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ARTIFICIAL PARADISE

Sylvan

Neo-Prog


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Sylvan Artificial Paradise album cover
3.84 | 219 ratings | 14 reviews | 31% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 2002

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Deep Inside (9:14)
2. That's Why It Hurts (7:08)
3. Strange Emotion (4:19)
4. Human Apologies (8:29)
5. Timeless Traces (8:12)
6. I Still Believe (3:06)
7. Around the World (6:25)
8. Souvenirs (2:09)
9. Artificial Paradise (20:16)

Total Time 69:18

Line-up / Musicians

- Marco Glühmann / vocals
- Kay Söhl / guitars
- Volker Söhl / keyboards
- Sebastian Harnack / bass
- Matthias Harder / drums

With:
- Miriam Schell / vocals (3,9)

Releases information

Artwork: Marko Heisig with Simona Schollmeyer (photo)

CD Point Music Distribution ‎- 10206 (2002, Germany)
CD ProgRock Records ‎- PRR210 (2002, US)

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to projeKct for the last updates
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SYLVAN Artificial Paradise ratings distribution


3.84
(219 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(31%)
31%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(46%)
46%
Good, but non-essential (21%)
21%
Collectors/fans only (2%)
2%
Poor. Only for completionists (1%)
1%

SYLVAN Artificial Paradise reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Prognut
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Wow!!!.. I would not have expected this much improvement.

About 2 years ago, I got "Encounters" and I was really disappointed; In spite of all the good reviews, I felt they were overrated...I gave it a couple of spins, and went to my shelves. Well, I decided to give Sylvan another shot and got this album "Artificial Paradise" which probably can be classify as a "? concept" album on a song format, more or less regarding human emotions and the ups and down of our human condition, exemplified by the fantastic art work-cover (a casino table), resembling dishonesty ?..!!..Anyways, they are a basic 5-member band they play Neo-Prog with Metal overtones. In addition, IMHO this is how Neo-Prog/Metal should sound!!..Moreover, probably too accessible for some prog-heads!

The production is terrific, Mr. Gluhmann voice is pretty much made for this type of music, and the overall interplay of musicians is excellent. Being said that, they will not probably get first price in originality, but their music is just "too cool", melodious and addicted; the type of music that I can play when I have guests at home without running them away, and my daughter likes very much...and, I am saying all that as a compliment!!

Vocal centered, but with good dose of guitar, which makes an excellent combination overall. Not your complex, multi-layered and sophisticated Symphonic music by any means; very simple and accessible; makes me proud to be a prog fan. Because this kind of music can actually be played in radio, but will probably not just, because the "progressive" touches.

The only stinker is track three "Strange Emotion", which I skip all the time. The CD open with a really Neo-Prog stunner and, finish with an epic 20+ minutes that have some "minimal" Symphonic overtones to it, and never get to be too Metal..!!

There is another "new" album from these guys, which probably I will get too. 4 solid stars, Highly recommended to Neo-Progressive fans or Metal fans that want to experiment and grow progressive...again, this is just my opinion!

Review by Gatot
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars This album is totally a different one compared to the band's previous album "Encounters" in terms of composition, style and structure. At first spin, I was not impressed with the music as it sounded so empty for my personal taste. Especially, if I've just listened to prog met style as this album is overall mellow in style. Surprisingly, my appreciation grew significantly after couple of spins. The first comment was an easy listening prog or just call it an ear candy prog. The more I put this CD on my player, I can see the value of this album's music. It's the same experience when I listened to CARPTREE at the first time. In fact, they both share similar music style.

Deep Inside (9:14)

This album opener starts with an ambient style using a loop. Piano enters nicely with a soft touch style followed with voice line in low register notes. Piano continues to serve as main rhythm augmented with soft drum beats and howling guitar at background. I can see the vocal quality of lead singer, Marco Glühmann, is truly top notch. It's interesting to notice how the melody of voice line and piano seem like going into different direction but create wonderful harmony. The energy of the song turns up as the vocal moves to higher register notes. Drums contribute much on the movement between segments through dynamic play. Some guitar solo reminds me to Steve Rothery's style with Marillion. With all combination of musician works and powerful songwriting and structure, I consider this track as masterpiece. [*****]

That's Why It Hurts (7:08)

