Storm Shores

In the past, Anneke van Giersbergen, former singer of The Gathering and mastermind of the Agua De Annique, featured on two Ayreon's albums: Into The Electric Castle and 01011001. The Gentle Storm is one of the many side projects of the Dutch multi-instrumentist Arjen Anthony Lucassen. Officially they are the only two band members, but in their first release they feature Ed Warby at drums, who was also in Into The Electric Castle and Johan Van Stratum (Stream Of Passion) at bass. The album is actually offered in two contrasting interpretations in the one package, a "Gentle" version that presents the pieces in a prettier and frequently orchestrated format, and a "Storm" version of the same core tracks that adds the heavier rock guitars perhaps more associated with Lucassen.

While Tangerine Dream amassed its vast catalog throughout the '70s and '80s, chief Dreamer Edgar Froese was quietly releasing influential records of his own. This handy, two-disc set is a fine collection of some of the better moments from Froese's numerous solo outings, including 15 new tracks recorded specifically for this set, and the rest are extensively reworked with "new timbres." Consequently "Beyond The Storm" comes off less as a compilation than as a whole studio album based upon old themes. If you're a fan of Froese or TD this is a nice slice of that pie.