METAL JUKEBOX

Nad Sylvan - Courting The Widow (2015)













Year : 2015
Style : Progressive Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 110 mb

Bio:

Nad Sylvan was born on June 4, 1959 in West Covina, California to American tennis star, Hugh Stewart, and Swedish beauty, the Gothenburg girl Agnete Sylvan. The family moved to Sweden in November of that year but the marriage didn't last very long. Nad was raised in Malmo, Sweden, by his grandparents for the first ten years of his life. Then came a move to Stockholm with his mother, where he remained until he purchased his own home in Uttran, a small rural community some 30 k south west of the capital, in 2007.A self-taught musician, Nad began playing the piano at the age of four and started composing almost immediately. His first performance at age eight ended very suddenly with Nad fainting over the keys from sheer nervousness – a very dramatic finale.Nad was already a great singer and performer by the age of 15, and was asked to front the band, Envoys, in 1975. The other band members were 10 years and more older than Nad.Then one fateful day when Nad was 16 years old, he heard the music that was to change his life. "I was working in a record shop at the time and one of my coworkers put on an album that had just arrived. It was "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". “It was mind blowing... I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was the music that hooked me, had me under its spell if you like, from the very start. It was a massive soundscape... complex yet accessible. A huge musical world just seemed to open up right there and then in the shop. It really made me sit up and listen. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before. Even though I didn't get the lyrics because my English wasn't good enough then, that was when I fell in love with the music of Genesis." Nad’s English improved, and his love of Genesis grew.Then came Attacus, a Prog Rock band with a Genesis feel, that Nad joined when he was 17 as lead singer and keyboard player. The band was re-named Avenue and in 1979 they cut a single. Nad was writing a lot of music by that time, and wrote the song, “Mr. Marmaduke and the Minister”, a song which would later appear on the Unifaun album.Nad worked with various musicians and bands over the next several years, including ABBA's Michael B.Tretow and Rednex, and continued to write songs, hoping to come up with a “hit”, but never quite being in sync with the genre of the era. Nad started hitting the Genesis forum site on the internet in 2003. The site was full of interesting people, and it became apparent that there were thousands of people around the world who were disillusioned with the current music scene, and who were looking for something more musically fulfilling. Nad made contact with Bonamici, and they began chatting over the net. Bonamici also lived in Sweden, and they soon came up with the Unifaun project. This project took over four years to complete, and was released in 2008 as a tribute to Genesis.The Unifaun project caught the attention of Roine Stolt, of the Flower Kings and Transatlantic, and he joined with Nad to form Agents of Mercy. Roine knew Steve Hackett very well, but it was Steve’s tour manager, Brian Coles, that first made contact with Nad. Shortly after, an email arrived in Nad’s inbox: “Hi Nad, this is Steve Hackett.” He soon found himself working on the Genesis Revisited II project.Nad's first chance to sing with Steve came at two big festivals, first in the Isle of Wight and then Germany. What followed from those two gigs was an invitation to the album’s launch in London and then the world tour.Nad says the response from his fans has been overwhelming in the nicest possible sense, but very humbling, too. “I feel that they've taken me to their hearts in some respects and so in turn that's how I sing. I guess that's why I've been singing the way that I have. It comes from the heart, I can assure you of that. I don't want them thinking that it doesn't matter to me, as nothing could be farther from the truth. I genuinely want to give my all for them, the fans who've been so very kind to me. It's the least I can do."

Album:

