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"More immediate than "Home" but less striking than "Posthumous Silence", "One to Zero" confirms Sylvan's know-how in progressive music."
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4/5
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Sylvan is one of those bands whose every release is eagerly awaited and meticulously studied. In 2006, the Hamburg band released "Posthumous Silence", which united music lovers far beyond the progressive sphere. Six years having passed since the release of the last effort, the impatience to discover "One to Zero" is obviously strong...
The formation remains stable since the departure of Jan Petersen after "Sceneries", which suggests that no guitarist intervened in the composition of the album. The concept exposes the states of mind of an artificial intelligence (nothing new since Philip K. Dick's "Blade Runner"), a much lighter concept than the tight narrative of "Posthumous Silence". And this can be felt in the writing: the tracks are more disparate and are not linked musically by any thematic thread.
Compared to the previous albums, this one is much easier to listen than "Home", less dark, less symphonic, the keyboards are more in the background, and it is adorned with less marked metallic finery (some well felt riffs on 'Trust In Yourself'). "One to Zero" delivers tracks with melodies and immediately catchy choruses ('Unleashed Power', 'Part of Me') and sometimes (and it's a surprise for Sylvan) a conventional side in the architecture of some tracks (the ballad 'Encoded at Heart' or the sad waltz 'Worlds Apart'). Moreover, some passages remind of other bands, and this can also surprise: 'Encoded at Heart' sounds very RPWL (less surprising when you know that Yogi Lang and Kalle Wallner took part in the production), the end of 'On My Odyssey' leans towards Riverside and the final guitar solo of 'Trust In Yourself' looks like a Lazulian leode!
But let the fans be reassured: the Sylvan markers are always present, with in the foreground the wonderfull voice of Marco Glühmann. To the point that one can feel that the band searched for the immediacy rather than the depth. The great merit of the Germans is to have kept a remarkable quality on the whole album, and it's when they move away from their habits that they hit the bull's eye: 'Bit by Bit' is an excellent progressive opener, 'On My Odyssey' charms with its constant variations and 'Go Viral' hits the spot with its almost rap phrasing. The longer tracks are less gripping: 'Part of Me' suffers from a good hollow in the middle of the track and 'Not Goodbye' struggles to take off.
To say that "One to Zero" is a disappointment would be an exaggeration. The quality of the record remains well above the average and confirms Sylvan's know-how in melodic progressive music. It also confirms that it is difficult to turn the page after having released a masterpiece (even 15 years later), for the musicians as well as for the fans! - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
 01. Bit By Bit - 06:16
02. Encoded At Heart - 06:42
03. Start Of Your Life - 03:14
04. Unleashed Power - 07:31
05. Trust In Yourself - 05:33
06. On My Odyssey - 06:27
07. Part Of Me - 09:16
08. Worlds Apart - 03:58
09. Go Viral - 06:41
10. Not A Goodbye - 10:15
LINEUP:
Marco Glühmann: Chant
Matthias Harder: Batterie
Sebastian Harnack: Basse
Volker Söhl: Claviers
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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(4) COMMENT(S)
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Bien sûr, cet opus ne peut rivaliser avec Sceneries, qui reste pour moi la référence absolue du groupe, un album que je réécoute régulièrement et proche de la perfection absolue. Pas de grand titre ici, pas de mise en extase, mais ces albums là, ils sont si rares, n'est-ce pas ? Sylvan n'en reste pas moins une valeur sûre et l'album, varié et réservant toujours quelques surprises, s'avale d'une traite.
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Présent en tant que membre non officiel sur le précédent opus (Home), le guitariste Johnny Beck fait désormais partie intégrante de ce nouvel album de ce que j'ai lu sur leur page Facebook.
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Sylvan reste une valeur sûre. Même si cet album ne recèle aucune surprise pour qui connaît le groupe, les mélodies qu’il contient ont de quoi charmer les oreilles les plus exigeantes. Classique mais efficace.
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Tout est dit dans la chronique : un Sylvan classique, sans surprise, plus facile d'accès que Home, et qui ravit les oreilles après une longue absence. Mais l'absence de Jan Pedersen plane toujours sur le groupe.
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READERS
4.9/5 (9 view(s))
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STAFF:
3.9/5 (7 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH SYLVAN
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OTHER REVIEWS
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT SYLVAN
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