REVIEW: AMBEON - FATE OF A DREAMER

 

AMBEON - FATE OF A DREAMER (Transmission/NEMS Enterprises, 2001):

Technical data:

Recorded, Produced and Mixed at the Electric Castle by Arjen Lucassen.

Mastered by Sascha Paeth

Layout by mail@dresham.de

Track list: 1- Estranged, 2- Ashes, 3- High, 4- Cold Metal, 5- Fate, 6- Sick Ceremony, 7- Lost Message, 8- Surreal, 9- Sweet little Brother, 10- Dreamer

This is a project that originally Arjen Lucassen planed as another Ayreon album, but finally he decided to do it different when he listened to 14 year old Astrid Van Der Veen who sings through all this album. In fact her excellent vocals are close to the tone of Annekke Van Giesbergen (The Gathering) but they are used in quite a different manner. Lucassen´s music is more calm and introspective on this album than in his work with Ayreon like showing a side that he had not shown before in his other project. As always there are a lot of keyboards but here they have the role of enhancing Astrid´s vocals which are the axis around which this CD spins. Another positive fact on this album is the great sound that Lucassen has achieved this time. Favorite tracks: "High", "Sick Ceremony" and "Surreal". Contact: nems@nems.com.ar