This is a concept record and here's the storyline in one sentence:
A man gets to really know his daughter for the first time by reading her diaries ...
after she has committed suicide.
So it's obvious that this is an extremely moving piece - but besides
that, Posthumous Silence is simply an excellent album in every sense. Very
progressive by all understandings of that term, in the symphonic style of that genre,
but with one foot in the neo camp and just a toe dipped tentatively into prog-metal. The
musicianship is outstanding, the songwriting is strong and the overall
impression after hearing this music is that after a after their 7-year
apprenticeship, Sylvan has outshone its back catalog of 4 better-than-average records and
announced its presence in the progressive music world with a bang.
The storyline follows the father's reading of the diaries, and is delivered
by Marco Glühmann's perfectly controlled, passionate singing. His delivery is
lightly accented and the lyrics are tainted with ESL grammar - but the meaning
is clear and Marco's performance is out of music's top drawer. The point of
view often shifts to the girl's perspective - and you can't help thinking that
the telling would have been still more effective if they'd recruited a good
female vocalist for those sections. Besides the vocals, the sentiments are
effectively conveyed by very good guitar work that is Gilmouresque
in parts, by occasional cellos and orchestral sounds, and by that most poignant plectrum on the heartstrings, lots of well-played piano.
Occasional voice-overs and sound inserts also move the story forward. these
don't stand the test of multiple replays, so it's fortunate that they're rare
and brief.
In the tradition of good prog concept pieces Posthumous Silence runs
through shift after shift in tempo, key, and time signature, there are long,
well-layered instrumental sections, and
each song runs smoothly into the next to yield a consistent, cohesive body of work.
The details of the story are somewhat convoluted because the girl runs
through the gamut of emotions – desperate then relieved, hopeless then hopeful,
and she's eventually resigned to her decision; while - as you'd expect - the
father is feeling heartbroken throughout the course of the hour and ten minutes. So
the album is best appreciated if
you go to the band's web site at least once and follow both the storyline and
lyrics closely. That will change it from a lot of of
overblown emotional stuff into a meaningful listening experience, from just
very good to really excellent. In a perfect world, there would be a
tighter coalescence between the good songwriting and the moving storyline. But
that observation isn't enough to reduce the album's well-earned 5-star rating.
Track Listing:
01. Eternity ends
02. Bequest of tears
03. In chains
04. Bitter symphony
05. Pane of truth
06. No earthly reason
07. Forgotten virtue
08. The colors changed
09. 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
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