Over the last 3-4 years, Steve Hackett has been touring the globe with his Genesis Revisited project, recreating the classic Genesis songs from the 70’s with his stellar band. At the front, handling the immense challenge of taking on Peter Gabriel’s nearly psychotic vocals arrangements, has been Nad Sylvan. The former Agents of Mercy vocalist has been hanging around the Prog community for years but it seems he is finally ready to take center stage on his own with his solo release titled ‘Courting the Widow’. The album bares a uncompromising resemblance to that classic 70’s era Genesis, but with Sylvan’s unique vocals and updated musical elements, the album comes across as an album long time Genesis and Prog fans will find they have been waiting for. While this could be a negative in some cases, the results here are quite spectacular and make for a great listening experience.The album kicks off with the uptempo “Carry Me Home,” a track that could easily find a home on Selling England by the Pound. The song features the prerequisite changes and dives into a slower grand ending, which is more than appropriate. Sylvan has an almost weathered storytelling quality to his voice, at times running through lyrics quickly and at other times being overly deliberate with his delivery. This gives the songs an added element that otherwise would be sorely missed here.The second track, the title track, starts off in a somber tone with a haunting piano refrain, but quickly kicks into a great memorable chorus. There are some signature Tony Bank’s style keyboard sounds throughout, again not shying away from the singer’s influences. There are 2 long tracks, the 9:40 “Echoes of Ekwabet” and the 22 minute epic ‘To Turn the Other Side.” “Echoes” is a piano based track that evolves into a heavier, mid tempo track and features some creative moog work in the middle. “Other Side” is easily the most progressive song with tons of solo sections, keyboard interludes, drum fills and more. Sylvan threw everything he could into this one, even some bits that sound like “Supper’s Ready.”The second half of the album is actually less like Genesis and where Sylvan finds his own voice with fantastic results, with the exception of “Ship’s Cat” which is a tad out of place in this collection. However, the highlight on the album is the closing track, “Long Slow Crash Landing.” The main melody, played by a distant horn in the beginning, is brilliant and is only elevated with Steve Hackett’s interpretation as the song builds. Hackett’s guitar soloing here is masterful and tasteful in a manner only he is capable of producing. There are some other stellar musicians on the album as well, such as Nick D’Virgilio on drums and Nick Beggs on bass.Nad Sylvan should finally be recognized as one of the best voices in Prog with this album, which showcases not only his incredible vocals but his impressive songwriting as well. All in all, this is a surprisingly enjoyable collection of songs driven from an era long gone, but when done right, is still as great as ever.

Line Up:

Nad Sylvan (Steve Hackett, Agents Of Mercy, Unifaun): Vocals, Keyboards, Piano, Guitars
Steve Hackett (Genesis): Guitars
Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings, Transatlantic, Agents Of Mercy): Guitars
Lars Drugge: Guitars
Nick Beggs (Steven Wilson, Steve Hackett, Lifesigns, Fish On Friday, Iona): Bass, Backing Vocals
Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Karmakanic, The Tangent): Bass
Roger King (Steve Hackett): Piano
Nick D'virgilio (Spock's Beard, Big Big Train, Kevin Gilbert) : Drums
Gary O'toole (Steve Hackett): Drums
Doane Perry (Jethro Tull): Drums
Rob Townsend (Steve Hackett, Family): Flute, Tenor Sax
Annbjorg Lien: Violin
Jade Ell (Xanima): Backing Vocals

Tracklist:

01. Carry Me Home
02. Courting the Widow
03. Echoes of Ekwabet
04. To Turn the Other Side
05. Ship's Cat
06. The Killing of the Calm
07. Where the Martyr Carved His Name
08. Long Slow Crash Landing




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

Nad Sylvan - The Bride Said No (2017)













Year : 2017
Style : Progressive Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Video
Size : 142 mb

Bio:

