Progressive Rock Review- Sylvium-Waiting For The Noise

Release Date: 28^th March 2015

Label: Freia Music

Website

The band Sylvium came into existence in 2010, and released an EP, Purified, in 2012. This release encompassed the elements of progressive rock, post rock and ambient and laid the foundations for what was to become the Sylvium sound.

A year later, Sylvium had evolved from a studio based project, to a live band and also recorded their first full length album release, The Gift Of Anxiety. The following year, the band shared the stage with such names as The Aurora Project, Comedy Of Errors and Haken.

This year has seen the release of album No 2, Waiting For The Noise. The band is a 5 piece comprising Ben van Gastel (guitar), Gijs Koopman (bass, bass pedals), Fred den Hartog (drums), Richard de Geest (vocals, guitar) and Antal Nusselder (keyboards). Ben is the original founder of the band, Gijs and Richard were members of the band on the first album and Antal was a guest musician on one of the tracks on The Gift of Anxiety. (Update from social media on 2^nd June has just indicated that Gijs has left the band).

 

Waiting For The Noise is a 7 track album with a total running time of around 44 minutes. The shortest track, is the last track, “Coda (for a dream)” lasting 4:17 minutes and track 2, “Signal To Noise” is the longest with a playing time in excess of 9 minutes (9:14). Waiting For The Noise is also a concept album relating to a dying man and his judgement afterwards.

The opening track, “Quietus” (5:38) is a rather dark instrumental with spoken voices entering the scene in the background from time to time. There are a lot of keyboards and melodic guitar phrases weaving in and out as the track builds in intensity, but it is always underpinned with repetitive little themes. This is a good solid track to start the album.

Track 2, “Signal To Noise” (9:14) has some very emotive vocals and a stunning piano passage leading the music. The track moves up a gear around the 2 minute mark with the voice becoming more powerful and the guitars building up to a stunning guitar solo around the 3 minute point. The piano reappears behind the guitar and ultimately takes over the lead with the returning emotive voice. At around 5:30 minutes, there is a change in direction with the track assuming a “heavier” feel. The powerful voice has returned and a throbbing bass powers the track along. A more intense band workout is in full force just prior to 7 minutes. The piano soars above the rest of the band before the voice returns and takes the track towards the end. Spoken vocals and a pulsing synth finally end the track.

“Fade In/Out” (8:24) is a complex 3 part suite comprising Part 1 Revelation, Part 2 Confrontation and Part 3 Reconciliation. This is a very melodic song which weaves in different directions during its 3 parts. Some terrific organ work around the 5 minute mark, backed by a synth moves the track into its last part which features guitar and synth to the fore. I had a little memory starting to grow all the way through listening to this track, but couldn’t quite put my finger on what the style reminded me of. I thought initially Pink Floyd, but decided that it wasn’t quite right, but then perhaps more of a Pink Floyd tribute band who are now producing their own music, and that was when the lightbulb lit up. The band that I was thinking of was indeed, the German progressive band, RPWL.

“Altered State” (5:46) has an almost laidback band intro and then settles into some great guitar and synth with crystal clear vocals. The track continues with that superb synth weaving themes in and out. A more spoken style vocal above a thumping drum and throbbing bass is replaced by an excellent guitar passage with a piano in the background. This is a stunningly beautiful piece of music which also incorporates a “violin” around the 4 minute point. The band are then back in full flow to take the track out.

“Headlong” (4:59) is another brooding dark instrumental, albeit containing a spoken section, and is similar in some ways to the opening track. “Fragile” (6:16) is a very different track, almost ballad like, and initially seems out of place, but repeated plays results in passages getting into your mind, and the realization that this is a very clever track, slowly comes to fruition. The final track, “Coda (for a dream)” (4:17) starts in an electronic manner and is very atmospheric with the vocals having a touch of the Rhys Marsh about them. A great percussion passage behind the voice arrives about 2:15 minutes and at 3 minutes the band let rip. Suddenly, the sound drops to an electronic pulse which sees the track out.

Waiting For The Noise is a superb album by Sylvium and takes the band a few more rungs up the ladder towards becoming a more household name in the way bands like Marillion, and IQ are. The band have built on the foundations of album No. 1 and soared. Certainly an album that deserves to shift many, many copies and hopefully once you have had a listen, you will be one of the many creating a small space on their CD shelves.

