LEAVING BACKSTAGE

I discovered this band over a year ago on Youtube and based on what I saw of their live set, recorded at Kampnagel, I bought the double live CD "Leaving Backstage". I played it quite a bit when I first got it. Lately I've been playing it again and I've come to the conclusion that this is one of the best purchases I've ever made.

With a mix of metal with prog with pop, Sylvan makes some fine music which is very easy to listen to but it also offers something more raw and profound.

CD 1 - The "Posthumous Silence" live cd is an excellent album. I haven't heard the studio version but it is obvious that the concept is well thought out and very well executed in the live recording. It's difficult to pick out individual highlights because the entire album is a complete package. However, a few songs that are worthy of an extra mention are Pane of Truth, Forgotten Virtue, Questions, The Colours Changed and Posthumous Silence.

CD 2 - This is a compilation of nine songs from Sylvan's previous studio albums. Again all are excellent and I'm getting to know them a bit better. While I particularly like This World Is Not For Me, the outstanding epic here is the magnificent Artificial Paradise.

Since the mid 1970's I've been a fan of Genesis, Yes, Wishbone Ash, Pink Floyd, Clapton, Rory Gallagher etc. and I have been lucky to see them all live. More recently I'm listening to IQ, Big Big Train, Tinyfish and Porcupine Tree (who I also saw live in Dublin last October). In my opinion Sylvan sits easily beside all of these.

The sound quality on this double live cd is perfect and I have no complaints. I'd recommend it as an ideal addition to any cd collection.