Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon, Star One, Guilt Machine) and Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering, Devin Townsend Project) will release the debut album, The Diary, from their new band The Gentle Storm, on March 24th. The duo recently completed an acoustic European tour and Lucassen has issued the following recap:

"A big thanks to everyone who came to see Anneke and me on our acoustic tour! It was truly an emotional roller coaster ride for this hermit. The 11 shows went very well and lots of venues were actually sold out, the audiences were absolutely fantastic and gave us the warmest welcome we could wish for. The chemistry between Anneke, me and the crowd felt just perfect. 

However, I’m afraid this doesn't necessarily mean I’m going to take up touring again. I’m not sure yet if the advantages (seeing the crowd’s happy faces, meeting them and of course the playing) outweigh the disadvantages (travelling, lack of sleep, endless waiting, back pain and anxiety). I must say that Anneke definitely pulled me through this, she’s so positive and optimistic and a true professional! And of course the enthusiastic reactions of the audiences helped too, I’m truly honored and moved. In the end I’m glad I did it, and actually kinda proud of myself. I hope you will all enjoy The Gentle Storm album and the upcoming shows!"

The duo kicked off a string of acoustic shows for Europe on February 17th in Budapest, Hungary at the Planetarium. Fan-filmed video from the night is available below:

Anneke will take The Gentle Storm on the road, backed by well known Dutch talents. Arjen, however, will not be part of the live production with the exception of the album release show in Amsterdam, March 26th. Dates are as follows:

March

26 - Melkweg - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
28 - Rock Itervoort Festival - Itervoort, The Netherlands

April

3 - Hedon - Zwolle, The Netherlands
5 - Paaspop - Schijndel, The Netherlands
11 - Paard van Troje - Den Haag, The Netherlands
15 - Colos-Saal, Aschaffenburg, Germany
16 - Zentrum Altenberg, Oberhausen, Germany
22 - Divan du Monde - Paris, France
23 - The Garage - London, UK
24 - The Musician - Leicester, UK
25 - The Roadhouse - Manchester, UK
26 - Prog-Resiste Convention - Soignies, Belgium

More dates to be announced soon.

The Gentle Storm live is:

Anneke van Giersbergen - vocals

Merel Bechtold (Purest of Pain, MaYaN) - guitars

Ferry Duijsens (Anneke van Giersbergen, ex-Dreadlock Pussy) - guitars

Ed Warby (Hail of Bullets, Ayreon, ex-Gorefest) - drums

Johan van Stratum (Stream of Passion) - bass

Joost van den Broek (producer, ex-After Forever) – keyboards

Marcela Bovio (Stream of Passion) - background vocals