DARKER DAYS

Although Stream of Passion are essentially an Ayreon by-product, having kicked off as a side project between Arjen Anthony Lucassen and Marcela Bovio, they've now got multiple albums under their belt without Lucassen being involved in the band, ol' AAJ having returned to his first love. What we get here is tasteful symphonic metal with gothic overtones, competently performed and spiced up by the presence of Bovio's violin - which is actually a fairly subtle presence this time around, adding textures here and there for the most part rather than grabbing centre stage. Happily, the band also show discernment with the running time, keeping things under 55 minute rather than cramming up the gaps on the CD with filler. Not earth-shatteringly brilliant but if you're in a symphonic metal mood it'll probably hit the spot - though it equally won't present you with anything you haven't heard a thousand times before in this subgenre.