4.5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Quietus, Signal To Noise, Altered State

Tracks:
Quietus
Signal To Noise
Fade In/Out
Altered State
Headlong
Fragile
Coda (for a dream)

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

June 7, 2015

Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk

Progressive Rock Review- Sylvium-Waiting For The Noise

Release Date: 28^thMarch 2015

Label: Freia Music

Website

The band Sylvium came into existence in 2010, and released an EP, Purified, in 2012. This release encompassed the elements of progressive rock, post rock and ambient and laid the foundations for what was to become the Sylvium sound.

A year later, Sylvium had evolved from a studio based project, to a live band and also recorded their first full length album release, The Gift Of Anxiety. The following year, the band shared the stage with such names as The Aurora Project, Comedy Of Errors and Haken.

This year has seen the release of album No 2, Waiting For The Noise. The band is a 5 piece comprising Ben van Gastel (guitar), Gijs Koopman (bass, bass pedals), Fred den Hartog (drums), Richard de Geest (vocals, guitar) and Antal Nusselder (keyboards). Ben is the original founder of the band, Gijs and Richard were members of the band on the first album and Antal was a guest musician on one of the tracks on The Gift of Anxiety. (Update from social media on 2^nd June has just indicated that Gijs has left the band).

 

Waiting For The Noise is a 7 track album with a total running time of around 44 minutes. The shortest track, is the last track, “Coda (for a dream)” lasting 4:17 minutes and track 2, “Signal To Noise” is the longest with a playing time in excess of 9 minutes (9:14). Waiting For The Noise is also a concept album relating to a dying man and his judgement afterwards.

The opening track, “Quietus” (5:38) is a rather dark instrumental with spoken voices entering the scene in the background from time to time. There are a lot of keyboards and melodic guitar phrases weaving in and out as the track builds in intensity, but it is always underpinned with repetitive little themes. This is a good solid track to start the album.

Track 2, “Signal To Noise” (9:14) has some very emotive vocals and a stunning piano passage leading the music. The track moves up a gear around the 2 minute mark with the voice becoming more powerful and the guitars building up to a stunning guitar solo around the 3 minute point. The piano reappears behind the guitar and ultimately takes over the lead with the returning emotive voice. At around 5:30 minutes, there is a change in direction with the track assuming a “heavier” feel. The powerful voice has returned and a throbbing bass powers the track along. A more intense band workout is in full force just prior to 7 minutes. The piano soars above the rest of the band before the voice returns and takes the track towards the end. Spoken vocals and a pulsing synth finally end the track.

“Fade In/Out” (8:24) is a complex 3 part suite comprising Part 1 Revelation, Part 2 Confrontation and Part 3 Reconciliation. This is a very melodic song which weaves in different directions during its 3 parts. Some terrific organ work around the 5 minute mark, backed by a synth moves the track into its last part which features guitar and synth to the fore. I had a little memory starting to grow all the way through listening to this track, but couldn’t quite put my finger on what the style reminded me of. I thought initially Pink Floyd, but decided that it wasn’t quite right, but then perhaps more of a Pink Floyd tribute band who are now producing their own music, and that was when the lightbulb lit up. The band that I was thinking of was indeed, the German progressive band, RPWL.

“Altered State” (5:46) has an almost laidback band intro and then settles into some great guitar and synth with crystal clear vocals. The track continues with that superb synth weaving themes in and out. A more spoken style vocal above a thumping drum and throbbing bass is replaced by an excellent guitar passage with a piano in the background. This is a stunningly beautiful piece of music which also incorporates a “violin” around the 4 minute point. The band are then back in full flow to take the track out.

“Headlong” (4:59) is another brooding dark instrumental, albeit containing a spoken section, and is similar in some ways to the opening track. “Fragile” (6:16) is a very different track, almost ballad like, and initially seems out of place, but repeated plays results in passages getting into your mind, and the realization that this is a very clever track, slowly comes to fruition. The final track, “Coda (for a dream)” (4:17) starts in an electronic manner and is very atmospheric with the vocals having a touch of the Rhys Marsh about them. A great percussion passage behind the voice arrives about 2:15 minutes and at 3 minutes the band let rip. Suddenly, the sound drops to an electronic pulse which sees the track out.