Nad Sylvan was born on June 4, 1959 in West Covina, California to American tennis star, Hugh Stewart, and Swedish beauty, the Gothenburg girl Agnete Sylvan. The family moved to Sweden in November of that year but the marriage didn't last very long. Nad was raised in Malmo, Sweden, by his grandparents for the first ten years of his life. Then came a move to Stockholm with his mother, where he remained until he purchased his own home in Uttran, a small rural community some 30 k south west of the capital, in 2007.A self-taught musician, Nad began playing the piano at the age of four and started composing almost immediately. His first performance at age eight ended very suddenly with Nad fainting over the keys from sheer nervousness – a very dramatic finale.Nad was already a great singer and performer by the age of 15, and was asked to front the band, Envoys, in 1975. The other band members were 10 years and more older than Nad.Then one fateful day when Nad was 16 years old, he heard the music that was to change his life. "I was working in a record shop at the time and one of my coworkers put on an album that had just arrived. It was "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". “It was mind blowing... I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was the music that hooked me, had me under its spell if you like, from the very start. It was a massive soundscape... complex yet accessible. A huge musical world just seemed to open up right there and then in the shop. It really made me sit up and listen. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before. Even though I didn't get the lyrics because my English wasn't good enough then, that was when I fell in love with the music of Genesis." Nad’s English improved, and his love of Genesis grew.Then came Attacus, a Prog Rock band with a Genesis feel, that Nad joined when he was 17 as lead singer and keyboard player. The band was re-named Avenue and in 1979 they cut a single. Nad was writing a lot of music by that time, and wrote the song, “Mr. Marmaduke and the Minister”, a song which would later appear on the Unifaun album.Nad worked with various musicians and bands over the next several years, including ABBA's Michael B.Tretow and Rednex, and continued to write songs, hoping to come up with a “hit”, but never quite being in sync with the genre of the era. Nad started hitting the Genesis forum site on the internet in 2003. The site was full of interesting people, and it became apparent that there were thousands of people around the world who were disillusioned with the current music scene, and who were looking for something more musically fulfilling. Nad made contact with Bonamici, and they began chatting over the net. Bonamici also lived in Sweden, and they soon came up with the Unifaun project. This project took over four years to complete, and was released in 2008 as a tribute to Genesis.The Unifaun project caught the attention of Roine Stolt, of the Flower Kings and Transatlantic, and he joined with Nad to form Agents of Mercy. Roine knew Steve Hackett very well, but it was Steve’s tour manager, Brian Coles, that first made contact with Nad. Shortly after, an email arrived in Nad’s inbox: “Hi Nad, this is Steve Hackett.” He soon found himself working on the Genesis Revisited II project.Nad's first chance to sing with Steve came at two big festivals, first in the Isle of Wight and then Germany. What followed from those two gigs was an invitation to the album’s launch in London and then the world tour.Nad says the response from his fans has been overwhelming in the nicest possible sense, but very humbling, too. “I feel that they've taken me to their hearts in some respects and so in turn that's how I sing. I guess that's why I've been singing the way that I have. It comes from the heart, I can assure you of that. I don't want them thinking that it doesn't matter to me, as nothing could be farther from the truth. I genuinely want to give my all for them, the fans who've been so very kind to me. It's the least I can do."

Album:

In 2015, Nad Sylvan impressed everyone with his fine conceptual solo album "Courting The Widow". A vampiric tale wrapped in a 17th century atmosphere, this definitively marked out the talented Swede as a surging star in the progressive rock world. Now, Sylvan is back with "The Bride Said No", an album that continues the fascinating plot, albeit with a far more extravagant musical palette. "I didn't originally have the idea of going on with this story on the new album. But what happened was that I revisited a song called 'The Bride Said No', which I began to write in 1989. I kept a few of the early ideas I had for the verses and also that title, but the rest of the song is brand-new. However, the title itself got me thinking that it made sense if this were used in relation to the vampirate character from 'Courting The Widow'. And the whole thing developed from there." On the creative side, what the new album does is to expand Sylvan's horizons, as he explains. "Musically, the previous record was very much located in the 70s, and you can still hear a little of that here. But this one is a lot more modern sounding and diverse. In fact, I would say it's closer to musical theatre than anything else." "The Bride Said No" takes what Sylvan has done before and elevates it with a new creative sensibility. He has plans for a final chronicle of this 'vampirate' trilogy. But that's for the future. Right now, we can all revel in the delights of this eight track masterpiece. "I set out to take things even further than before. I believe I have succeeded." Nad has most recently been seen performing alongside the legendary Steve Hackett as part of his Genesis Revisited with Classic Hackett tour, which continues across the world during 2017.

Line Up:

Nad Sylvan (Steve Hackett, Agents of Mercy, Unifaun) - vocals, keyboards, guitars, programming, orchestration

+ guests:

Tania Doko - vocals
Jade Ell (Xanima) - vocals
Sheona Urquhart - vocals, saxophone
Steve Hackett (Genesis) - guitar
Guthrie Govan (Steven Wilson, The Aristocrats, GPS, Asia) - guitar
Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings, Transatlantic, Agents of Mercy) - guitar
Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, Stick Men) - Chapman stick, upright bass, electric bass
Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Karmakanic, The Tangent) - bass
Nick D'Virgilio (Spock's Beard, Big Big Train, Kevin Gilbert) - drums, percussion
Doane Perry (Jethro Tull) - drums, percussion
Anders Wollbeck - keyboards, programming, orchestration, additional sound design
Alfons Karabuda - water phone

