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░ ██ ██ Artist: Nad Sylvan ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: The Bride Said No █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-11-11 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Inside Out Music / Sony Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Nad Sylvan has reunited again an impressive list █
█ of musicians for this new release. After the short █
█ intro, "The Quartermaster" bring some cool █
█ keyboards parts in a happy kind of mood. "When The █
█ Music Dies" is a song of a different mood with █
█ some gorgeous vocals and chants, it's rather █
█ melancholic. The rest of the album goes from that █
█ semi-ballad and melancholic passages to some more █
█ upbeat parts with more place left to the guitar, █
█ in "White Crown" and "What we have you done" for █
█ example. In the song "Crime of Passion," the █
█ melody is spot on with catchy groove and sumptuous █
█ orchestration in the Steve Hackett style. "A █
█ French Kiss In an Italian Cafe" is a smooth █
█ romantic song, probably the weakest track of the █
█ album. "The Bride Said No" is the most █
█ unpredictable track starting in a soul and funky █
█ style before a break in the middle where things █
█ get heavier with the keys, bass, and some busy █
█ guitar playing. After the previous album, the █
█ songs here seems to be working a bit more for me. █
█ I think that the Genesis influence is less obvious █
█ with some diversity throughout the album and a █
█ nice balance between the modern style and past █
█ influence. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Nad Sylvan is of course the latest incarnation of █
█ the archangel Gabriel, providing a myriad of prog █
█ bands the ability to step up to the microphone and █
█ sing. To be fair though, his original voice is way █
█ more nasal and high-pitched than either Peter or █
█ Phil, so please, lets us forego the usual copycat █
█ platitudes, as it's simply not true. 'The Bride █
█ Said No' is his 5th solo album and quite possibly █
█ his best yet, garnering worldwide praise for his █
█ efforts. A cooperative effort between Nad and a █
█ slew of good friends to help, as some of the prog █
█ royalty deigned to show up on the menu. Steve █
█ Hackett, Roine Stolt and Guthrie Govan are among █
█ the top guitarists in rock period. Some █
█ interesting pairings on the rhythmic side with █
█ Tony Levin and Doane Perry on one set of tracks █
█ and Jonas Reingold bonding with Nick D'Virgilio on █
█ another series of pieces . These tandems do not █
█ get any better! █
█ After a brief sonic intro, the whistling 'The █
█ Quartermaster' lays down the mood quite █
█ effectively, a modern prog ditty with thrash █
█ rhythms and a hard ass demeanor. Jonas carves the █
█ low end, Nick bashes persuasively and Nad sings █
█ his heart out, aided by some siren vocals from the █
█ ladies. Shimmer, shake and shambles, this is a █
█ rowdy adventure that owes a great deal to classic █
█ prog stories, flushed by some strident synth █
█ colorations. █
█ A mammoth track like 'When the Music Dies' will █
█ win anyone over with the sheer magnificence of the █
█ melancholic melody, the glorious chorus and the █
█ intricate buildup to both. Nad's vocal delivery is █
█ not only deeply heartfelt but it's also █
█ overpoweringly impressive. Levin and Perry really █
█ do the modern rhythm tandem rather well, pulsating █
█ forward with glee. I love the similitude to the █
█ Bond theme of 'You Only Live Twice', a perfect █
█ melody and a genial arching chorus. This my █
█ friends, is the real deal. Killer! █
█ More upbeat and very 'Genesisian' is 'The White █
█ Crown' with Reingold and D'Virgilio leading the █
█ process, involving some spooky synth passages, a █
█ high-pitched duet develops between Nad (who can █
█ hit the high notes) and backing female vocalist █
█ Sheona Urquhart, a very convincing piece of █
█ complexity. █
█ On the sultry ballad 'What Have you Done', Nad █
█ tells quite the sweet story, trading vocals with █
█ Jade Ell and luxuriating in the breeze, sliced █
█ open by a long passionate Hackett solo followed by █
█ a patented Govan scorcher that smolders like █
█ phosphorus. This is another timeless piece of █
█ brilliance that cannot and should not escape █
█ awareness. █
█ Another nugget is the bold and convincing 'Crime █
█ of Passion', with Roine Stolt conducting the █
█ proceedings with his slippery guitar rants, Jonas █
█ and Nick propelling resolutely and monstrous █
█ symphonic keys icing the cake. The orchestrations █
█ add a dramatic dimension to the arrangement that █
█ elevates it from its rather humble origins. █
█ Hackett makes another cameo as only he can, █
█ immediately identifiable and mesmerizing. █
█ Tony Levin proves again why he remains the master █
█ of the 'basso profundo' (a live quote from the █
█ Gabe), manhandling the electric bass as well as █
█ the Chapman stick with genial bravado on the █
█ romantic and cinematographic 'A French Kiss in an █
█ Italian Caf'. Allied with splendid backing vocals █
█ from Urquhart and Ell, sliced by some more Hackett █
█ , Nad overflows with bittersweet ''l'gance' and █
█ 'amore', deliberately emoting on the highest █
█ plane. Urquhart blasts a very Roxy Music-ish sax █
█ solo to finish off. █
█ The title track is the epic 12 minute+ █
█ cliff-hanger that infuses drama and vocal █
█ gymnastics from three busy lead vocalists (Nad, █
█ Jade and Tania Doko), thus performing a mini-opera █
█ of sorts with a story of unfulfilled love and the █
█ yearning for freedom. While highly progressive and █
█ theatrical, there is a soulful feel that is █
█ immediately apparent, not just in the vocal █
█ mannerisms but also in the sensual musical █
█ instrumentation, that span the slick and sultry to █
█ the bombastic and delirious. The instrumental █
█ proficiency on display here is ridiculous, by any █
█ standard, Jonas in particular proving his █
█ reputation as a maestro of the bass guitar. The █
█ dynamic storytelling is compelling and convincing, █
█ forcing Hackett to blast a tortuous solo off into █
█ the stratosphere. Great imagery, fabulous words █
█ and a dramatic delivery wins me over immediately, █
█ as the white crown makes a reappearance in the █
█ lyrics. Slick dude, you are Nad. You go, guy! The █
█ mid-section is distinguished by a wailing aria █
█ from Tania that will shake your universe, █
█ soulfully emotive and overpoweringly impressive. █
█ The bride then says no, which leads to a 2 minute █
█ silence and a hidden 5 minute bonus track called █
█ 'Black Sheep'. █
█ A very entertaining release from an artist that I █
█ admired from afar but did not really comprehend. I █
█ do now. He is not just another pretty face or a █
█ musical box. He is Nad Sylvan. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Bridesmaids 1:13 ░
░ 2. The Quartermaster 5:38 ░
░ 3. When the Music Dies 6:59 ░
░ 4. The White Crown 6:16 ░
░ 5. What Have You Done 8:29 ░
░ 6. Crime of Passion 6:00 ░
░ 7. A French Kiss in an Italian Cafe 5:59 ░
░ 8. The Bride Said No 19:24 ░
░ 59:58 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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