Femme Metal WebZine

For the people out in the real world who have never heard of Stream of Passion: can you tell us something about your band?

Stream of Passion is a Dutch/Mexican gothic metal band with rock and progressive influences. It begun as a project by Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon, Star One, Ambeon) and myself but is now a full time band composed by me on vocals and violin, Eric Hazebroek and Stephan Schultz on guitars, Johan van Stratum on bass, Jeffrey Revet on keyboards and Davy Mickers on drums..

And, who is Marcela Bovio?

I’m a Mexican singer, songwriter and software developer who loves to perform live! 

You are not only Stream of Passion’s lead singer, you also play violin, an instrument typical for the folk / pagan metal (like Eluveitie, Korpiklaani etc.). What type of violin do you use?

I use a 5 string Yamaha electric violin. It has a rockier sound and works wonders in a live setting.

How about Elfonia? Is there any chance Elfonia will come back?

I don’t think so. We’ve all taken very different musical paths.

Do you still have contact with Arjen, Alejandro and Lori?

Definitely. As a matter of fact we just very recently saw Arjen and Lori in one of our live shows, it was great to talk to them!

This is a new start for Stream Of Passion. Are there things Stream of Passion are going to do different now? A new musical direction, other changes?

The new songs are a bit heavier than our old material, and way more band orientated. I think that might be the biggest change: now that the whole band except me is Dutch we have the chance to work as a tighter group and we interact way more while writing songs.

We all know the ‘old’ members of Stream of Passion. Can you introduce us to the newest members?

Stephan [Schultz] has been around the music business for quite a while, playing with a lot of different bands and artists. He’s a very versatile guitarist, and he can make the wildest riffs and guitar solos!

Eric's [Hazebroek] guitar playing style is very melodic and melancholic, two things that I really like and was looking for when the old SoPies and I were looking for new band members. He’s also a very experienced musician, and has a tremendously wide and varied musical taste, a quality that’s always fantastic.

Jeffrey [Revet] is a super skilled and talented keyboard player. He currently studies at the ArtEZ school of music in Enschede (NL), so he’s got the classical music influences but also a very strong metal background. He can come up with the most delicate piano parts but also the strongest string arrangements.

Since you are from Mexico and the rest of the band from Holland: what are the differences between the metal scene in Holland and Europe in general and Mexico?

I haven’t found all that many differences I have to say. I can only think about the fact that perhaps in Holland bands have a few more opportunities to perform thanks to the support of cultural organizations. There is such a thing in Mexico, but in Holland it’s a bit more common; at least that’s what I’ve seen.

Have you ever considered using Mexican musical influences in Stream of Passion (using traditional Dutch music would be a crime against humanity)?

Hahaha! I’ve never considered using Mexican music influences, no; I guess some influences make it across automatically, because I’ve been listening to that music all my life. But it’s not something I’ve thought of doing consciously.

You have done a lot of new songs with this tour so I guess you are working on a new album. Can you tell us something about it?

The new songs are staying true to the old SoP style, but they’re also a bit heavier and way more band orientated. We wrote this material with a “live performance” point of view.

On 'Embrace the Storm' all music was written by Arjen Lucassen and all lyrics by you. I guess you wrote all the lyrics of the new songs but what about the music?  Who contributed to it?

For the first SoP album as well as for these new songs I also wrote the vocal melodies. So for most of these new tracks I would start with a melody and a simple song structure that I then would send to the rest of the band; then we would assemble the song altogether, sharing ideas until we came up with the final structure and arrangements for the track.

And the last question: are there things the reader should know that I haven’t asked?

Just that I would like to send one more big thank you to all those people who were there to support us on these shows we’ve just finished. It was amazing to feel such warmth and encouragement! We hope to have a new album ready soon and see you all again on the road!

Thank you for your time,
- Erwin van Dijk