Tracklist:

01. Bridesmaids
02. The Quartermaster
03. When The Music Dies
04. The White Crown
05. What Have You Done
06. Crime Of Passion
07. A French Kiss In An Italian Cafe
08. The Bride Said No
09. Black Sheep

+ Video "When The Music Dies" (Official Video)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

Nad Sylvan - The Regal Bastard (2019)













Year : 2019
Style : Progressive Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 105 mb

Bio:

Nad Sylvan was born on June 4, 1959 in West Covina, California to American tennis star, Hugh Stewart, and Swedish beauty, the Gothenburg girl Agnete Sylvan. The family moved to Sweden in November of that year but the marriage didn't last very long. Nad was raised in Malmo, Sweden, by his grandparents for the first ten years of his life. Then came a move to Stockholm with his mother, where he remained until he purchased his own home in Uttran, a small rural community some 30 k south west of the capital, in 2007.A self-taught musician, Nad began playing the piano at the age of four and started composing almost immediately. His first performance at age eight ended very suddenly with Nad fainting over the keys from sheer nervousness – a very dramatic finale.Nad was already a great singer and performer by the age of 15, and was asked to front the band, Envoys, in 1975. The other band members were 10 years and more older than Nad.Then one fateful day when Nad was 16 years old, he heard the music that was to change his life. "I was working in a record shop at the time and one of my coworkers put on an album that had just arrived. It was "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". “It was mind blowing... I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was the music that hooked me, had me under its spell if you like, from the very start. It was a massive soundscape... complex yet accessible. A huge musical world just seemed to open up right there and then in the shop. It really made me sit up and listen. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before. Even though I didn't get the lyrics because my English wasn't good enough then, that was when I fell in love with the music of Genesis." Nad’s English improved, and his love of Genesis grew.Then came Attacus, a Prog Rock band with a Genesis feel, that Nad joined when he was 17 as lead singer and keyboard player. The band was re-named Avenue and in 1979 they cut a single. Nad was writing a lot of music by that time, and wrote the song, “Mr. Marmaduke and the Minister”, a song which would later appear on the Unifaun album.Nad worked with various musicians and bands over the next several years, including ABBA's Michael B.Tretow and Rednex, and continued to write songs, hoping to come up with a “hit”, but never quite being in sync with the genre of the era. Nad started hitting the Genesis forum site on the internet in 2003. The site was full of interesting people, and it became apparent that there were thousands of people around the world who were disillusioned with the current music scene, and who were looking for something more musically fulfilling. Nad made contact with Bonamici, and they began chatting over the net. Bonamici also lived in Sweden, and they soon came up with the Unifaun project. This project took over four years to complete, and was released in 2008 as a tribute to Genesis.The Unifaun project caught the attention of Roine Stolt, of the Flower Kings and Transatlantic, and he joined with Nad to form Agents of Mercy. Roine knew Steve Hackett very well, but it was Steve’s tour manager, Brian Coles, that first made contact with Nad. Shortly after, an email arrived in Nad’s inbox: “Hi Nad, this is Steve Hackett.” He soon found himself working on the Genesis Revisited II project.Nad's first chance to sing with Steve came at two big festivals, first in the Isle of Wight and then Germany. What followed from those two gigs was an invitation to the album’s launch in London and then the world tour.Nad says the response from his fans has been overwhelming in the nicest possible sense, but very humbling, too. “I feel that they've taken me to their hearts in some respects and so in turn that's how I sing. I guess that's why I've been singing the way that I have. It comes from the heart, I can assure you of that. I don't want them thinking that it doesn't matter to me, as nothing could be farther from the truth. I genuinely want to give my all for them, the fans who've been so very kind to me. It's the least I can do."

