SYLVAN

The 2009 release "Force of Gravity" by Sylvan carries on the band's strong points (strong melodies, passionate singing), more on a song-structure basis than on "Posthoumous Silence". FoG is inferior as a result than this last, but almost 70 minutes of music are anyway a treat. Some heavier guitars and rifffs are present here and there, and even some more pop ("Embedded") and AOR ("God of Rubbish") moments: though these features are not elevating FoG in prog terms, they are not even dimming the lights on the entire work. As I've noticed scarce reviews so far on PA, in my opinion "Force of Gravity" deserves attention and a place on a music collection. Not all of the 11 numbers are on the same level, but many pieces are really interesting, and I will give a few notes on the most remarkable ones. "Force of Gravity" is a great opener, evolving and well constructed. "Isle in me" is driven by a really moving melody, starting with ethereal piano, one of the best of the album. "Turn of the tide" also has a similar development as the previous, but more on a melancholic mood. "MIdnight sun" is a slow tempo, with great duet with female singer that sings really like Kate Bush! Wonderful song. "King Porn" is another standout track, with interesting lyrics about a "modern times" phenomenon. It seems to start with brutal riff, than it swirls to a more calm feel, with a bluesy section, that end up in crescendo to full sympho rock. "Vapour trail" is made up of 14:30 duration, and it develops from an ethereal string intro to a variety of moods, never forced, and you feel really like suspended on air, until a very noticeable mid-part, wehere the song seens to get stuck in a monotone singing by Marco, greatly resolved, I have to say, with some genius-placed bars of jazz (!) flavour, introducing one of the best symphonic rock finale of this year (mmm...or of the last years...). All in all I would give this one 3,75 - but well deserves to be rounded up to 4 for the highlights described above.

I think it's more like Symphonic prog, even with some neo elements also a lot piano driven sound. In fact, first album by Sylvan I heard, so I can't compare much. I have to say that it took some time to get used to Marco Glühmann's specific vocal, some may even say "emotional" like. There's a strong emphasis on melody, which I always can admire, because I don't want just "melody", there have to be more elements in music, to form good composition. And they're here, little signs, making together something bigger. Maybe it's not so original, but I don't feel it here.

4(-) for something barely 4 star like, but this album made it. I like diversity of tracks here, switching fast/slow ones is managed good, without shock-effect.

This album is highly recommended for everyone who is exited about the peak days of Hogarth-era Marillion. With the occasional touch of metal also fans of Riverside or Anathema might check this out.

Although the band has little to offer in ways of originality and innovation, they still manage to sound fresh and passionate. The songs are typically emotional epics where a well balanced instrumentation serves as a strong backbone for the bands main asset: its singer Marco Glühmann. Mr Glühmann has a very strong and emotive voice, slightly similar to Hogarth but avoiding that mans forced screech (don't be mistaken, I'm a Hogarth fan but he can be a tad annoying if he goes in emotional overdrive). In a creative sense however, Glühmann has less to offer as he is seemingly singing the same lines and applying the same tricks through the entire album. The same applies for the band as a whole. The album is quite consistent and well played but everything sounds a bit too similar.

Sylvan is a typically German neo-prog band that won't astonish you much but it's an excellent alternative for the comatose claptrap that Marillion has been releasing since Marbles.

Sylvan's "Force of Gravity" is neither something new nor is it something very original. It actually sounds a little uninspired or less mildly put, like stagnation. I got the impression that they put their new material together and called it the new album. Then someone came along and said "Do you think it sounds progressive enough?" "Not sure, let's add a few more progressive parts." So, they did that and after they were done someone said "Um, it's a little too Old School. Maybe you should add a few more digital sounds to pep it up." And so they pepped it up a little. But again someone came along and said "I think it's missing some heavy guitar riffs, you know, Riverside like." "No problem, " the band replied, "since we're excellent musicians it should be a piece of cake to add a few nice heavy guitar riffs." After implementing the latest suggestion they all felt like the album sounded a little too contrived now and they decided to edit out some of the more contrived parts until someone realized that making the album less contrived could actually make it even more contrived. "I'm getting tiered of this." one band member said, "Let's leave it like this." And the others agreed.

That's probably not how Sylvan recorded their new album but that's what it feels like to me. It's not bad, but considering what this band was capable of in previous albums it could have been far better.

