5/5 Getting the word out, this band needs to be heard!
  by G-Dexter (Lakewood, NY United States)
I'm always on the lookout for new progressive bands worthy of my hard-earned scudos. I've listened to a lot of pretty average bands over the years, and had to settle for average more often than I would like, but with Sylvan there is no compromise: they are the real deal!

As is usually the case, (or is it always?) the very best progressive rock is consistently coming out of Europe, and just lately it seems that includes Poland, England and in this case, Germany. Sylvan holds their own comfortably with the likes of Porcupine Tree, RPWL, Riverside, Pain of Salvation...just to name a few of the more notable bands making music today. Some of thier poppier tunes remind me of Marillion or even The Flower Kings (which is by no means a bad thing.) They provide a pleasant blend of the best of these bands with thoughtful compositions and excellent, musicianship.

I've purchased two of their CD's so far; POSTHUMOUS SILENCE and ARTIFICIAL PARADISE, and I have to tell you that they are both outstanding! I cannot praise either highly enough - absolutely top notch!.

As of this posting, Amazon has not included sound clips for their work, which is a shame because this is one of the best bands performing anywhere! So pick up one of their albums and give it a listen, then help get the word out...Sylvan is a great band!

5/5 Extraordinary Music
  by Implacable (Sydney, Australia)
If you are a fan of progressive rock, as I am, then this CD will probably blow you away from the very first notes. The music is beautiful, it is breathtaking, majestic. It is a journey, and a delightful stroll through the senses. In some respects it is deep and mysterious, in others it is sufficiently light and accessible to draw you in and make you comfortable.

I find comparisons difficult, but there are passages that remind me of IQ, at times, Riverside comes to mind, but this is brilliant progressive music, mostly at the lighter end of heavy (though I wouldn't call it symphonic). Enough rambling, highly recommended.

5/5 You need this disc
  by Jeffrey D. Elsenheimer (Lake Hamilton,FL USA)
After spending hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours listening to an infinite number of CDs, I've unearthed here the Holy Grail! I am unable to remove this disc from my player! As has been said, there is some beautiful music here, heart- wrenchingly beautiful. Listening to this disc is an experience, not just a way to while away the time. The songs all flow together so well and tell such an awesome story, albeit painful.I have become somewhat skeptical of late, with so many "5 star discs" floating around. Haven't heard much lately that has inspired me. I could use a vast array of adjectives to try to describe this work, but I feel that would be unfair because this masterpiece needs to be experienced on an individual basis. I went back and listened to Dream Theater's "Scenes From a Memory" to see how this stood up, and to me, this disc blew it out of the water! Highly recommended to those who like adventurous, thought- provoking, flawlessly performed but yet heartfelt music.

5/5 A Masterpiece
  by Mark (New York)
This is a great piece of work from Sylvan! Since seeing them at Rosfest last year I have loved this band, and think both Artificial Paradise and X-Rayed are great albums. Posthumous Silence has a different sound and feel, with more piano, strings and violins to go with the concept. The melodies are excellent along with the vocals and musicianship. I don't review CDs often, but have been enjoying this so much I want to recommend it. The songs:

Eternity Ends - 8/10. Cool introduction
Bequest of Tears - 10/10. Introduces the Posthumous Silence theme, beautiful song.
In Chains - 8/10. Good song, but took some getting used to for me. Breaks up the mellow symphonic vibe of the album a bit early.
Bitter Symphony - 10/10. Beautiful introduction into Pane of Truth
Pane of Truth - 10/10. An excellent song, great melodies and vocals
No Earthly Reason - 7/10. Another short introduction-type song
Forgotten Virtue - 5/10. I can't get into this song. One of the few heavier tracks, it again breaks up the melodic vibe of the album and is strange.
The Colors Changed - 11/10. Amazing
A Sad Symphony - 7/10. Another short piece
Questions - 9/10. Great song with a really cool instrumental ending
Answers to Life - 10/10. One of the few upbeat songs on the album, has a great melody and a very catchy Yes-like chorus
Message from the Past - 10/10. Another short piece tying in some melodies from other songs on the albums, beautifully done
The Last Embrace - 6/10. Another odd upbeat song, but shorter and a little easier to get into for me than Forgotten Virtue
A Kind of Eden - 11/10. Simple and beautiful, keeps getting stuck in my head along with The Colors Changed
Posthumous Silence - 11/10. Beautiful and powerful ending.

I haven't even begun to read all the lyrics and understand the concept, I'm sure I'll be even more blown away then!

5/5 Terribly great
  by Guylaine Le Ber (St-Hubert, Qc)
I'm always confused between Sylvan and David Sylvian. I keep on buying the wrong one. They are two different animals and I much more prefer Sylvan.

Our way of talking is all different and when we listen, we are all sensible to different things. Some like to be talk about facts, others in term of emotions, relationship or rules. Guess what? I am in the emotions camp, so that is why I like this album so much. They surely are excellent to express and deliver emtotions.

What came to mind when I listen to this album? At first Korn with the lyrics on In Chains. Also Riverside, Ours, IQ and Marillion.

My favorite moment is starting at the song Questions and end up at the last note of the Last embrace. I like when the people are screaming to each other in the background, it just makes the speech real.