Album:

Nad Sylvan, vocalist with Steve Hackett, is pleased to announce the release of his new solo album, "The Regal Bastard". His third album for InsideOutMusic and his 5th overall, this record is the final part of the Vampirate trilogy that he began on 2015's "Courting The Widow". Nad comments: "This album is very coherent. It really does excite me and I am sure my fans are gonna freak out when they hear it." Work on "The Regal Bastard" began in August 2017, when the vocalist began to record. "What I tend to do is put down my ideas and then send these to the proper musicians, who are then free to develop them in their own ways. I can then cherry pick from what they subsequently send me. "I have had to take a number of breaks though, from working on this album due to other commitments. So, it's never been a case of me devoting all of my time to the project. But what this has done is allow me to return to it refreshed after time away and able to take a different perspective on it all." The record was finished over a two-month period, with Nad working mammoth 15-20 hour days in order to complete it before his tour with Steve Hackett began. "The music to the title track was finished in early 2018, but the lyrics and the vocal delivery was all done in two days and finished on the same day I went to master the album. But it worked!" Once more, Sylvan has pulled together a tremendous array of musical talent to bring his inspiration to life. "Almost everyone who worked on 'The Bride Said No' is back with me again. Anders Wollbeck has again co-written two songs and plays an array of instruments as well as co-producing them. Hackett plays guitar on one track, Guthrie Govan on two, while Tony Levin does the bass on a song. Jonas Reingold plays bass on much of the album and Nick D'Virgilio handles the drums. And I also have the same female singers working with me once more, these being Sheona Urquhart, Jade Ell and Tania Doko. And on 'Honey I'm Home', there's a big choir section, with every singer that has been involved with the 3 albums that make up the Vampirate trilogy, concluding the story in an honourable way. We also have Nick Beggs joining in on this part of the song." Nad comments: "For me, this is the best of the three records. I honestly believe it will delight the fans. It is maybe not as riff heavy as the others. I would describe the sound as coming from the notion of pop going prog, with r&b elements in there as well. It is very soulful. But that suits my style. I am a vocal chameleon, and you'll hear that throughout. It is the finest possible way to bring the trilogy to an end."

Line Up:

Nad Sylvan (Steve Hackett, Agents Of Mercy, Unifaun): Vocals, Keyboards, Piano, Guitars

+

Anders Wollbeck Steve Hackett (g) Guthrie Govan (g) Tony Levin (b) Jonas Reingold (b) Nick D'Virgilio (d) Sheona Urquhart (v) Jade Ell (v) Tania Doko (v) Nick Beggs

Tracklist:

01. I Am The Sea
02. Oahu
03. Whoa (Always Been Without You)
04. Meet Your Maker
05. The Regal Bastard
06. Leave Me On These Waters
07. Honey I'm Home
08. Diva Time (Bonus Track)
09. The Lake Isle Of Innisfree (Bonus Track)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

Nad Sylvan - Spiritus Mundi (2021)













Year : 2021
Style : Progressive Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 110 mb

Bio:

Nad Sylvan was born on June 4, 1959 in West Covina, California to American tennis star, Hugh Stewart, and Swedish beauty, the Gothenburg girl Agnete Sylvan. The family moved to Sweden in November of that year but the marriage didn't last very long. Nad was raised in Malmo, Sweden, by his grandparents for the first ten years of his life. Then came a move to Stockholm with his mother, where he remained until he purchased his own home in Uttran, a small rural community some 30 k south west of the capital, in 2007.A self-taught musician, Nad began playing the piano at the age of four and started composing almost immediately. His first performance at age eight ended very suddenly with Nad fainting over the keys from sheer nervousness – a very dramatic finale.Nad was already a great singer and performer by the age of 15, and was asked to front the band, Envoys, in 1975. The other band members were 10 years and more older than Nad.Then one fateful day when Nad was 16 years old, he heard the music that was to change his life. "I was working in a record shop at the time and one of my coworkers put on an album that had just arrived. It was "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". “It was mind blowing... I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was the music that hooked me, had me under its spell if you like, from the very start. It was a massive soundscape...complex yet accessible. A huge musical world just seemed to open up right there and then in the shop. It really made me sit up and listen. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before. Even though I didn't get the lyrics because my English wasn't good enough then, that was when I fell in love with the music of Genesis." Nad’s English improved, and his love of Genesis grew.Then came Attacus, a Prog Rock band with a Genesis feel, that Nad joined when he was 17 as lead singer and keyboard player. The band was re-named Avenue and in 1979 they cut a single. Nad was writing a lot of music by that time, and wrote the song, “Mr. Marmaduke and the Minister”, a song which would later appear on the Unifaun album.Nad worked with various musicians and bands over the next several years, including ABBA's Michael B.Tretow and Rednex, and continued to write songs, hoping to come up with a “hit”, but never quite being in sync with the genre of the era. Nad started hitting the Genesis forum site on the internet in 2003. The site was full of interesting people, and it became apparent that there were thousands of people around the world who were disillusioned with the current music scene, and who were looking for something more musically fulfilling. Nad made contact with Bonamici, and they began chatting over the net. Bonamici also lived in Sweden, and they soon came up with the Unifaun project. This project took over four years to complete, and was released in 2008 as a tribute to Genesis.The Unifaun project caught the attention of Roine Stolt, of the Flower Kings and Transatlantic, and he joined with Nad to form Agents of Mercy. Roine knew Steve Hackett very well, but it was Steve’s tour manager, Brian Coles, that first made contact with Nad. Shortly after, an email arrived in Nad’s inbox: “Hi Nad, this is Steve Hackett.” He soon found himself working on the Genesis Revisited II project.Nad's first chance to sing with Steve came at two big festivals, first in the Isle of Wight and then Germany. What followed from those two gigs was an invitation to the album’s launch in London and then the world tour.Nad says the response from his fans has been overwhelming in the nicest possible sense, but very humbling, too. “I feel that they've taken me to their hearts in some respects and so in turn that's how I sing. I guess that's why I've been singing the way that I have. It comes from the heart, I can assure you of that. I don't want them thinking that it doesn't matter to me, as nothing could be farther from the truth. I genuinely want to give my all for them, the fans who've been so very kind to me. It's the least I can do."

