I have long been of the opinion that Anneke Van Giersbergen is one of the finest vocalists on the planet. Her involvement with Dutch legends The Gathering, as well as Devin Townsend and Ayreon, not to mention her own solo work, has marked her out as an eclectic and genuine talent who is just as capable of weaving a gentle net around her listener as she is whipping up a fevered storm. Her foil for this release is Arjen Anthony Lucassen, also of Stream of Passion and Ayreon fame, who provides the rich musical backdrop upon which Anneke works her magic and the result is nothing short of astonishing. A high concept album, ‘the diary’ is, in essence, the story of two lovers (one of whom a sailor) who, whilst separated over a period of two years, communicate via letter. Each song represents a letter whilst each CD of the album provides a different interpretation, one ‘gentle’ the other ‘storm’. It is an ambitious and complex album that took over a year to create, but the end result was entirely worth it. It is perhaps early to be suggesting this, but Gentle Storm may well prove to be one of the greatest achievements from either artist.
The first CD, the ‘gentle’ CD, is a vast, folky body of work that makes great use of a real choir, double bass and French horn, and it is a truly stunning effort. ‘Endless sea’ opens the album and immediately Anneke begins her siren song, summoning the listener with her rich, warm tones whilst Arjen weaves his magic around her. There’s a strong soundtrack element to the music, with subtle acoustic rhythms and the dark stab of the double bass providing the perfect canvass upon which Anneke paints her images. It’s a beautiful introduction to the album and it neatly leads to the folky ‘heart of Amsterdam’ which is so perfectly produced you’d think the musicians were in the room with you. Like stepping back into the heart of renaissance Europe, ‘heart…’ suddenly takes a jazzy turn and, with Anneke’s wondrous vocal crystal clear above the beautiful instrumental backdrop, there are no easy comparisons and the best is just to let the music lead your imagination whither it will go. Another song that is based heavily in folk music, ‘the greatest love’, builds a rich atmosphere with its lush strings and pounding rhythm, whilst the chorus is both deeply memorable and affecting as Anneke’s voice is layered in harmony. Drawing the listener further into the exotic territories explored by the sailor, ‘shores of India’ is a stunning piece of music influenced by the mystical East. Clearly Arjen has spent much time studying the rhythm and metre of Eastern music because the atmosphere of the song is redolent with the dark spice and incense laden breeze of a far-off continent that would have felt so remote to those of the eighteenth century.
The music takes a darker turn as the sailor’s journey turns dangerous on ‘cape of storms’, a song with sinister, brooding strings and a minor key vocal that can’t help but induce a chill. Fortunately, such storm clouds cannot last, and ‘the moment’ is an achingly beautiful lament that finds its way straight to the heart as Anneke captures the pain of lost love with a clarity that few singers could ever achieve. We’re back into turmoil with ‘the storm’, a vibrant, energetic piece of music that recalls the ‘new blood’ experiment conducted by Peter Gabriel – a similar effort to take rock music into whole new territory by utilizing only classical instrumentation. In contrast ‘Eyes of Michiel’ is another lighter, folkier piece, but it still adds its own unique spin with its deep bass lines and then we’re back into jazz territory with the whimsical, rather beautiful ‘brightest light’. ‘New horizons’ sees the album drawing to its conclusion with the sense of hope one always feels at the end of a long journey with rousing percussion, whistles, strings and, at the heart of it all, Anneke singing of both her memories and her hopes for the future as the song builds to a heart-stopping crescendo. The album ends with ‘epilogue: the final entry’ with its tolling bell and sad, yet hopeful conclusion “your memory lives on.” It is heart-rending, yet there’s a sense that, after all the roiling storms and loneliness, the narrator has finally found a sense of peace and can continue with her life.
If the ‘gentle’ CD was all there was, this would be a near flawless album but as it is there’s more to come. For me, the first disc is nothing short of amazing, but I can understand that it could possibly turn off those accustomed to Arjen and Anneke’s more metallic offerings. Thus, on disc two (the ‘storm’ disc) we get an interpretation of the album that adds huge swathes of guitar and a full choir to the mix. The result is reminiscent of Therion and A storm of passion, which is no bad thing, but it is not as unique as the wonderful offering on disc one and thus disc two offers a most welcome bonus without being exceptional. It is, quite simply, the icing on the proverbial cake and whilst I am sure there will be those who prefer the heavier version, the spirit of the album is far better captured by the ‘gentle’ version. Nonetheless, there is a certain imposing grandiosity in the full-blown electric version and Anneke’s voice remains a focal point, even as guitars rage and a full choir adds even greater weight to the proceedings. Much as you’d imagine, some songs work better with this bombastic reworking – ‘endless sea’ matches its forbear for scene-setting drama – than others and thus ‘shores of India’, whilst hugely enjoyable with its energetic percussion and astonishing guitar work, loses something of its mystique amidst the bluster. However, this shouldn’t be seen as a criticism when it is considered that both versions are included with the album, and ultimately both CDs act as companion pieces, offering different perspectives of the same idea and you could argue that the bright, brash ‘storm’ version is the album you’d want to play in the daytime – the music full of energy and power – whilst the ‘gentle’ version is the album to play at night, with the lights turned low and incense drifting through the room.
‘The Diary’ is not an album for everyone. An epic conceptual piece, those seeking a quick, metallic fix should look elsewhere. Rather ‘the diary’ is like a wonderful book that you can’t put down and it’s only truly effective when listened to as a complete piece (in whichever version you prefer), preferably uninterrupted by other distractions. In reviewing this album I listened a number of times, not least because I kept getting lost in the story, and increasingly I’ve come to the conclusion that this truly is Arjen’s masterpiece. As revered as his earlier works might be, this is the most coherent musical and narrative piece he has yet attempted and the result is nothing short of astonishing. A real labour of love for both artists, the easy route has never been taken with real instrumentation used when so many bands would have settled for synths, and the result is a remarkable piece of music that is more symphony than album. Anneke has a rare ability to inhabit the characters of whom she sings, and, despite my love for the evergreen ‘Mandylion’, she has never sung with more force or passion than she does here. ‘The diary’ is, above all else, a remarkable triumph of artistic ambition over the increasingly commercial desires of the music industry and this beautiful, progressive, neo-classical masterpiece deserves a space on your shelf. Simply stunning.
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