Johan van Stratum | |
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![]() Van Stratum in 2015 | |
Background information | |
Born | Netherlands | 15 April 1982
Genres | Progressive metal, gothic metal, progressive rock |
Occupation(s) | Bassist |
Years active | 1990s–present |
Johan van Stratum (born 15 April 1982) is a Dutch bassist and a member of the progressive metal band VUUR.
He was the bassist of Stream of Passion, and one of the two founding members to stay in the band until it disbanded in 2016. He also played bass live for Ayreon and The Gentle Storm. In July 2021 he was announced as the bass player of German power metal band Blind Guardian. [1]
Van Stratum started music at age 14 by singing, before being pushed to play bass by his friends. [2] [3] His first instrument was a brandless bass guitar brought for 50 euros. [2] He considers his biggest influences Tim Commerford of Rage Against the Machine, Chris Wolstenholme of Muse, and Reginald Arvizu of Korn. [2]
His first band was with future After Forever member and Stream of Passion collaborator Joost van den Broek, with whom he studied music. [2] [3] He also used to teach bass guitar. [2]
Arjen Anthony Lucassen formed Stream of Passion in 2005, with a line-up including Van Stratum on bass. [4] The band released their debut album Embrace the Storm in 2005, with Lucassen acting as composer and Marcela Bovio as lyricist. [4]
After several years of touring and the release of the live album Live in the Real World , several members of Stream of Passion chose to leave the band, including Lucassen, who had decided to leave to band to continue on its own. As the result, Van Stratum, Bovio and Van den Broek shared songwriting duties on their three subsequent studio albums: The Flame Within in 2009, Darker Days in 2011, and A War of Our Own in 2014. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] A War of Our Own was produced and released independently, and funded via the crowdfunding site Indiegogo. [10]
In April 2016, the band announced via Facebook that they would be separating at the end of the year, stating "Over the past eleven years we've had the time of our lives playing in stages all over the world and sharing moments of joy on stage. But all good things come to an end, and we feel it's time to move on and search for new musical challenges. We're proud of everything we've achieved, with your help, and we want to end the band history on a high note instead of losing focus, interest and drive. Before parting ways as a band we will perform a few goodbye shows; we also want to record a DVD to serve as a memento of the good times we've had. [...] Once again, we'd like to express our eternal gratitude for the support you've given us all these years. All of us will continue to make music, one way or the other; so we still hope to see you soon on a stage near you. Thank you for being part of the wonderful adventure that has been Stream of Passion!" [11]
The band released a live album entitled Memento later that year, and performed their final show on 28 December 2016.
In 2016, Anneke van Giersbergen created the band VUUR, and chose Van Stratum, whom she had worked with as a part of The Gentle Storm, as bass guitarist. [12] [13] He was featured on the band's first album, In This Moment We Are Free – Cities , released on 2017. [14] [15]
Van Startum has been in a relationship with Marcela Bovio, another founding member of Stream of Passion (and later his bandmate in VUUR)
Ayreon is a musical project by Dutch songwriter, singer, musician and record producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen. Ayreon's music is described as progressive rock, progressive metal and power metal sometimes combined with genres such as folk, electronica, experimental and classical music. The majority of Ayreon's albums are dubbed "rock operas" because the albums contain complex storylines featuring a host of characters, usually with each one being represented by a unique vocalist.
Anna Maria "Anneke" van Giersbergen is a Dutch singer, songwriter and guitarist who became known worldwide as the lead singer for the rock band The Gathering between 1994 and 2007. She also has a solo career. The project was originally called Agua de Annique, but now goes by her own name.
The Human Equation is the sixth album from the progressive rock project Ayreon by Dutch musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen, released on 25 May 2004 via Inside Out Music. As with other Ayreon albums, it features guest appearances from several musicians previously unrelated to the project, including James LaBrie of Dream Theater, Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth, Eric Clayton of Saviour Machine, and Devin Townsend, performing music arranged and written by Lucassen.