This second track is my first favorite of this album. I like the simplicity of structure and composition. That's what has made this song is the most accessible - I think - compared to other tracks. But, what has made me truly amazed with this song is the skills of the lead singer in bringing the lyrics beautifully especially at the end of the bars. It's not only that, the song has a powerful melody and tight composition. The production quality in terms of mixing between the music and vocals have been done meticulously. When I listen to carefully this song, the vocal is put upfront, overlaying the music that is mixed thinly and produced softly at the background. Keyboard, guitar, bass and drums work really well and create ultimate enjoyment of this song. I enjoy this track when I pla it loud. [*****]

Strange Emotion (4:19)

This song is probably too poppy for progheads. It has straight forward structure with upbeat tempo music. It reminds me to Marillion music with Hogarth as lead singer. Guitar and piano combined together provide main rhythm section with some guita solo between segments. The use of female backing vocal and brass section has worsen this track, composition-wise. It's so boring with the female voice at the ending part. [** ½]

Human Apologies (8:29)

This track begins with guitar riffs played softly and it's different with other heavy riffs typically produced by prog met bands. Solid bass lines are used to accompany the first entrance of vocal. This track has a very catchy part especially when the orchestra played in the middle of the track. Wow! I really like it man.!!! What makes this orchestration nice is its weird time signatures between the orchestra and drum beats. On top of the orchestra, guitar solo is truly stunning. It's a combination between neo progressive and psychedelic. I do enjoy this track. Excellent outfit! [*****].

Timeless Traces (8:12)

The intro part reminds me to Marillion's Incommunicado played mellower followed by music with great guitar melody reminiscent of Marillion. In fact this song has the same style with Marillion's Hogarth era. It reminds me to "Easter" from "Season's End" album even though it's different kind of music. The music is floating and I think it's accessible to wider audience. [*** ½ ]

I Still Believe (3:06)

This may represent the perfect marriage between neo progressive and progressive metal. It opens with soft guitar riffs followed with vocal. The riffs continue to flow to accompany vocal - it seems like a hard rock tune with a straight forward structure. Again, the vocal quality is excellent, combined with excellent guitar solo during interlude. [***]

Around the World (6:25)

This one represents a heavy influence of jazz especially in the way keyboard is played during opening. When the vocal enters, it sounds like pop song until choruses. The interlude part is interesting: a combination of keyboard and acoustic guitar work reminiscent of jazz musician's Bob James meets Earl Klugh. For me, who has never been listening to jazzy tunes, it's a nice break with this interlude. But, honestly I don't like the melody with the singer sings "Around the world ." - it sounds so boring. But it's OK when I compare that I have a good treat of jazz style through keyboard. [****]

Souvenirs (2:09)

Oh man . it's true that this is a very short track, but . this one is very very nice! I mean it man. It comprises only vocal and piano but it has an excellent melody and composition. And, I think this track is well positioned as it is prepared for the entrance to next concluding epic. [*****]

Artificial Paradise (20:16)

It's an epic that concludes the album. It starts off with an ambient music exploring the combination of keyboard and guitar played mellow. It's floating into a more determined music especially when the drum enters more obviously with long sustain keyboard. It moves then to a wonderful combination of guitar riffs and orchestra. Vocal enters the music amazingly in low register notes augmented with stunning guitar fills. The music flows slowly in crescendo with the increasing notes of lead singer. Oh man . I love this part - especially when the singer suddenly change his voice from high to low register notes with quieter passage of music. Wow! The bluesy guitar solo fills the music wonderfully - in a way reminds me to Gilmour style. It flows then to a simple piano touch with inventive bass lines. The music changes into different style when solid bass line gives texture to the music plus long sustain keyboard at background, followed with vibraphone work. Oh my God . what an excellent part! Well, I'm not gonna write a novel to appreciate this song, but for sure, it's an epic that has a variety of styles and structures that form a tight composition. Great. [**** 1/2 ]

SUMMARY

Overall rating, I would give this album with 4+ out of 5 stars. I highly recommend you to purchase this CD as I am sure that you won't regret. The album has a very strong composition in structure and songwriting. Musicianship is also excellent and all musicians deliver their skills proportionately and fit with the composition. Production quality is top notch; great sonic quality of the CD. Keep on proggin' .!

Yours progressively,

GW

Review by Menswear
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Hey dudes, hold on, I think I found one.

Aren't you tired of flat 80's guitars, Fish pastiche vocals and Fantasy Casio keyboards? Well, that's pretty much what Néo-Prog has to offer for over 2 decades. I am sick and tired of the Marillion clone and I need fresh, new rookies to prove me wrong.