Waiting For The Noise is a superb album by Sylvium and takes the band a few more rungs up the ladder towards becoming a more household name in the way bands like Marillion, and IQ are. The band have built on the foundations of album No. 1 and soared. Certainly an album that deserves to shift many, many copies and hopefully once you have had a listen, you will be one of the many creating a small space on their CD shelves.

4.5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Quietus, Signal To Noise, Altered State

Tracks:
Quietus
Signal To Noise
Fade In/Out
Altered State
Headlong
Fragile
Coda (for a dream)

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

June 7, 2015

Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk

Progressive Rock Review: Sylvium-The Gift Of Anxiety

Release Date: 13th Sept 2013 
Label: Freia Music
Website

I was well ahead of the game with this particular album for review, as I have been featuring the band, Sylvium, on the radio show since the album, The Gift of Anxiety, was released last September.

Sylvium was formed back in 2010 by Ben van Gastel (guitar, keyboards), and his intention was to make use of guest musicians when he was recording. The first album, Purified, was produced and released in 2012 with Fred Boks contributing to the album. Purified was an instrumental album and was very well received, and on the basis of that success, they were invited to record a 10 minute track for the Dutch Exposure album, which was to highlight Dutch bands. Ben produced a track collaborating with Janroel Koppen (piano) and although they were chosen as one of the finalists, Sylvium was not ready to perform live, and consequently withdrew from the competition.

Spring 2013 saw Sylvium become a live band with Ben and Janroel being joined by Gijs Koopman (bass) and Greg Geurtson (drums), and also the recording, and subsequent release, of The Gift of Anxiety. The album is based around a theme, that of anxiety, and includes vocals for the first time. Two guests during the recording of The Gift of Anxiety, Richard de Geest (vocals, guitar) and Antal Nesseldor (keyboards) have now joined Sylvium on a permanent basis; meanwhile recently, Janroel Koppen has left the line-up.

The Gift of Anxiety is a 6 track album with a total playing time of around 41 minutes. The shortest and longest tracks on the album are the two last tracks, with track 5, “Heaven,” the shortest at 6:29 minutes and the final track, “Weathering,” clocking in at 7:53 minutes.

“Disposable” (6:31) which blasts the album The Gift of Anxiety off, has a full band introduction which immediately grabs the listener and then a simply majestic piano passage floats across the track and then returns again slightly later, ensuring that the attention is kept firmly on the music. There enters some gentle synth sweeps away in the background which catch the ear and at around the halfway point, the sound drops away to leave a simple synth and bass passage which is excellent. Small tinkling bells herald the return of the guitar and more prominent synths as the band members flex their musical muscles to build the track back up. Superb bass and drumming throughout this track drive the opener along and it serves as a fine starter for the tracks that follow.

“Disposable” is an instrumental as are, “Falling” (6:33), “Ominous” (7:09) and “Heaven” (6:29). The one thing that they all have in common is the amazing aural soundscapes that they conjure up. The music moves from the full band workout to much gentler, softer passages within the tracks and this ensures that, at no time, do they lose the interest of the listener.

The two remaining tracks, “Surround” (6:57) and “Weathering” (7:53) debut the first vocals on Sylvium songs, and in both cases, the voice of Richard de Geest fits into the music superbly. “Surround” starts in a more stripped down way, which did remind me of the older Scottish band, The Blue Nile, with the strong powerful voice delivering the lyrics over a relatively sparse backing. The track soon builds in intensity, but that voice remains the center point.  Great guitar riffs, keyboard flourishes and the continued excellence of the rhythm unit ensures a memorable track. The final track, “Weathering,” has a very gentle introduction with nice drumming, bass and another of those simple piano melodies. The voice is slightly more insistent on this track as it gently pulls you into the music. This is possibly the most memorable track on the first few listens and will certainly embed itself in your mind. The second part of the track allows the musicians to highlight their skills, before a more ethereal sound takes over to take the track out.

