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
... 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 album Embrace the Storm will be released fall 2005 through various labels.