Few bands are trying to sound fresh, but since year 2000, Néo-Prog tends to harden his sound and more bands are crossing the line towards the real commercial sound. As a very careful circus artist walking on a thin steel rope, Sylvan is taking advantage of the best of the 2 worlds: intelligent songwriting iced with a modern and 'youngful' approach. Art rock in this case could be more appropriate to describe them.

I can't figure how Sylvan wouldn't charm your ears, or at least grasp your attention. Their songs are intentionnally created to please and entertain. This is a band that exploits drum programming, crunchy guitars, poppy bass lines and refreshing vocals. Indeed, the vocals are not fancy or superimposed to create a wall of voices (like Arena did in Contagion), this is just a guy singing his heart out. And fans of P.O.D. or Our Lady Peace will recognize some similarities with their favorites singers; Gluhmann has a charming post-teenage voice that rocks all the way, without falling into clichés of Néo-Prog.

Sylvan is obviously not following the Néo pattern, as Carptree did not also last year. The ballads are not cheesy (thank you lord) and some heavier stuff could make your eyebrow rise a couple of times. The band is clearly now one of the newcomers I've gotta check more out and their FM approach is a great recipe, mixing smart-ass structures to create accessible stuff that grabs you almost immediately. A very good bet, with lots of replay value.

High 5 man.

Review by Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars The theme of this record is relationships and the associated emotions and conflicts that arise between a man and a woman. I really can't get over how good this album is.This is truly a collection of great songs.The only song I don't like at all is "Strange Emotion" it sounds like a Motown tune, not impressed.The rest is bliss folks.

"Deep Inside" shows us how amazing the vocalist is, especially after the 3 minute mark. Very good piano and a nice guitar solo. "That's Why It Hurts" is one of my favourites, I just sing along with the chorus, it's so good. Fabulous tune. Incredibly emotional lyrics ! "Human Apologies" is a powerful song, quite heavy, another good solo.

Another highlight is "Timeless Traces", awesome vocals and a beautiful song. "I Still Believe" has some great guitar. "Around The World" is lighter, almost jazzy and quite catchy. "Souveniers" is slower, piano driven with emotional vocals.The epic "Artificial Paradise" is simply gorgeous around the 3 minute mark, then it almost gets metal-like.This song has many mood shifts and time changes, even a FAITH NO MORE feel to the vocals at one point.

These guys have hit a homerun with this record and it's highly recommended.

Review by evenless
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars "Common sense tells us that the things of the earth exist only a little and that true reality is only in dreams."

Charles Baudelaire, Artificial Paradises (1821-1867)

This was my first introduction with the German Neo-Progressive band SYLVAN. I didn't know what to expect of this band, but the good PA reviews on "Artificial Paradise" got me interested. I decided to order the CD and was literally blown away! What a great album! Even one that my wife really liked, so I guess it is also quite "accessible". ;-)

"Deep inside" is a very good opener of the album. First we hear some background noise on the background followed by a delicate piano intro later on accompanied by the great emotional voice of Marco Glühmann. Piano gets a bit more up-tempo and we get a really nice "bridge" followed by a great catchy chorus: "it's the meaning of you life, full of emotions deep inside your mind, that's the difference you deny, just share your feelings utilize your might". Beautiful!

"Deep Inside is another great track with a really catchy chorus. This seems to be a SYLVAN trademark. Once you have listened to this album a couple of times the strong melodies won't get out of your mind anymore; and that's meant in the positive way...

The 3rd track "strange emotion seems nice at 1st listen, but is actually a bit too "poppy" and for that reason it kind of starts to be boring after a while, just when the other songs seem to get only better and better. Therefore this is probably the only weakness of this album.

With "Human Apologies" Sylvan gets right back on track and this song is just as good as the 1st two tracks. Nothing to add here.

Track 5) "Timeless Traces" probably is my favourite track of this album. Starting with nice "bells" and a great bass guitar riff. Just after that the great chorus, but here played on lead guitars. Once again; what a great voice does Marco have! Very big range too; from quite low to very high and always very "clear" and absent of any "German accent". Once again another great chorus!

"I still believe" is a bit of an outstander because it's a bit heavier than most of the other tracks and "only" lasts 3 minutes and 6 seconds. Still quite OK though.

"All around the world" is another nice track and "Souvenirs" is very delicate and emotional. You only hear a piano accompanied by Marco's fine singing. I didn't think I was so special in the beginning, but my wife loves it! Once again: very emotional track!

