Customer Reviews

Fate Of A Dreamer

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Getting straight to the point, 'Fate of a Dreamer' is melodic rock with a tinge of progressive. As a whole it sounds like a mixture of Lacuna Coil, Mostly Autumn, Blackmore's Night and maybe even Symphony X, which are some very impressive styles to culminate. Not to mention the female singer Astrid Van Der Veen was only 14 years old at the time of this recording! You'd never guess it though because the maturity of her voice is astounding as it travels far beyond her actual age. She was most likely the inspiration to this side-project by Ayreon - a group I definitely plan on checking out someday - and the lush atmospheres interweaving symphonic orchestra with hungry guitar licks and even Celtic influences will leave anyone amazed by the sheer beauty and genius of this album.

Warning: Despite the gorgeous instrumentation, the lyrics are dark and cryptic and very similar to Porcupine Tree's 'In Absentia' for they both mirror the thoughts of a murderer's twisted mind. Neither group is copying the other though because the music and storyline are very different. Ambeon's sound is much more ethereal and the killer is female instead of male.

Ambeon is a side project of Arjen Anthony Lucassen, best known for his compositions in the highly-acclaimed progressive rock/metal bands Ayreon and Star One. But this album is nothing like his prog-metal entities.

If you are ONLY into metal and don't like anything mellow at all, this album may not be for you (although I know many "strictly metal" fans who make an exception for this album). Now, don't get me wrong. This isn't Barry Manilow or Air Supply mellow. It still has a strong rock beat, albeit a very slow one, and there are distortion guitars in places. Mostly it is driven instrumentally by Arjen's spooky keboard effects and the soothing fretless bass lines of Walter Latupeirissa.

On top of the awesome music are the stunning vocals of 14-year-old Astrid Van Der Veen. This young lady is such a spectacular talent on this record. She wrote and sang such beautiful vocal melodies; multi-layered, angelic, and positively dripping with melancholy. If the music here doesn't bring you to tears, her voice will.

Fate of a Dreamer has a very gloomy feel to it; very gothic. If you listen closely (something that is very fun to do with this album) you'll hear all kinds of strange effects in the background. Sprinkled throughout, you will also find the flute and fiddle virtuosos of John and Pat McManus (formerly of the 80's Irish rock band Mama's Boys) as well as additional snyths from Erik Norlander and backing vocals from his wife, Lana Lane.

The best part of the Ambeon project is that it serves two roles: you can slap on your headphones, crank up the volume, and get lost in it's magical melodies or you can simply play it softly in the background while you work or visit with friends and family. I have played this album for many people and virtually all of them are impressed, no matter what style of music they are into.

If you were ever drawn into the gloomy atmospheres of 70s Pink Floyd or even the modern-day Lacuna Coil and Evanescence, Fate of a Dreamer might be a great cd to add to your collection. I know it was a great addition to mine.

I heard about this CD in BW&BK a few months ago...needless to say I was interested since I love Ayreon's previous releases. I was kind of hesitant though about him turning over the vocal AND lyric writing duties over to a 14 year old! I figured she will probably sing fairly well and the lyrics will be rather dull. Was I WRONG! Never could I have imagined what kind of talent this 14 year old Dutch girl named Astrid possessed! Not only does she belt out the song like a pro, but she performs each song with so much emotion like she's had a liftime's worth of pain and suffering bestowed upon her. The lyrics deal with suicide, murder, and sacrifice....they cut deep. When the CD was done, I just sat there in shock at what I had heard...and then I pressed play again. Arjen's music is probably the best he has ever written. It's very atmospheric...but yet heavy...but not really metal. Buy this CD, play it really loud, with the lights out....and maybe old Britney Spears will hear it and realise how friggin' childish her stuff sounds....I am just waiting for Astrid to take over the whole music industry...just wait till they hear this!!!!

The latest album from Arjen Lucassen is a ten-track collaboration with 14-year old singer Astrid van der Veen whose debut album "Beautiful Red" drew his attention during 2000 and led to their acoustic recording of "Temple of the Cat" and sneak preview of "Cold Metal" on for "Ayreonauts Only." Originally conceived as an ambient remix of Ayreon instrumentals, Ambeon's "Fate Of A Dreamer" (Transmission TM-030), blends electronic patterns, chords and melodies derived from existing songs with Astrid's crystalline vocal arrangements.

Ambeon's music builds on Ayreon's sound with the material blending atmospheric, celtic, electronic, gothic, metal and progressive styles. Arjen plays guitars and keyboards; he wrote the music, produced and mixed the album. Astrid sings lead and backing vocals and wrote the storyline and concept, melodies and lyrics. John and Pat McManus from Celtus add to the folky atmosphere by playing flute, pipes and fiddle. The project also includes contributions of Stephen van Haestregt (drums) and Walter Laupeirissa (bass and fretless bass).