Album:

It would seem I was the obvious choice to review Spiritus Mundi, the new album by Nad Sylvan… I’ve been an avid follower of his career since he joined The Agents of Mercy with Roine Stolt, eventually worked with Steve Hackett and has recorded a series of fantastic solo albums… but it’s not just that! Sylvan’s latest album is filled with musical interpretations of the poetry of William Butler Yeats, possibly the foremost Irish literary figure of the 20th century – being Irish, that would make me the logical choice right? However, don’t think for a moment that this album is some sort of folk rock workout. Yeat’s use of allusion and symbolism mean his words make absolutely great lyrics, and particularly suit this genre!The album stems from Nad’s collaboration with songwriter Andrew Laitres, and their first collaboration which was a bonus track on Sylvan’s last album The Regal Bastard called “The Lake Isle of Innisfree,” also based on words by Yeats. So really a full album in a similar vein was the logical next step.Stylistically, it’s is a step forward from some of the more traditional prog stylings of his trilogy of solo albums, taking a more orchestrated/ melodic approach, and making use of Laitres’ voice to support and supplement the familiar Sylvan tones. That said, the music is no less inventive and adds depths with repeated listening and exploring. The orchestral opening of “The Second Coming,” is supplemented by a distorted voice reciting Yeats’ words, before the track strips to a strummed acoustic guitar, accompanying the familiar Sylvan tones. With Sylvan and Laitres covering many of the instruments, occasional guest spots from familiar names such as Tony Levin, Jonas Reingold and Steve Hackett add different colors, along with The Flower Kings’ Mirkko De Malo joining on drums.Fans of Sylvan won’t need to be told how versatile and full of feeling his vocals are. If you take a track like “Sailing to Byzantium,” Yeats’ paean to an old man’s metaphorical journey towards his own vision of paradise, the shifts and twists in the vocal and melodic styles take you on the journey in a way that absolutely complements the lyrical themes, without playing safe. It’s a great balance of interesting music and lyrics with depths of meaning. The album has some wonderful overblown moments, nicely offset by more voice/ acoustic focused tracks such as “Cap and Bells” and “The Realists.”When you listen to “The Stolen Child,” you could be forgiven for thinking that the lyrics, that tell the story of a child lured away by faeries, are a homage to songs like “The Fountain of Salmacis” or “The Musical Box.” This track is a great example of how the words lend themselves to the format, moving as they do with the cadence of a ballad, complete with a chorus like refrain. “To An Isle In The Water” is a poem which has been covered by various folk acts already – but not like this! This song has a fantastic vocal soundscape, built on a bed of acoustic guitars and vibes.“The Hawk” moves from the more acoustic tracks to a more uptempo song, which allows Sylvan to emote at the top of his range, as the backing track paints the picture of the bird of the title soaring through the sky. The closing song “The Fisherman” is a triumphant ending, and possibly my favorite track on the album. Yeat’s portrait of the ideal man, doesn’t hide the flawed edges that we all have. A very effective middle section sung by Andrew Laitres serves as an effective contrast on this track and throughout.For those with the CD (which also comes free with the record) there are 2 bonus tracks to uncover at the end of the album. “You’ve Got To Find A Way” was written by Sylvan, and isn’t a Yeats lyric. It’s a positive and upbeat anthem, encouraging the listener to follow their path. In these unusual times, it’s an uplifting track, with a nice rhythm section groove. The final bonus cut, “To A Child Dancing In The Wind,” is a beautiful pastoral piece with Nad’s “boss”, Steve Hackett, on 12 string guitar. Once again, this track features the complementary vocal styles of Sylvan and Laitres, interacting in a Gabriel/ Collins style, with Nad’s baritone offset by a mid section focused on Andrew’s higher tones.In a recent podcast, Nad told us that his friend Roine Stolt declared the album Nad’s career best. With no disrespect to what came before, I would absolutely agree with that. It’s filled with great songs and arrangements, intriguing lyrics and is quite simply a showcase for his voice – the meticulous attention to detail that Nad has paid to ensuring the material here is conveyed in the best possible light has really paid off. My feeling is that this is an album that I will keep coming back to this year, and will no doubt be revisiting when the end of year best of lists are being drawn up.