The last track and also title track of the album is probably one of my favourite tracks of the album together with "Timeless Traces". It is also the epic of the album lasting over twenty minutes in length! Beautiful intro on guitar and hi-hat followed by a deep pumping bass. Now the delicate piano kicks in before the guitar starts with a strong kind of "metal riff". Very strong instrumental intro lasting over 4 minutes. In this track we get to hear "everything". A lot of tempo and mood changes throughout the track and even Marco is then singing, then rapping, then almost shouting and it all fits the music right. Outstanding!

All and all this is a very good album. I just have a hard time rating this album, because I think 4 stars is a bit too less and 5 stars a bit too high. As I rated "Posthumous Silence" 4 stars I will also rate this one 4 stars, because I actually now think that PS is even a bit better than AP. Nevertheless: they are both closer to 4.5 stars!

Review by ZowieZiggy
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Although I had rated Sylvan quite high when I discovered them (2004), I had to correct my judgement after a few more spins. At least for their first two albums. So, what has "Artificial Paradise" to offer ?

As usual, Marco is doing a very good job. This is not so often the case with German bands, so when the vocalist is good in his English interpretation it has to be said.

The long opener "Deep Inside" is a good number. The very nice guitar play sounds really beautiful (but this will be an overall tendancy on this album). It is a bit too mellowish and naive to be really catchy. I'm just missing something here; but I can't really define what. Could have been more inspired probably.

"That´s Why It Hurts" sounds very much like a Placebo song. Medium tempo with dominent drumming. Marco imitating Molko. It is a very nice song, full of emotion in the fianl guitar solo. Actually this is one of my preferred Sylvan track so far in their whole career. The link with Placebo (one of my preferred band) is probably closely related of course.

Same Placebo mood for "Strange Emotion". But the quiet side of that band for most of the track. It gets a bit more nervous and personal (meaning Sylvan) during the second half of the song. The finale is absolutely AWFUL. When Sylvan meets Motown. Where the hell did they get their inspiration for this ??? Press next of course.

I have a mixed feeling about "Human Apologies". The chorus is pleasant but the overall mood is heavy, funky for most of it. There is also a mixing with some Oriental influence which sound not really complementary, to say the least. I am really looking to some sorts of constistency here, but can't find it. We'll even get some spacey interlude before a great (and I mean it) guitar solo a la Rothery or Barrett (Nick). Very strange composition.

Next song could not be more Marillion oriented. The guitar intro sounds as close to Rothery as it is humanly possible. "Misplaced" period for the guitar but "Season's End" for the vocals. A tour de force actually to mix these two Marillion influences. But it is a very good track. Brilliant vocals as usual and a good backing band. Kay Söhl performs really well on the guitar. A highlight.

Sylvan will then propose a trio of shorter songs of which "I Still Believe" sounds as an AOR / heavy piece of music. The worse number with "Strange Emotion". (indeed, very strange). Fortunately it only lasts for a mere three minutes, but boy ! what a nightmare. "Around The World" features bizarre and disturbing vocals. It sounds as if Marco is looking to emulate someone else. Why ? and Who ? He has such a nice voice that I really wonder why he is over-exaggerating his style here. The jazzy mood of the song might well sound original but I only appreciate moderately this combination with neo-prog. The third one "Souvenirs" has an almost classical atmosphere. Not great either I 'm afraid.

The central piece and title track opens very nicely on a great instrumental part. It turns into a fully symphonic song as soon as Marco enters into action. It is a pure beauty, and it will remain so during the wonderful instrumental piano oriented-break. One has the impression to hear Banks or Emerson. Very delicate. Even the marimba-like sound is efficient ! this number is by far the most sophisticated of the album. Maybe a bit too much. There are so many different parts that it is a bit difficult to find the main theme. We'll even get some Crimsonesque instants around minute twelve. So, there are many influences in this track. As it were not enough, some rap will be added as well. At this time, I really have say, STOP ! Fortunately, they will hear me since we are brought back again into the nice and symphonic sound of the early part. The end sounding pretty much like Yes. What a combination of genre !

Sylvan is made of brilliant musicians and a very good vocalist. Their main problem resides in their inspiration, which is seriously lacking album after album. There will some good songs on this one (four) of which "Artificial Paradise". It could have been really great if at times it did not get lost in some weird experimental moments (but short, I admit).