The Gift of Anxiety is a simply stunning album that immediately grabs your attention, and for the 41 minutes of its duration, carries you along on a wave of aural soundscapes before gently allowing you to settle back into the here and now. After a moment, you realize the next thing to do is to start the album over again. Both “One to Buy” and “The Experience will last Forever” sticker adorn the front of this release and it is an album that should fill a little space on everyone’s CD shelf.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Surround, Heaven, Weathering

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson

January 16, 2014

Tracks:
Disposable
Surround
Falling
Ominous
Heaven
Weathering

Posted by Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleckat 4:15 AM

Progressive Rock Review: Sylvium-The Gift Of Anxiety

Release Date: 13th Sept 2013 
Label: Freia Music
Website

I was well ahead of the game with this particular album for review, as I have been featuring the band, Sylvium, on the radio show since the album, The Gift of Anxiety, was released last September.

Sylvium was formed back in 2010 by Ben van Gastel (guitar, keyboards), and his intention was to make use of guest musicians when he was recording. The first album, Purified, was produced and released in 2012 with Fred Boks contributing to the album. Purified was an instrumental album and was very well received, and on the basis of that success, they were invited to record a 10 minute track for the Dutch Exposure album, which was to highlight Dutch bands. Ben produced a track collaborating with Janroel Koppen (piano) and although they were chosen as one of the finalists, Sylvium was not ready to perform live, and consequently withdrew from the competition.

Spring 2013 saw Sylvium become a live band with Ben and Janroel being joined by Gijs Koopman (bass) and Greg Geurtson (drums), and also the recording, and subsequent release, of The Gift of Anxiety. The album is based around a theme, that of anxiety, and includes vocals for the first time. Two guests during the recording of The Gift of Anxiety, Richard de Geest (vocals, guitar) and Antal Nesseldor (keyboards) have now joined Sylvium on a permanent basis; meanwhile recently, Janroel Koppen has left the line-up.

The Gift of Anxiety is a 6 track album with a total playing time of around 41 minutes. The shortest and longest tracks on the album are the two last tracks, with track 5, “Heaven,” the shortest at 6:29 minutes and the final track, “Weathering,” clocking in at 7:53 minutes.

“Disposable” (6:31) which blasts the album The Gift of Anxiety off, has a full band introduction which immediately grabs the listener and then a simply majestic piano passage floats across the track and then returns again slightly later, ensuring that the attention is kept firmly on the music. There enters some gentle synth sweeps away in the background which catch the ear and at around the halfway point, the sound drops away to leave a simple synth and bass passage which is excellent. Small tinkling bells herald the return of the guitar and more prominent synths as the band members flex their musical muscles to build the track back up. Superb bass and drumming throughout this track drive the opener along and it serves as a fine starter for the tracks that follow.

“Disposable” is an instrumental as are, “Falling” (6:33), “Ominous” (7:09) and “Heaven” (6:29). The one thing that they all have in common is the amazing aural soundscapes that they conjure up. The music moves from the full band workout to much gentler, softer passages within the tracks and this ensures that, at no time, do they lose the interest of the listener.

The two remaining tracks, “Surround” (6:57) and “Weathering” (7:53) debut the first vocals on Sylvium songs, and in both cases, the voice of Richard de Geest fits into the music superbly. “Surround” starts in a more stripped down way, which did remind me of the older Scottish band, The Blue Nile, with the strong powerful voice delivering the lyrics over a relatively sparse backing. The track soon builds in intensity, but that voice remains the center point.  Great guitar riffs, keyboard flourishes and the continued excellence of the rhythm unit ensures a memorable track. The final track, “Weathering,” has a very gentle introduction with nice drumming, bass and another of those simple piano melodies. The voice is slightly more insistent on this track as it gently pulls you into the music. This is possibly the most memorable track on the first few listens and will certainly embed itself in your mind. The second part of the track allows the musicians to highlight their skills, before a more ethereal sound takes over to take the track out.

The Gift of Anxiety is a simply stunning album that immediately grabs your attention, and for the 41 minutes of its duration, carries you along on a wave of aural soundscapes before gently allowing you to settle back into the here and now. After a moment, you realize the next thing to do is to start the album over again. Both “One to Buy” and “The Experience will last Forever” sticker adorn the front of this release and it is an album that should fill a little space on everyone’s CD shelf.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Surround, Heaven, Weathering

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson

January 16, 2014

Tracks:
Disposable
Surround
Falling
Ominous
Heaven
Weathering