Line Up:

Nad Sylvan (Steve Hackett, Agents Of Mercy, Unifaun): Vocals, Keyboards, Piano, Guitars

Tracklist:

01. The Second Coming (7:00)
02. Sailing to Byzantium (6:41)
03. Cap and Bells (4:47)
04. The Realists (2:18)
05. The Stolen Child (4:58)
06. To An Isle In The Water (4:36)
07. The Hawk (4:09)
08. The Witch and The Mermaid (1:57)
09. The Fisherman (5:28)
10. You’ve Got To Find A Way (5:55) (Bonus Track)
11. To A Child Dancing In The Wind (5:08) (Bonus Track)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

Nad Sylvan - Monumentata (2025)











Year : 2025
Style : Progressive Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + front
Size : 119 mb

Bio:

Nad Sylvan was born on June 4, 1959 in West Covina, California to American tennis star, Hugh Stewart, and Swedish beauty, the Gothenburg girl Agnete Sylvan. The family moved to Sweden in November of that year but the marriage didn't last very long. Nad was raised in Malmo, Sweden, by his grandparents for the first ten years of his life. Then came a move to Stockholm with his mother, where he remained until he purchased his own home in Uttran, a small rural community some 30 k south west of the capital, in 2007.A self-taught musician, Nad began playing the piano at the age of four and started composing almost immediately. His first performance at age eight ended very suddenly with Nad fainting over the keys from sheer nervousness – a very dramatic finale.Nad was already a great singer and performer by the age of 15, and was asked to front the band, Envoys, in 1975. The other band members were 10 years and more older than Nad.Then one fateful day when Nad was 16 years old, he heard the music that was to change his life. "I was working in a record shop at the time and one of my coworkers put on an album that had just arrived. It was "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". “It was mind blowing... I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was the music that hooked me, had me under its spell if you like, from the very start. It was a massive soundscape...complex yet accessible. A huge musical world just seemed to open up right there and then in the shop. It really made me sit up and listen. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before. Even though I didn't get the lyrics because my English wasn't good enough then, that was when I fell in love with the music of Genesis." Nad’s English improved, and his love of Genesis grew.Then came Attacus, a Prog Rock band with a Genesis feel, that Nad joined when he was 17 as lead singer and keyboard player. The band was re-named Avenue and in 1979 they cut a single. Nad was writing a lot of music by that time, and wrote the song, “Mr. Marmaduke and the Minister”, a song which would later appear on the Unifaun album.Nad worked with various musicians and bands over the next several years, including ABBA's Michael B.Tretow and Rednex, and continued to write songs, hoping to come up with a “hit”, but never quite being in sync with the genre of the era. Nad started hitting the Genesis forum site on the internet in 2003. The site was full of interesting people, and it became apparent that there were thousands of people around the world who were disillusioned with the current music scene, and who were looking for something more musically fulfilling. Nad made contact with Bonamici, and they began chatting over the net. Bonamici also lived in Sweden, and they soon came up with the Unifaun project. This project took over four years to complete, and was released in 2008 as a tribute to Genesis.The Unifaun project caught the attention of Roine Stolt, of the Flower Kings and Transatlantic, and he joined with Nad to form Agents of Mercy. Roine knew Steve Hackett very well, but it was Steve’s tour manager, Brian Coles, that first made contact with Nad. Shortly after, an email arrived in Nad’s inbox: “Hi Nad, this is Steve Hackett.” He soon found himself working on the Genesis Revisited II project.Nad's first chance to sing with Steve came at two big festivals, first in the Isle of Wight and then Germany. What followed from those two gigs was an invitation to the album’s launch in London and then the world tour.Nad says the response from his fans has been overwhelming in the nicest possible sense, but very humbling, too. “I feel that they've taken me to their hearts in some respects and so in turn that's how I sing. I guess that's why I've been singing the way that I have. It comes from the heart, I can assure you of that. I don't want them thinking that it doesn't matter to me, as nothing could be farther from the truth. I genuinely want to give my all for them, the fans who've been so very kind to me. It's the least I can do."