The contrast between Celtic ("Estranged," "High," "Lost Message") and progressive metal ("Ashes," "Sick Ceremony," "Sweet Little Brother") styles are cohesively bound by evocative female vocals and symphonic instrumental arrangements. Instrumentals "Fate" and "Dreamer" are equally enjoyable while the epic "Cold Metal" and standout "Surreal" individually span the album's range. With Astrid's vocals inspired by Tori Amos and Kate Bush, "Fate of a Dreamer" will delight Ayreon's fans and draw a wider audience to Arjen Lucassen's work.

It is a true shame that this cd has gone out of print. I was lucky enough to outain a used copy of this cd and all i can say it what an amazing album this is. Astrids Voice is angelic and stunning and so powerful for her age. What and incredible talent she is. And as for A A Lucassen what can you say but another amazing album by the brilliant composer / musician... Every thing he has put out is top quality from top to bottom. No mater what band he is in. Star One, Ayreon, Ambeon, and now even his latest Stream of Passion. But getting back to Ambeon it is one of the most beautiful albums i have ever heard. This is a true must have. Why this has gone out of print is unbelievable....this womans voice deserves to be heard....and for any fan of A A Lucassen you simply must get a copy of this cd....you will NOT be dissappointed.. One of his finest efforts.

I got this album back in March after being lucky enough to find an affordable copy on eBay and I'm so glad I jumped at the chance when I did. This is a mesmerizing collection of ten songs that will have any ambient/prog/metal fan drooling over the lush, atmospheric songwriting of Arjen and Astrid. The music bears a few similarities to The Gathering (Astrid in particular sings in a similar way as Anneke van Giersbergen) but there are still hints of Arjen's main project, Ayreon, here and there and it is a fascinating combination. I don't think I've heard anything quite like this before and FOAD may also come as a bit of a surprise to those already acquainted with Ayreon, but don't let that turn you off. This may not be the most readily accessible music, but after a few spins in the CD player, the quality and talent that went into making this masterpiece quickly begin to shine through. Astrid, only 14 years of age at the time of this recording, will lull you into a beautiful state of euphoria and Arjen continues to impress us with his signature guitar and synth passages that Ayreon fans will quickly recognize. I'd say the best tracks on this album are the single "Cold Metal," "Sick Ceremony," "Ashes" and the dreamy "Surreal," but it's probably best to listen to the CD as a whole. I'd also recommend trying to find the b-side "Merry-Go-Round" which was only released on the Cold Metal single (which is also out of print - I had to track down a copy on Limewire) and in my opinion is good enough to have been put on the actual album. This is an all-around great buried treasure that I think is worth the extra digging to find. Maybe fate will be kind enough to the next dreamer who finds a copy of this rare jewel! 10/10

Wow, I know very little about this artist as I just previewed the album and Im amazed. Very dark, ethereal prog rock. I dont really hear to many Lacuna Coil similarities other than the female lead. This album is darker and far more ambient than the songs I've heard from 'LC'. This one's on my wishlist.

This is extremely enjoyable music. I bought this on a whim based on the reviews here, and the comparisons made to that of Lacuna Coil{a favorite band of mine}. Although I wasn't disappointed, and "Fate Of A Dreamer" does have a "Coilish" tone / approach to it, it's still not quite the same when all is said and done....

Ambeon has a more, dare I say, The Gathering "dreamy" sound to it. At first listen to "Fate Of A Dreamer", I thought I was listening to an extended version of "Mandylion". It also gave me hints of an all time favorite "Aegis" from Theatre Of Tragedy. "Fate Of A Dreamer" has it's soft / angelic moments, and yet it also has it's medlodic guitar solos, and heavy riffages too. "Fate Of A Dreamer" is also extremely well produced in my opinion, which makes it even that much more enjoyable when listening...

If you enjoy female fronted Metal, bands like The Gathering / Lacuna Coil / Within Temptation / Theatre Of Tragedy / Amaran / After Forever / Epica, you should give this release a listen. It's a near masterpice, and well worth the extra money. 5 Stars / Highly Recommended....

To start, let me say that I love Ayreon, and I love Arjen Anthony Lucassen's music from Ayreon, even with the less spellbinding Star One, and even his old solo album "Pools of Sorrow~Waves of Joy" under the name Anthony. I even love Astrid's voice.

But this album simply isn't worth the time or money...


What this album essentially is is old Ayreon songs randomly selected from their albums (before The Human Equation came out) and played differently, using slightly different instruments and some minor changes to the sound or tone or tempo. Otherwise, the melody and rhythm are the same. Astrid sings new lyrics over the old songs, essentially making them into new songs unrelated to the originals, which are less than stellar in themselves, though her voice is quite good.

While Astrid is a beautiful singer and Arjen is a beautiful musician, this album is simply less than stellar. Listening to a song which uses the same melody from "Ye Courtyard Minstrel Boy" only makes me want to listen to the original "Ye Courtyard Minstrel Boy" after finishing the song.