STREAM OF PASSION The Flame Within CD (2009)

Stream of Passion never quite got the recognition they earned. A Dutch-Mexican symphonic metal outfit built around the vocals of Marcela Bovio and the compositional weight of Arjen Lucassen before she took the band fully independent, they occupied a space somewhere between gothic atmosphere and progressive ambition that a lot of their contemporaries couldn't match.

The Flame Within from 2009 is the album where they hit their stride post-Lucassen, leaning harder into Bovio's range and pulling the songwriting toward something more direct without losing the density that made them interesting. It's melodic, it's heavy where it needs to be, and it holds up better than a lot of albums from that era of symphonic metal. If you came to this genre through Epica or Lacuna Coil and never went deeper, this is worth your time.

CD Digipak. Full length album, 2009 release. Netherlands. Progressive, symphonic metal. Fans of: Epica, Lacuna Coil, Delain, Lunatica, Mortal Love.