PRESETS

SYLVAN is one of those bands that is good, but non-essential (in my book at least). I remember I gave few spins to “Deliverance”, it was good but something was lacking. After visiting Loreley fest this summer (ironically the day after SYLVAN played) I’ve chanced to pick their latest CD there. I listened to it and unfortunately it has left me cold again. It’s like watching from the glass – you can see but you can’t touch to make sure if it’s real. Some songs are very good, like opening “One Step Beyond” and closing “Presets”, but in general material lacks power and something that would hold listeners’ attention. Everything is TOO sterile, too polished, too predictable after all. To give an idea of how SYLVAN sounds like, take BLACKFIELD, add some H-era MARILLION, and some alternative rock to make the mixture even more accessible. Nice, but I doubt I’d hunt desperately for any other SYLVAN album in the nearest future.