SYLVAN – Posthumous Silence The Show

Mentioning the words “Progressive Rock” you would think of such bands as Rush and Yes for example. Nowadays another generation of Progressive Rockers is coming forward and among these is the German band Sylvan which celebrates their 10th anniversary this year. To give the fans something special they have just released a respectable package of material consisting of a brand new live DVD and a double live CD which was recorded on the 1st of September last year at Kapnagel in Hamburg, Germany.

In 2006 Sylvan released their ground shaking concept album Posthumous Silence which is quite tragic, exposing the story of a father that gets to really know his daughter by reading her diaries after she has committed suicide. The story is presented from two perspectives; the father and the daughter, both represented by vocalist Marco Glühmann. The sound of the band is dominated by Progressive Rock but has also a lot of symphonic elements. It seems that Sylvan rather rely in the beautiful, atmospheric sound of their music than the heavy riffs and fast tempos that is more usual among their rivals in the same genre. There is something different about Sylvan; it is a band that tries to make music, not overloading the songs. Their sound is moody, polished, rough and has a great personality. All this blends into an atmospheric appearance in their new DVD which actually features Posthumous Silence in its entirety. This is pure perfectionism all the way through blessing every viewer with a wonderful musical adventure.

The scene production is very exiting. The intro “Eternity Ends” features a big screen which at first pictures the writings apparently from the girl’s diary. As the camera zooms in on the words written, it all disappears and a tree is what’s left on the screen. As they come into the opening song “Bequest Of Tears” the spotlights hits the band members when they enter one by one. First on stage is keyboardist Volker Söhl who opens it all. He is shortly after followed by vocalist Marco Glühmann who sings softly and passionately. The cello solo of Stephanie Hundertmark is absolutely wonderful. It’s a moody atmosphere that appears and it really sets the standard for rest the show as tension-filled sounds build up in volumes before letting go in the song “In Chains”. This one features the entire band and their backing singers. Vocalist Marco Glühmann is the one that really makes the band go forward with his charismatic stage performance. His voice is truly one of a kind; it’s strong, rough and sensitive. Apart from him and the drummer it is a very dramatic band we see, it makes you wonder if any of them feels happy to be there at all. The guest guitarists do a very fine job filling in for the former guitar player Kay Söhl (Volker’s brother) who quit the band right after the release of Posthumous Silence. One of the guest guitarists; Jan Petersen later became the full time guitarist for Sylvan.

Then we enter the beautiful atmosphere of “Pane Of Truth” which drifts away with nice chord arrangements. Following in its trail is the dark and mysterious “Forgotten Virtue” which is also the heaviest track appearing on this DVD. It would take too much time to describe every song, it’s just a parade of musical pearls. Coming into the ending title track “Posthumous Silence” we are again presented to the sad theme of the opening song “Bequest Of Tears”. It starts out so softly, dynamic and then builds up throughout the song reaching the pinnacle when guitarist Jan Petersen plays the opening theme upon the massive foundation that is made by the rest of the band. It ends very majestic, putting an end to this musical story.

The studio album itself was astonishing but the live DVD is priceless! This is definitely a release that should be called one of the very finest so far this year! What words can’t say, music will, so get your self a copy and let the emotional and tragic story come to you through the waves of beautiful music. The DVD has both great sound and picture quality, there’s nothing to put a finger on, an excellent release in every sense. There is something theatrical about a concept album and bless these guys for performing the record in its entirety.

There’s no doubt when the conviction has to be taken; Sylvan and their Posthumous Silence performance is worthy of great character. However, when we look upon the bonus features there’s something missing. Where are the subtitles for the Studio Documentary? Those that do not speak German can’t follow what happens in discussions and so on. It’s very irritating actually. Everything else seems to have subtitles but this one does not.

Posthumous Silence – The Show (DVD)

1. Eternity Ends
2. Bequest Of Tears
3. In Chains
4. Bitter Symphony
5. Pane Of Truth
6. No Earthly Reason
7. Forgotten Virtue
8. The Colors Changed
9. A Sad Sympathy
10. Questions
11. Answer To Life
12. Message From The Past
13. The Last Embrace
14. A Kind Of Eden
15. Posthumous Silence

Volker Söhl – Keyboards
Sebastian Harnack – Bass guitar
Marco Glühmann – Vocals
Matthias Harder – Drums

Guest Musicians: Jan Petersen – Guitar
Guido Bungenstock – Guitar
Stephanie Hundertmark – Cello
Petre Schechter – Backing vocals
Miriam Schell – Backing vocals
Stefanie Richter – Backing vocals

Bonus Features:
“In the studio 2005-2006” (The recording of Posthumous Silence and Presets)
34 days (Behind the scenes footage of the production)
German Subtitles (Complete translation of all lyrics)
Interviews with Sylvan and their main technicians
Audio commentary by the band
Bonus song “Artificial Paradise”
Slide Show

Leaving Backstage (Double CD)

As already mentioned they didn’t just release a DVD, they also released a double live album. Disc one contains Posthumous Silence The Show, the same feature as the DVD. Disc two is a mixture of old songs from four of their studio albums. No songs from their debut album Deliverance are played. However, the song decisions are good representing a wide spectrum of Sylvan through their career from the heavy riffs of “Lost” to the 18 minute long masterpiece “Artificial Paradise”. The production is crystal-clear but what can be criticized a little is that they speak German in-between the songs. It may not be that clever doing so concerning that this is an international release as well for fans that do not speak that language. Apart from that, there is nothing else to put a finger on. There’s really no doubt that this is one of the finest releases in Progressive Rock this year. It would even meet the tastes of those that are not into Progressive music as well. Get yourself a copy of this album and drift away on the musical journey you’re sent out on!

Leaving Backstage CD 1

1. Eternity Ends
2. Bequest Of Tears
3. In Chains
4. Bitter Symphony
5. Pane Of Truth
6. No Earthly Reason
7. Forgotten Virtue
8. The Colors Changed
9. A Sad Sympathy
10. Questions
11. Answer To Life
12. Message From The Past
13. The Last Embrace
14. A Kind Of Eden
15. Posthumous Silence

Leaving Backstage CD 2

1. Lost
2. That’s Why It Hurts
3. So Easy
4. Encounters
5. One Step Beyond
6. This World Is Not For Me
7. Deep Inside
8. When The Leaves Fall Down
9. Artificial Paradise