The same comment as for Mostly Automn comes to my mind : this album is much too long. This album could have been a very good one if only several tracks would have been deleted. "Strange Emotion", "I Still Believe" and ""Souvenirs" for instance. The album would still have peaked at almost sixty minutes and wouldn't have lost a single interesting moment. As such I will rate this album with three stars.

Review by aapatsos
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Are we all animals of greed?

Sylvan are wondering, in their Artificial Paradise, about the greediness of our world and the quality of our modern lives and interpersonal relationships. The stories lay on a mid-tempo, mainstream neo-prog background, polished with good production and well-worked sound effects. Sylvan seem primarily influenced by late Marillion and Arena, often balancing between neo- and crossover-prog. Since there are many controversial issues in my head arising from this effort, I will try to give my perception of the album with pros and cons, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages.

Pros: No big effort is needed to identify the excellent voice of Marco Gluhmann, who dresses this album with melancholic, clever and adventurous tunes from time to time. His solid performance is the strongest asset of the record. The production is neat, very clean and polished, promoting the modern sound that Sylvan are trying to give, especially in acoustic guitars and pianos, the major characteristics of their music. A great opening (Deep Inside) that introduces melody and prepares for a brilliant sequel is another strong point, so is the ending (Artificial Paradise), which although it's nothing special, it leaves a pleasant 'taste', being the most inspired and 'proggish' piece of music, with many ideas blended together and some adventurous rhythm changes. Generally, there is a solid structure in every song, and it flows relatively well from one track to another.

Cons: Apart from the beginning and ending of the album, there is also a middle-part (surprise!) that has either disappointed me or left me indifferent in many ways. The approach is very mainstream at several points, making the album sound too 'simple' and sometimes boring. Some tracks seem to last too long (most of them being around 8 min.), and that would not be a disadvantage if they were complex, with many alterations etc.; but they're not. In my opinion, there are no sufficient (both in terms of quality and quantity) progressive and innovative ideas to make a 70 min. (!) record. The lyrics are decent, match well with the music, but sometimes sound too plain. The weakest track is Strange Emotion, which ruins (but only for a while) the pleasant atmosphere.

Highlights: Despite the disadvantages, there are many strong and 'catchy' melodies, primarily in the first two tracks (Deep Inside and That's Why it Hurts), and some good prog moments in the ending song (title track). Another track that stands out - in my opinion - is Around the World, where the first real innovative ideas appear through jazzy forms and the effective blending of guitars and piano.

Sylvan probably have all the abilities to produce an excellent record, but, definitely, this is not the one. This can be very pleasant to friends of progressive music, but not essential. Maybe next time.

Review by Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Sylvan's Artificial Paradise reminds me, at points, of what Dream Theater might sound like if they stripped the metal aspects out of their music and replaced them with melodic rock bits. The sound that results is appealing enough, though I'm inclined to agree with aapatsos that the album flags a bit in the middle - I do wish more bands would have the courage to edit down their work a bit, and learn that 40 minutes of great music is far better than 70 minutes of merely OK music. Still, fans of bombastic vocals and the more straightforward sort of neo-prog will find something to enjoy here.
Review by apps79
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Apart from the ''Encounters'' album Sylvan took part in 2000 in the Pink Floyd tribute album ''Signs of Life - A Tribute to Pink Floyd'', covering the ''High Hopes'' track from the ''Division bell'' album.With their career on a rise Sylvan moved on to the recordings of a third studio album now with a stable line-up featuring Sebastian Harnack on bass.The new work of the band was named ''Artificial Paradise'', released in 2002 on ProgRock Records and distributed in Germany by Point Music.

''Artificial Paradise'' shows another sound development by Sylvan, which are listed among the most inventive bands, whether one likes this or not.One element of their music remains solid from the very first album and these are the deep and emotional atmospheres.But their strong COLLAGE/80's MARILLION/PINK FLOYD influences are now mixed with more artistic and polished arrangements in the vein of SATELLITE, MILLENIUM or Hogarth-era MARILLION.This mix of old and new inspirations shows a strong emphasis towards elaborate arrangements, often with an orchestral touch, highly lyrical moments, atmospheric grooves, long and emotional solos and grandiose keyboard work.But there is also a very careful use of vocal distortions along with sound effects and narrations, which make Sylvan a band walking constantly and more deeply into the new Prog age.The demanding instrumental passages and solos are nicely combined with catchy grooves and metal riffing at moments to make the style of the band - if not unique - at least highly challenging.Of course, as with ''Encounters'', there are a couple of weaker songs or a few sterile parts in the longer ones but overall the material on this album is well-executed and arranged.

