Progressive Rock with Female Vocals Holland

Original 2001

Hard to find - Out of print

NEU / NEW

Credits:

Astrid van der Veen - vocals
Arjen Lucassen - guitars, keyboards, voice, samples
Stephen van Haestregt - drums, percussion
Walter Latupeirissa - bass
John McManus - flute, pipes
Pat McManus - fiddle
Erik Norlander - synths
Lana Lane - reversed backing vocals

Tracks:

1. Estranged
2. Ashes
3. Higher
4. Cold Metal
5. Fate
6. Sick Ceremony
7. Lost Message
8. Surreal
9. Sweet Little Brother
10. Dreamer

AMBEON = instrumental (ambient + AYREON). This was supposed to be a simple formula. Mastermind Arjen Lucassen intended to take melodies, chords and patterns of his AYREON albums and re-arrange them to an ambient electronic instrumental album. Two songs needed female vocals and so he evalueted some female vocalists. Listening to a tape of 14 year old (!!) dutch Astrid van der Veen did kill the instrumental part of the formula. Astrid took care of lyrics and melodies, Arjen re-arranged the songs again ... resulting in an ambient electronic album which has only 2 instrumentals left.

This was a wise decision because listening to the opening tracks Estranged and Ashes shows what an overwhelming voice Astrid has. With her young age she can easily compete with nowaday's big female singers, SHARON DEN ADEL, TORI AMOS, ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN just to name a few. This is sensational !

This album offers beautiful and varied female vocals, ambient electro, AYREON-alike bombast progrock/progmetal parts and some folk/world-music influences. Perfect sound, great atmosphere, ambient electronic, hymnic progmetal and an extraterrestrial female voice make "Fate of a dreamer" a steaming hot recommendation.