The Gentle Storm have released a stream of their track Shores Of India from debut album The Diary.
It’s the “gentle” version of the number, created by Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen and former The Gathering vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen.
Lucassen says of the track: “For me the ‘gentle’ version really shines in its acoustic setting. It feels like an emotional journey because of the many exotic instruments that were used.”
The song is about 17th-century sailors arriving at the continent for the first time. Van Giersbergen says: “I immediately loved the mysterious and exotic melodies. It must have been overwhelming for these sailors to encounter such a different and wonderful culture. We really tried to put ourselves in their position and capture their amazement.
“There’s a big difference in how we approached the vocals on both versions, because musically there is a different intensity between the ‘gentle’ and ‘storm’ interpretations. But the lyrics and emotions remain the same. It has been such a great experience working on that with Arjen.”
The Diary is released on March 23 via InsideOut and it’s available to pre-order in a variety of bundles via Lucassen and van Giersbergen’s websites. The Gentle Storm play their debut show in the Netherlands on March 26 with Lucassen – although he won’t be in the lineup for the band’s live dates in the UK in April:
Apr 23: London Garage
Apr 24: Leicester Musician
Apr 25: Manchester Roadhouse
The Diary tracklist
- Endless Sea 2. Heart Of Amsterdam 3. The Greatest Love 4. Shores Of India 5. Cape Of Storms 6. The Moment 7. The Storm 8. Eyes Of Michiel 9. Brightest Light 10. New Horizons 11. Epilogue: The Final Entry
