Johan van Stratum (born 15 April 1982) is a Dutch bassist and a member of the
progressive metal
Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...
band
VUUR
VUUR ("fire", "passion" or "drive") 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.
The band is in ...
.
He was the bassist of
Stream of Passion
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.
In ...
, and one of the two founding members to stay in the band until it disbanded in 2016. He also played bass live for
Ayreon
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, electro ...
and
The Gentle Storm
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 ha ...
. In July 2021 he was announced as the bass player of German power metal band
Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres. His first instrument was a brandless bass guitar brought for 50 euros. He considers his biggest influences
Tim Commerford
Tim Commerford (born February 26, 1968) is an American musician, best known as the bassist and backing vocalist for rock band Rage Against the Machine, and supergroups Audioslave and Prophets of Rage. Since 2013 and 2015, he has also been the l ...
of
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerfor ...
,
Chris Wolstenholme
Christopher Tony Wolstenholme (born 2 December 1978) is an English musician. He is the bassist and backing vocalist for the rock band Muse.
Early life
Chris Wolstenholme grew up in the English town of Rotherham before moving to Teignmouth, D ...
of
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
, and
Reginald Arvizu
Reginald Quincy Arvizu (born November 2, 1969), also known as "Fieldy", is an American musician, best known as the bassist for nu metal band Korn. He is also the guitarist/bassist for rock band StillWell.
Musical career
Prior to Arvizu's t ...
of
Korn
Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Originally formed in 1993 ...
.
His first band was with future
After Forever
After Forever was a Dutch symphonic metal band with strong progressive metal influences. The band relied on the use of both soprano vocals and death growls.
In February 2009, it was announced that After Forever had disbanded. Singer Floor Jans ...
member and
Stream of Passion
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.
In ...
collaborator Joost van den Broek, with whom he studied music. He also use to teach bass guitar.
Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Arjen Anthony Lucassen (born 3 April 1960) 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 ...
formed
Stream of Passion
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.
In ...
in 2005, with a line-up including Van Stratum on bass. The band released their debut album ''
Embrace the Storm
Embrace the Storm is Stream of Passion's debut album released on October 24, 2005 by InsideOut Music. It was preceded by the single "Wherever You Are" (October 18, 2005) and was followed by the single "Out in the Real World" (February 27, 2006), ...
'' in 2005, with Lucassen acting as composer and
Marcela Bovio
Marcela Alejandra Bovio García (born October 17, 1979) is a Mexican singer and violinist who is currently a member of the Dutch symphonic death metal band MaYaN.
In 1995, she joined Hydra, a Mexican metal band, singing and playing violin. In ...
as lyricist.
After several years of touring and the release of the
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
''
Live in the Real World
''Live in the Real World'' is the first live Compact Disc, CD and DVD album by Netherlands, Dutch/Mexico, Mexican progressive metal band Stream of Passion, created by Arjen Anthony Lucassen.
It features not only songs from their debut album ''Em ...
'', 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
''The Flame Within'' is Stream of Passion's second studio album released on May 27, 2009, by Napalm Records. It is the follow-up to their debut album, ''Embrace the Storm''.
It is the first album with guitarists Eric Hazebroek and Stephan Schul ...
A War of Our Own
''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 the ...
'' in 2014. ''A War of Our Own'' was produced and released independently, and funded via the
crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
site Indiegogo.
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!"
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
Anna Maria "Anneke" van Giersbergen (born 8 March 1973) 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 wa ...
created the band
VUUR
VUUR ("fire", "passion" or "drive") 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.
The band is in ...
, and chose Van Stratum, whom she had worked with as a part of The Gentle Storm, as bass guitarist. He was featured on the band's first album, ''
In This Moment We Are Free – Cities
''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 ...
'', released on 2017.
Personal life
Van Startum has been in a relationship with
Marcela Bovio
Marcela Alejandra Bovio García (born October 17, 1979) is a Mexican singer and violinist who is currently a member of the Dutch symphonic death metal band MaYaN.
In 1995, she joined Hydra, a Mexican metal band, singing and playing violin. In ...
, another founding member of Stream of Passion (and later his bandmate in VUUR)
Discography
Stream of Passion
* ''
Embrace the Storm
Embrace the Storm is Stream of Passion's debut album released on October 24, 2005 by InsideOut Music. It was preceded by the single "Wherever You Are" (October 18, 2005) and was followed by the single "Out in the Real World" (February 27, 2006), ...
'' (2005)
* ''
Live in the Real World
''Live in the Real World'' is the first live Compact Disc, CD and DVD album by Netherlands, Dutch/Mexico, Mexican progressive metal band Stream of Passion, created by Arjen Anthony Lucassen.
It features not only songs from their debut album ''Em ...
'' (live, 2006)
* ''
The Flame Within
''The Flame Within'' is Stream of Passion's second studio album released on May 27, 2009, by Napalm Records. It is the follow-up to their debut album, ''Embrace the Storm''.
It is the first album with guitarists Eric Hazebroek and Stephan Schul ...
A War of Our Own
''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 the ...
'' (2014)
* ''Memento'' (live, 2016)
VUUR
* ''
In This Moment We Are Free – Cities
''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 ...
ReVamp
Revamp may refer to:
Changes
*Revamp, informal term for maintenance, repair, and operations
*Revamp, informal term for editing of natural-language text
* Revamp (gaming), informal term for boost or renovation of a game's UI, system stats, items, ...
The Gentle Storm
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 ha ...
Ayreon
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, electro ...
: ''
The Theater Equation
''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 ...
'' (live, 2016)
* Ayreon: ''
Ayreon Universe – The Best of Ayreon Live
''Ayreon Universe – The Best of Ayreon Live'', alternatively known as ''Ayreon Universe – Best of Ayreon Live'' or simply ''Ayreon Universe'', is a live album and DVD/Blu-ray by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's progressive rock/metal rock opera projec ...