunity to delve into his side's
Folk Álbum edition given the kind of acoustic or electrical issues.
Undoubtedly the seal and distinction as a
composer Arjen Lucassen when producing the disc is printed on every corner of
the album "The Diary". Also his taste for conceptual works and
detailing in history to bring into your album! In this case telling a story set
in the seventeenth century history.
We are facing a complex varied album and
Arjen looks back both his side's heavy as to symphonic fantastically, writing a
series of issues where the voice of Anneke is mixed to perfection, with a frame
of mind as I have been saying in my past Super Tops, very beautiful! With a
warm timbre very sublime!
The
Good
It has a rich musical production and
technical and full of well-crafted music!
The
Bad
I do not see anything bad really, but
maybe his heavy hand, however excellent stay!
Cover
Art:
Excellent, striking in many ways the story
of the álbum and the Sea something remarkable in Arjen Albums!
Vocal:
Anneke van Giersbergen
Voice
type (Tessitura): Soprano / Mezzo
The record of her voice is beautiful, both
acute and serious is impressive and remarkable! was the lead singer and
principal of the Dutch band The Gathering of 1995-2007 and in his solo project
called Agua de Annique or now simply Anneke van Giersbergen. He has also worked
with other bands like The Farmer Boys, Ayreon, Napalm Death, Moonspell, Giant
Squid, Within Temptation, Anathema and Novembers Doom.
Vocal:
Marcela Bovio
Beautiful voice with a soft Tessitura and
light! Which makes a great duet on this álbum!
Score:
10/10
More Info:
Official Web site:
