A wonderful concept album

Is a multi-instrumentalist, highly respected by his peers, who composes and arranges many pesky concept albums of progressive heavy metal, gathering the best musicians of the genre.

The Gentle Storm is an interesting project. Another concept album, telling a beautiful story, in two modes: gentle (acoustic version) and storm (Heavy Version). The same songs are interpreted in succession with two different orchestrations, on two different CDs.

This is undeniably successful. Very well composed, performed, produced.

For this new project, Arjen sest associated with Anneke Van Giersbergen, former singer of The Gathering and Agua de Annique, who contributed extensively to its previous projects. There she is alone to sing. And that's fine. Anneke has the most beautiful voice of the rock scene / pop today. She can sing, and always done with elegance, dedication and unparalleled subtlety. She especially a very great musical intelligence, allowing it to work with the most insane projects (Devin Townsend), and sublimate them. In loccurrence, her voice magnificently dressed Daal compositions version or gentle storm.

The orchestrations in the gentle release (medieval orchestra, strings and flutes) or storm (ditto + guitar, bass, drums), are very beautiful, never pompous. It evokes a bit of The Game of Thrones or other works dheroic fantasy, but without the side quont nag many heavy metal productions that give the genre. And Arjen is a gifted and subtle guitarist.

The cd will not take off my plate since I received them.

A buy emergency.