[2][3] The project was unveiled on 22 April 2014 and was described by Lucassen as "an epic double concept album, a combination of 'classical meets metal' and 'acoustic folk'.

[6] Other former collaborators will be back, such as Joost van den Broek (piano),[7] Ben Mathot (violin)[8] and Maaike Peterse (cello),[9] along with two new guest instrumentalists: Hinse Mutter (double bass)[10] and Jenneke de Jonge (French horn).

[12] On October 10, it was announced at The Gentle Storm's official Facebook profile that the album would comprise two CDs with the same songs, but recorded in totally different arrangements.

[13] The post invited fans to ask questions, and some of the answers revealed that the album was set for a March 2015 release,[14] that the band would probably continue if the public reception was good enough[14] and that the concept will be "a historic love-story".

[17] The Gentle Storm did a small-scale tour in April 2016, after which Lucassen and Van Giersbergen focused on other projects, including together in the Ayreon Universe series of concerts.