Stream of Passion's 'Beautiful Warrior' - EP Review

It was a sad day when the Dutch six-piece Stream of Passion called it a day in 2016. As one of the many bands born out of the wider Ayreon universe, following frontwoman Marcela Bovio's appearance on 2004's The Human Equation, Stream of Passion should have probably found more success. The band did pretty well for themselves over an 11-year career that produced four studio albums and two live albums - but they never seemed to reach the heights of some of their peers. Given the links to Arjen Anthony Lucassen, who co-formed the band and co-wrote 2005's Embrace the Storm, it is hard to see why they failed to break through in a big way - but perhaps their melting pot sound held them back somewhat. Stream of Passion were always lumped in with the wider symphonic metal scene, which has seen quite a few bands succeed, but the Dutch act never really felt at home in that genre. There are certainly elements of symphonic metal to be found in Stream of Passion's sound, but the band were always more atmospheric and ethereal than bombastic and powerful - with a strong gothic streak and a subtly progressive edge. Stream of Passion's albums always took a few listens to fully appreciate, and this is possibly why they lagged behind many of the bands they were often compared with. As such, I can understand why the band called it a day. Their final show of that farewell tour, which was filmed for the Momento DVD, was performed to a packed house - but I caught the band in Bristol on the same tour and there were probably only 100 or so people in attendance. It was a shame to see, but at the same time it made the band's decision make sense. I cannot say that I followed all of the band members' projects following Stream of Passion's demise - but driving forces Bovio and bassist Johan van Stratum remained busy. van Stratum was a part of Vuur, and is currently Blind Guardian's live bassist, whilst Bovio has been a part of the supergroup MaYaN for a while at this point, battled cancer, and launched the more progressively-minded band Dark Horse White Horse - who released their self-titled EP (which I reviewed here) in 2021. I really enjoyed the EP, and I hoped that the band would kick on, but since releasing the EP they seem to have been dormant. Releasing it during the pandemic likely did not help, but perhaps the reason for the band not seeming to go anywhere was that, behind the scenes, Bovio and vas Stratum were busy putting Stream of Passion back together. The news of a couple of Dutch reunion shows was welcome, but the announcement of new music was more exciting for me. I am not sure how permanent this reunion is going to be, but the two shows have now happened - and an EP, Beautiful Warrior, has been released. Written by Bovio, van Stratum, and long-time producer Joost van den Broek, Beautiful Warrior very much picks up where A War of Our Own left off in 2014. The band's slow-burning, gothic-sounding metal is as distinct as ever, and it really sounds like they have not been away at all.

The band's long-standing line-up of Bovio, van Stratum, guitarists Stephan Schultz and Eric Hazebroek, keyboardist Jeffrey Revet, and drummer Martijn Peters returned to the stage last month - although I get the impression that the EP may have been more of an in-studio affair, with regular Ayreon world collaborator Ferry Duijsens (Vuur) credited with providing guitars and Erik van Ittersum (HDK; Phantom Elite; Kingfisher Sky; Trillium) credited with keyboard and string arrangements. It is possible that some of the band members did not have much to do with Beautiful Warrior, then, but it nevertheless retains the core Stream of Passion sound. Lead single The Hunter certainly demonstrates this, with distant piano melodies opening the song up - before a mid-paced guitar riff takes over, creating the relatively oppressive sound which Stream of Passion tend to favour. The band's heavy riffing tends to be quite dense, but this is always tempered by more delicate passages - and the song's verses focus on Bovio's excellent vocals, with a strong keyboard backing. There is a lot of excellent keyboard playing throughout the EP, and The Hunter is very keyboard-heavy. The verses do feature a strong groove thanks to the rhythm section, but the guitars are generally mixed into the background (or absent entirely) - whilst the chorus is heavier, with some punkier drumming from Peters. Bovio's vocal lines in the chorus are hooky, too, as she goes for a more anthemic approach overall rather than the more atmospheric and emotional manner in which the verses are sung. A bridge section later sees her singing some siren-like wordless vocal melodies - before a chugging riff takes over, and the song lumbers towards a final reprise of the faster-paced chorus. Tonight opens more slowly, with a doomy guitar pattern creating a stuttering groove - which is soon backed by cinematic strings. Stream of Passion's guitar riffs tend to be more rhythmic in tone, but the opening guitar pattern here has more of a 'lead' feel at times, which helps the song's slow-burning doom vibes to settle in from the off - and the sombre piano motif and string melodies create a strong counter. As with the previous song, the verses are generally more stripped back - with more of a piano dominance, whilst van Stratum's bass rumbles away. The chorus is not as anthemic as the previous song's effort, but it injects a bit more energy given the track's overall slower pace - and Bovio's hypnotic, repeated vocal lines are certainly very effective. Slow burning songs are not unusual for Stream of Passion, but the doomier vibes here do feel a little different - and it is great to hear some more pronounced guitar riffing this time, despite the usual rhythmic approach and keyboard dominance found elsewhere.

