With:	Marcela Bovio
Conducted by:	itsjoeymoose (e-mail)
Published:	09.06.2009
Band profile:	Stream Of Passion

Stream Of Passion, formerly with Arjen Lucassen, have recently released their 2nd album, 'The Flame Within' through Napalm Records. I spoke with vocalist Marcela Bovio, who sang a major part in Lucassen's Ayreon 2004 album, 'The Human Equation'. Bovio discussed Lucassen leaving Stream Of Passion, the new album and the future of the band.




The recording process for 'Embrace The Storm' was done basically all over the world, how were things different for your new album 'The Flame Within'?

We actually started very similar. When we started writing songs I was still living in Mexico, so I would record my ideas and send them to the guys in Holland to work on them. After a while though I moved to Holland, and we had the chance to get together as a band, rehearse the songs and fine-tune all the details and arrangements.

How much of a setback was Arjen Lucassen and the other members from the 1st album leaving the band?

At first it was difficult. We knew that we would have to work really hard to get our act together, to find new and suiting musicians to get started again. The decision whether or not to go on wasn't so hard to make, as we had so many wonderful moments with Stream Of Passion that it seemed silly not to give us the chance to move on. It took a while, but luckily now we have a great group of very motivated people, with which we can work great together and a new album that we're really proud of.

What themes are different on the new album compared to 'Embrace The Storm'?

Lyric wise a few of the songs deal with the whole process itself that putting the album together was. I can't really help but write about the things I'm going through at the moment! The rest of the tracks kind of follow the same vein as in the first album: more introspective ideas and human emotions.
And concerning music our goal was pretty much to make a heavier, more live orientated album. After touring for some time we realized just how much we enjoy going crazy on stage and just let all our energy go, so we wanted to write the songs that would really allow us to do that.




You're touring a lot in the Netherlands, how big is your fan base outside there?

It's hard for me to think of numbers! The new album has been just released after a big period of inactivity from our side. But every show we have, we see more people coming over, and we hear great responses everywhere so we're quite enthusiastic. We just found out that the album made it to the charts here in Holland, so that also makes us really happy!

How has the shift from Inside Out to Napalm Records been for you guys?

It was definitely a very good choice. When we started looking for a new label we got in touch with Napalm and from the beginning we got the feeling they could do great things for us and take our music to a whole new audience. In times when it's very difficult for a label to stay afloat they're still going strong, thanks to really being able to connect with their audiences I think; a must have quality to have during this whole reinvention of the music industry.

Are there any plans to work with Arjen again?

None so far, but I wouldn't think twice if he'd ask me! Arjen is a fantastic songwriter and, it's always a real treat to work with him.

How do you think the band fits in with the female fronted gothic metal market?

We don't' really think all that much about genres, just about making music we can pour all our emotions into and we can really get excited about. But genres and labels are good ways to help people with similar tastes to discover your music, and for that matter I think fans of female fronted gothic metal can really enjoy our music.




Have you had any reactions about the new album yet?

Yes, we've received a lot of really good reactions! For me especially it was great to hear that Arjen himself really liked the new tracks and was pleasantly surprised with the new CD. I look up to him, so that was very rewarding.

What's next for Stream Of Passion?

I would be thrilled if we would get the chance to tour a lot, get our music to as many places as possible. Furthermore we really want to keep developing our sound, write more stuff and keep rediscovering new horizons for our music.