This is to me,one of the most beautiful albums I´ve ever heard,for me it´s a masterpiece,it doesn´t bring nothing new to the genre,but it is so well executed,amazing vocals that truly delivers very powerful emotions and all the instruments are in the right places to produce amazing melodies,this is a conceptual album and to me it doesn´t make sense to review song by song,this is an album that has to be heard from start to finish without skipping any song,all of them are so well connected, the final moments of this album are truly epic,the only note i could give is 5.

Moody, ambient, atmospheric... and it's really excellent!

I actually had been playing this live set for quite sometime ago after so long I had never played the music of this band. I notice this band underwent dramatic change in their music style when they released 'Artificial Paradise' in 2002. It's totally different with their 'Encounters' album (2000) which I like it very much and represents my first introduction to the band. I felt in love with the opening track 'No Way Out' which showcase one of the best neo-prog song with killing riffs and powerful melody. When I got this double CD live set the first impression was that the music they played live represent their style of later music from 'Artificial Paradise' onwards even though there were some nuances of previous music.

The first disc captures the performance of the Posthumous Silence concept album in its entirety, while the second disc is basically the 'best of' collection of live renditions taken from the band's albums released between 2000 and 2007. The band is quite aware that their debut album 'Deliverance' is not worth being featured here. Talking about disc 2 it represents a good introduction to those of you who have not been familiar with Sylvan. Unfortunately there is no 'No Way Out' from 'Encounters' album. I cannot imagine how this wonderful track performed live.

I consider the first disc as a great performance of their concept album 'Posthumous Silence' where fans of early Marillion and Radiohead (?) would love to enjoy it. It opens with a great live vibes in a moody and atmospheric 'Eternity Ends' (2:54) which reminds me to the opening of Pink Floyd's 'Pulse' through 'Shine on You Crazy Diamond'. But instead of using bluesy guitar, this song uses atmospheric female choirs. It's really great and it sets the overall tone of the concert. The piano intro of 'Bequest of Tears' (3:05) and vocal work of Marco Glühmann reminds me to the opening concert of Peter Gabriel with his 'Here Comes The Flood' using his piano. It's a great opening, really! The basslines remarks the entrance of 'In Chains' (8:55) where the music flows in upbeat mote with nice and soft guitar riffs. This is an excellent track!

The performance of disc one represents great flow of music with excellent combination of keyboard and guitar work accompanying great vocal line. Track like 'Pane of Truth' (9:14) is really worth enjoying especially with its emotive style, great accentuation in vocal and tight basslines. The interlude sections of the music are also excellent. You can enjoy wonderful keyboard and guitar work in 'Questions' (6:58) for example. I find this disc one is enjoyable from start to finish until closing track 'Posthumous Silence' (5:38).

Disc 2 starts with a song from X-Rayed album called 'Lost' (7:32) in which the music is energetic that reminds to Encounters album. The combined work of vocal, drums, keyboard and bass is really wonderful. You can find the interlude section is wonderful where the guitar lays rhythm section combined with dynamic basslines that feature the keyboard solo. Oh man ?it's really wonderful! 'That's Why It Hurts' (7:10) from 'Artificial Paradise' follows wonderfully in the same quality as previous track in terms of performance. The band returns back to X-Rayed album with its 'So Easy' (8:19) ? another excellent song with excellent performance. You can find guitar solo in the vein of Marillion's Steve Rothery. All remaining tracks are performed excellently by the band.

Overall, this is an excellent live set that would satisfy wider audience, not only those who love neo-prog like Marillion because it's quite easy to digest the music. The other thing I need to mention is the excellent audio quality of this CD. I recommend this album to Sylvan fans or other progressive music fans. You can try disc 2 as this is the best of Sylvan. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

I just watched this concert for the 3rd time and figured I would post a review of it. The show itself is of their wonderful album "Posthumous Silence." Sylvan is a very talented band and their sound is anything but retro. Although classified as neo prog, they have a modern sound which has evolved over their career and it is only getting better with each release. I am a huge fan of well done concert DVDs, the key words being "well done." I did not have the highest of aspirations when I first watched this only because Sylvan isn't exactly the most well known band, even in the prog genre. That usually translates to a lower end production of a DVD release...I couldn't have been more wrong!

This DVD is a top notch production and top notch all the way around. I was really blown away by it. The sound is fantastic, the visual effects during the show were incredible and the emotion of the music itself was outstanding! The band pulled out all the stops in making this concert experience immensely enjoyable, not only for those in attendance, but also for the video viewer. Marco Gluhmann is a fantastic lead vocalist and performer. His vocals are spot on and delivered with great control. The emotion conveyed by him really adds to the experience. All of the other band members were great as well. The keyboard player Volker Sohl stood out as the glue holding everything together while the David Crowder look alike drummer Matthias Harder seemed to have everything under control at all times. Apparently this was the first live performance of new guitarist Jan Petersen but I would have never known otherwise. And finally bassist Sebastian Harnack has that cool vibe as he plays the funky bass lines but not ever trying to steal the show.