Arjen Anthony Lucassen is a Dutch singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer best known for his long-running progressive metal/rock opera project Ayreon. Lucassen started his career in 1980 as the guitarist and backing vocalist of Dutch band Bodine as Iron Anthony, before joining Vengeance in 1984. After eight years he left the band, wanting to go into a more progressive direction, and released two years later an unsuccessful solo album entitled Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy under the nickname Anthony.
Stream of Passion is a Dutch progressive metal band with symphonic and gothic influences founded by guitarist and composer Arjen Anthony Lucassen and Mexican singer, violinist, and lyricist Marcela Bovio. They have released four studio albums.
Embrace the Storm is Stream of Passion's debut album released on 24 October 2005 by InsideOut Music. It was preceded by the single "Wherever You Are" and was followed by the single "Out in the Real World", both featured on this album.
Marcela Alejandra Bovio García is a Mexican singer and violinist who is currently a member of the Dutch symphonic death metal band MaYaN.
Live in the Real World is the first live CD and DVD album by Dutch/Mexican progressive metal band Stream of Passion, created by Arjen Anthony Lucassen.
J.Alberto V. Rodriguez.
The Flame Within is Stream of Passion's second studio album, released on 27 May 2009 by Napalm Records. It is the follow-up to their debut album, Embrace the Storm.
ReVamp was a Dutch progressive metal band formed by singer Floor Jansen after her previous band After Forever disbanded in 2009.
Maiden uniteD is an acoustic project. Musicians from different bands join together to play an all-acoustic tribute to English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The songs are played with new arrangements.
Darker Days is third studio album by the Dutch progressive metal band Stream of Passion, released in 2011 on Napalm Records.
A War of Our Own is the fourth and final studio album by the Dutch progressive metal band Stream of Passion. Stream of Passion produced the album after leaving Napalm Records, financing it through crowdfunding website Indiegogo, and was their only album with the same line-up as its predecessor.
The Theater Equation is a live album and DVD/Blu-ray by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's progressive rock/metal rock opera project Ayreon. The Theater Equation originally consisted of a four live performances, with cast, choir and small orchestra, of the 2004 album The Human Equation, as an actual rock opera, complete with mise-en-scène. It is the first Ayreon live release, although Ayreon songs had previously been featured on live albums by two of Lucassen's other musical projects, and marks the first time an Ayreon album was performed live in its entirety. The Theater Equation consisted of four shows, all played in Rotterdam between September 18 and 20, 2015, with the last performance being the one recorded for the album.
The Gentle Storm is a Dutch musical project by singer and lyricist Anneke van Giersbergen and composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen, founder and leader of other musical projects such as Star One, Ayreon, Guilt Machine and Ambeon. The duo has previously collaborated in Ayreon albums Into the Electric Castle and 01011001. The project's debut album, The Diary, was released on March 23, 2015, in Europe, and the following day in the US.
The Gentle Storm Exclusive Tour CD is a cover EP and the first release of the Dutch heavy metal/folk band The Gentle Storm. It is entirely acoustic, and features only bandleaders Arjen Anthony Lucassen and Anneke van Giersbergen, and drummer Rob Snijders.
VUUR is a Dutch progressive metal band formed in 2016 by singer and lyricist Anneke van Giersbergen and musicians she has worked with previously in bands like The Gentle Storm or her own solo band.
In This Moment We Are Free – Cities is the debut studio album by progressive metal band VUUR. It was released on 20 October 2017, via Inside Out Music. Apart from the regular edition, the album was released on special editions including a CD digipak and a gatefold 2LP + CD.
Electric Castle Live and Other Tales is a live album and DVD/Blu-ray by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's progressive rock/metal rock opera project Ayreon, released on 27 March 2020. It is a live version of the 1998 studio album Into the Electric Castle, performed as an actual rock opera, complete with mise-en-scène; it is a recording of one of four live performances between 13 and 15 September 2019 in Tilburg to celebrate the original album's 20th anniversary in a way similar to The Theater Equation, with songs from other Lucassen projects performed once the songs from the albums were all performed.