Album:

For those of us who’ve followed Nad Sylvan’s theatrical arc, from his captivating vampiric persona in The Vampirate Trilogy to his superb work alongside Steve Hackett, it’s jarring to hear him pivot so firmly into the realm of radio-friendly rock. With Monumentata, due June 20th via InsideOutMusic, Sylvan trades in Mellotrons and myth for major chords and midlife catharsis. The album is framed as his most personal statement yet, and while the sincerity is palpable, the musical choices steer away from prog-rock.Indeed, Sylvan himself admits this isn’t a prog album. “About 75% of the lyrics are directly about my life,” he says, emphasizing its emotional vulnerability. That honesty is welcome, refreshing, even, but it comes nestled in arrangements that lean more toward adult contemporary and AOR than the symphonic splendor of classic prog-rock. Yes, you’ll catch a Moog squiggle or an extended guitar solo that momentarily flirts with grandeur, but overall, Monumentata prefers ballads with jazzy overtones and hooks you could imagine on late-’80s FM radio.The title track is perhaps the clearest window into Sylvan’s current state of mind: grief-laced, quietly philosophical, and unafraid to confront mortality. “I lost my parents,” he confides, “and knowing that they’re gone, and that I’m probably next in line, that felt ‘monumental’ to me.” The made-up word Monumentata merges the English “monumental” with tata, Hungarian for “father,” a nod to his heritage and personal loss.Despite the inward gaze, Sylvan doesn’t go it alone. The guest list reads like a prog who’s-who: guitarists Randy McStine, David Kollar, and Neil Whitford; drummers Marco Minnemann, Mirko DeMaio, and Felix Lehrmann keep the pulse varied and refined; and on bass, Jonas Reingold, Nick Beggs, and the ever-reliable Tony Levin bring depth to the low end. The talent is unquestionable, yet their contributions often feel more like cameos than catalysts.To be clear, Monumentata isn’t a bad album, it’s polished, heartfelt, and in many places genuinely melodic. However, for longtime fans expecting labyrinthine suites or nuanced arcs, the experience may feel curiously subdued. Sylvan seems less interested in dazzling us than in telling us his truth. There’s value in that.

Line Up:

Nad Sylvan (Steve Hackett, Agents Of Mercy, Unifaun): Vocals, Keyboards, Piano, Guitars

+ guests:

Lalle Larsson / synthesizers
Joe Deninzon / violin
David Kollar / guitar
Neil Whitford / guitar
Randy McStine / guitar
Tony Levin / bass
Nick Beggs / bass
Jonas Reingold / bass
Marco Minnemann / drums
Felix Lehrmann / drums
Mirko De Maio / drums
Sheona Urquhart / backing vocals
Jade Ell / backing vocals

Tracklist:

01. Secret Lover
02. That’s Not Me
03. Monte Carlo Priceless
04. Flowerland
05. Wildfire
06. Make Somebody Proud
07. I’m Stepping Out
08. Monumentata
09. Unkillable (Bonus Track)




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