I have yet to watch the special features with full attention but it looks as if they spent a lot of time getting everything ready for this show. The stage was custom made and they take you through all the time consuming details. For whatever lengths they went to, they should be pleased with the end result of this DVD. Awesome job by our German friends, VERY well done! Highly recommended to everyone, even if you are not familiar with Sylvan or this concept album. 5 stars for this DVD concert performance!

A new experience for me.

This band has been recommended to me by my friends in the scene. I now understand why.

The first thing that entered my mind when listening to this album was RADIOHEAD. The vocals is pretty similar to Thom Yorke........ but a lot better. The music is pretty mellow and driven by the vocals, keys and guitars. This is not complex and technical music. It is my understanding this is a concept about a man discovering his daughter's world through her diaries. If this is true, I can understand why the music is so mellow. The music fits the lyrics. Besides of being mellow, this is the typical neo-prog with some elements of progressive metal. I find some similarities with RADIOHEAD and I cannot get them out of my head.

The quality is very high throughout with no outstanding songs. I regard this as one piece of music throughout. It is as one symphony I am enjoying this album. I probably should listen more to this album and buy the live album before I pass any judgement on SYLVAN. It is obvious I should give this band more attention.

A good addition to any prog rock collection.

4 stars.

Well, actually I am not a huge neoprog fan for a number of reasons; one of it is a lack of creative stuff. This in particular concerns 60 min + albums which often contain rather boring material, including unmotivated guitar and keyboard solos, meaningless repetitions, etc. So you can't take it as a whole, but just as a collection of separate tracks; some are good, the other are not. But this 70 min concept album is a rare and pleasant exception. I'd say more: these guys are truly bombastic! They grip you with the very first chords and release with the very last. A real passion play: emotional vocal, colorful and powerful guitar and keyboard work, interesting rhythm texture. I was really affected listening to this album, some times it reminded me in spirits ROBERT WHYATT's Rock Bottom. It definitely hits The Neoprog Top 10 together with MARILLION's Script and Childhood, PENDRAGON's Masquerade and ARENA's Visitor. Good luck guys!

Per my review of IQ's Subterranea Live a week ago, there's something so special about a concept album performed in it's entirety. When I discovered that Sylvan were going to release a live DVD of their highly acclaimed album Posthumous Silence, I was extremely excited. It's the first Sylvan disc that I ever bought and it remains my favorite...and among the most emotional and heart wrenching concept albums that I've ever heard...especially from the viewpoint of a father.

Intense is the best way to describe this performance. Very unassuming when the show starts off with images being flashed against a mesh screen draped in front of the stage, and with keyboardist Volker Sohl, vocalist Marco Gluhmann and a lone cello player occupy the stage. When the drapery falls then it's time to prepare yourself for Posthumous Silence. Enough has been said about the music from this album, and the band performs it flawlessly. Initially, I was a bit distracted with the lyrics appearing at the bottom of the screen, but found it useful to follow along and better understand the story.

Gone is original guitarist, Kay Sohl, but in his place is Jan Petersen and extra guitarist Guido Bungenstock--both gentlemen perform their tasks brilliantly. The rest slices through Posthumous Silence with fire and grace. Marco, especially, is captivating and really gives 110% as he just pours out his emotions while bouncing back and forth between the dialogue of the father character and the deceased daughter. This carries over to the highly enthusiastic crowd as women are literally in tears towards the sets finale of A Kind Of Eden and the title track.

Bonus features include a performance of the epic Artificial Paradise, plus behind the scenes footage of the recording of both Posthumous Silence and Presets. The latter is interesting to watch, but does warrant my only complaint, and that is it's not dubbed for non-German speaking viewers. You get the overall idea, but miss out on some important bits and pieces. There are interviews with the band and those have subtitles...which is VERY helpful in an interview format.

That aside, it's not enough to go any lower than 5 stars. It's a performance so stirring that I literally had goosebumps. Additionally, it shows me just how skilled they are as musicians. Bassist Sebastian Harnack and drummer Matthias Harder were very impressive working as the rhythm unit (with Harder sounding a bit like Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree at times). I haven't purchased a live prog DVD that comes close to it so far in 2008. Completely brilliant!