Chasing a Ghost, which is partially sung in Bovio's native Spanish, is very typical of the band's core sound - and a little more guitar-driven throughout. There are more stripped back moments, but the guitar riffing continues throughout much of the track - which gives the song a little more urgency despite its mid-paced feel. The main riff feels a little djenty, but this modern vibe is tempered by the strings - and the Spanish verses feel groovy thanks to an off-kilter drum pattern and some choppy riffing. Bovio switches to English for the chorus, which is a bit sweeter in tone. The chorus feels a bit more overtly 'symphonic metal', and a shredded guitar solo adds some additional, lyrical melodies - in a rare moment of excess for the band. The End Is the Beginning indulges in more of an overt progressive arrangement, with a diverse musical pallet evident from the off. The opening guitar motif is more lead-driven than is typical, before Eastern-tinged strings back a mid-paced, groovy riff - and this is a vibe which is retained throughout. Stream of Passion have often utilised such sounds, and the song therefore feels like another classic entry into the band's canon. The stop-start riffing is packed full of character, and keeps the song feeling kinetic despite the deliberate, mid-paced sound, whilst the diverse keyboard playing throughout adds soaring strings and rumbling piano - which particularly fill out the verses. The chorus is one of the EP's hookiest moments, too, yet it does not feel all that different from the rest of the song. The vibe is retained, but Bovio changes tack vocally - and sings in a much more pop-orientated way, which works well in contrast with the dense, progressive arrangement. Another guitar solo sees the song's more complex, knotty feel taken a step further with some melodic phrases - and the song is probably my favourite piece here thanks to the more progressive, guitar-led approach taken and the Eastern melodies. The EP then comes to a close with The Promise, which opens very slowly - with gentle piano and Bovio's distant vocals. Stream of Passion have done lots of slow, piano-led songs over the years - and they always serve to really showcase Bovio. She is a unique singer in my opinion, and much more emotional and less histrionic than many of her peers. She suits the band's sound perfectly, and she delivers during the early portions of this track - with the piano gradually getting louder, and the gentle string backing becomes more cinematic. The song builds organically, then, but it does seem like it may remain a simple piano ballad. This is not the case, though, and the rest of the band do join in around two-thirds of the way through - with another lumbering riff, slow-burning guitar lead, and doomy drum pattern. The overall vibe does not change that significantly, though, and the doomy ballad is a great way to close out the five-song EP - showcasing Bovio and the band's atmospheric sound one last time. Given that Beautiful Warrior represents the first new music from Stream of Passion in nine years, it perfectly captures what was always great and unique about the band. It is currently unclear whether the band intend to reunite on a more permeant basis or whether and recent shows and the EP were all that were ever planned - but I am glad the fans got to hear more songs from this interesting band, and I do hope that the reunion leads to more activity down the road.

The self-released EP was released on 9th September 2023. Below is the band's promotional video for The Hunter.