''Artificial Paradise'' will leave much to be desired for any fan of Classic Prog/Neo Prog.But if you are not stuck in these years, this album has plenty to offer.Grandiose musicianship, nice atmospheres and a great singer.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.

Review by BrufordFreak
COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars A collection of poorly engineered, dull and soulless prog songs that bear little or no similarity to the monumental achievements in the band's future. All songs are listenable, all songs are admirable efforts, all songs are ultimately failures. Try as I might, as much as I love future Sylvan and love Marco's brilliant voice, nothing here draws me back. The drum machines, dated synths and synth riffs, and odd track mixes make this music almost grating to my ears. The opener, "Deep Inside" (18/20) is the only song here that shows glimmers of the band's stellar future. The rest you can leave in the dumpster on your way out, thank you very much.
Review by Roland113
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars . . . In my not so humble opinion. . .

Artificial Paradise is the third release by German neo-proggers, Sylvan. While the album sounds great, and there are some great parts to it, there are parts in between the greatness that doesn't quite grab you the way a masterpiece should.

The opening soundscape always brings a thrill to my ears, the sounds of a casino paint a perfect metaphor for the album, the search for perfect love in a world of imperfections. Lead vocalist, Marco Gluhmann's distinctive voice carries this album from the very beginning as he intones, "Desperately depressed or even deeply hopeless, this was rather simple for you." Clear and soulful, almost pleadingly he winds his way through the questioning, "Deep Inside" as he implores his muse to remember who they once were. This is the first real highlight of the album, with a strong melody and emotional, well written lyrics this song gets a full five stars.

Unfortunately, the quality of the songs kind of drop off for the next thirty-nine minutes or so. "That's Why it Hurts" and "Human Apologies" have some good moments and "Around the World" has a nice jazzy feel at times.

Yes, I just totally glossed over the middle of the album.

The good news is that the title track makes for a killer closer. We start with some of the same ambience that we heard at the beginning of the CD in a lush soundscape that builds into the song, proper. The music begins with a series of conflicting rhythms growing into an almost chaotic cacophony of noise before it suddenly resolves to a dark yet wistful avenue for Marco to once again paint the landscape of emotions. We first hear the catchy chorus here, "Different faces on the other side, in our artificial paradise, in a world full of fates and illusions, do we see them?" The song continues from there through a series of moods, growing in intensity until they reach a peak almost reminiscent of Mike Patton's ranting. Just as we get to the angry climax, the angry base drops out and we slide back into the culminating chorus, a repeat of the beginning one though full of lush keys, a female choir and a sweeping guitar solo. The effects on the choir gives it the tinge of synthesized, dovetailing beautifully with the artificial theme of the album. This song gets five stars as well.

As with all of Sylvan's work, this in an emotional album with crystal clear production and well blended music. Everyone on this album sounds good, though, no one really stands out except for Gluhmann. There aren't any individual efforts that make the album. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just a very well balanced band. Artificial Paradise is not a perfect album, but it's a really good one with some great songs on it. The bookends, especially the title track bumps this from a mid three star rating to a four star one.

Latest members reviews

4 stars "Different faces on the other side" Deservedly, a while ago that Sylvan is recognized within the harsh environment of progressive rock. And so, mainly from the phenomenal Posthumous Silence. However, his first really important is this. Not as recognized as it should be, in my humble opinion. I ... (read more)

Report this review (#956715) | Posted by sinslice | Thursday, May 9, 2013 | Review Permanlink

5 stars This is the quintessential progressive rock album - plenty of catchy rock-style compositions, with enough progressive elements to keep you coming back time after time. There are very few bands that successfully marry the instant appeal of "pop-rock" hooks with the depth and musicianship necessa ... (read more)

Report this review (#40334) | Posted by Mr_Upside_Down | Tuesday, July 26, 2005 | Review Permanlink

5 stars Excellent stuff... My favorite tracks are Deep Inside and the 20-minute Artificial Paradise. The vocalist reminds me of Faith No More's Mike Patton. Nothing too technical or complex about the musicianiship. Simply good composition, and no more. ... (read more)

Report this review (#16109) | Posted by dashrendar | Saturday, April 17, 2004 | Review Permanlink

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