Issue 2024-053

Duo Review

Jadis — More Questions Than Answers

8

Armin Rößler

Listening to a new Jadis album is a bit like taking a trip in a time machine: it doesn't need many bars of the opener Said And Done and you feel like you did back in 1992, when the Jadis debut proper More Than Meets The Eye (let's ignore the demo collection of an older incarnation of the band released on vinyl in 1989) was spinning in the CD player for the first time. There they are again, the characteristics so typical for the band: Gary Chandler's sometimes rocky, sometimes melodic, sometimes epic guitar playing, his characteristic vocals, plus the symphonic keyboard sounds of Martin Orford, and in general the long instrumental passages. Jadis are one of the few bands from the neo-prog niche who have managed to find their very own, unmistakable style and demonstrate a high degree of independent identity.

Chandler and Orford (who was only absent from the studio albums Somersault and See Right Through You) are clearly the defining players of Jadis, with guitarist and lead singer Chandler front and center and former IQ keyboardist Orford in a slightly less dominant, but no less important role than in his former regular band. This also applies to Orford's backing vocals, which enrich many of the tracks. Drummer Steve Christey has also been with the band since More Than Meets The Eye, and together with bassist Andy Marlow (on board since the 2012 album See Right Through You) he lays a solid rhythmic foundation, but also impresses with his variable playing. And although Marlow is not as extroverted as his pre-predecessor John Jowitt (ex-IQ, ex-Arena and many others), he fits in well with the overall sound and this time has also earned merits as engineer, mixer and producer of the new album More Questions than Answers, which bears the "typical Jadis" seal from the first to the last second.

The highlight of the album is the ten-minute long Do You Know?, a very multi-faceted piece that invites you to dream, but also has its dramatic moments, in which the guitar shines, the keyboard plays exciting solos, but also acts in line with the song. Even the flute is used again. Great song! In From All Sides, the second-longest track, the guitar and keyboard pass the ball to each other, dominating the song in a lively alternation. The quieter middle section is ended by the powerful thundering drums and introduces the next guitar solo, which is well worth listening to. The shorter songs also score: Questions Without Answers is very energetic, almost exuberant in places. Everything We See begins inconspicuously, but then builds up, is dominated by keyboards in the middle section, takes a short break and then leads to a dramatic finale. Fading Truth is a successful closing point of a calmer nature, which once again offers beautiful melodies and another great guitar solo.

Let's get back to the idea of the time machine: the song Wood Between The Worlds is fitting this picture twice. Firstly, it already existed on the demo tape Baboon Enquiries from 1984 as The Wood Between The Worlds, recorded back then with the line-up of Gary Chandler, Les Marshall, Trevor Dawkins and Mark Ridout and with quite a close affinity to Genesis. This can still be sensed today, but the song has developed significantly enough to justify the re-recording — for example, the mysterious sound effects, that lasted more than ninety seconds, are completely cut out. Second, Wood Between The Worlds is a wonderful self-reference for a band called Jadis. After all, the forest with this title plays a role in the novel The Magician's Nephew, the sixth book of the Chronicles Of Narnia, by Irish author C.S. Lewis (1898 - 1963) as a place where portals are located that can be used to travel to other worlds. And who uses one of these portals in the novel? None other than Jadis, the white witch who gave the band its name. This closes a circle.

It is a shame that the CD contains no songwriter credits. Aat the concert in Rüsselsheim, one of only four gigs to promote the new album, Gary Chandler presented Do You Know? as a Martin Orford composition and praised his contributions. Of course, Orford later returned the flowers, but the album clearly bears his stamp more than its predecessor No Fear Of Looking down (2016), while it remains typical Jadis.

Of course, so many recognisable elements can also be problematic. Have Jadis not evolved in the more than thirty years that they have been active with the core of Chandler, Orford and Christey? Do their albums only offer the same old thing and never anything new? Early on in the band's history, it actually looked like that: When the third album Somersault was released in 1997, it seemed as if Jadis had already said everything they had to say. The music, at this point without Orford's compositional contributions, came without surprises, repeated the tried and tested, but lacked any real highlights. This alienated parts of the audience and this low point unfortunately still hangs over the band in the perception of some fans (more of the genre than the band itself) to this day, although they have left it behind them for a very, very long time. Jadis have not only found their style, but have also somehow found their inner center and make songs and albums on a high level with a certain relaxedness (at least that's how it seems) that are absolutely recommendable. They may never have reached the extremely high quality of More Than Meets The Eye again, there's no doubt about that, but this album is not without good reason one of the milestones of neo-prog. More Questions Than Answers is perhaps only the band's second-best album, but eight years after No Fear Of Looking down it is still a very strong sign of life. Without wanting to be too greedy: The next one should come sooner.

Duo Review

Sylvan — Back To Live

9

Greg Cummins

As one of the most well credentialed and respected neo-prog acts from Germany, Sylvan's claim to fame has been brought about due to the band being true to their roots and ensuring their meticulous attention to detail is not lost every time a new album is released. Thankfully that can also be said about their latest live album, Back To Live which sees the band perform an interesting array of some of their better songs being lifted from earlier albums throughout their long career. In this regard, we see four songs from One To Zero, four from arguably their most popular album, Posthumous Silence, along with one each from Home, Force Of Gravity, Presets, and X-Rayed. The 90+ minute concert was recorded in Zoetermeer, Netherlands last October 2023 at the Poppodium Boerderji.

History often reveals that for whatever reason, many bands find themselves with a member who wants to leave for other pursuits but with Sylvan, most of the founding members are still active to this day. The only main departures that I can recall are when Jan Peterson (guitar) left after Sceneries, Kay Sohl (guitar) leaving in 2007 and prior to that when Patrick Munster (bass) left in 2000. That leaves the core members of the band as founders, Volker Sohl (keyboards) and Mathias Harder (drums) with Marco Gluhmann (vocals) since 1995 and Sebastian Harnack (bass) since 2000. Jonathon Beck is credited as their guitarist since One To Zero was released, but I am not sure if he is considered as a permanent member of the band. He is however, heavily involved with Volker Sohl and released a solo project under the Violent Jasper moniker.

One of the most endearing qualities I enjoy with Sylvan's music is the depth, penetration and emotional impact that Marco is able to impart with the songs under his control. His voice, a versatile instrument capable of conveying both vulnerability and strength, remains a cornerstone of Sylvan's identity. Whether delivering poignant ballads or soaring anthems, Glühmann's vocal performance is nothing short of mesmerizing, capturing the emotional essence of each song with unwavering authenticity and conviction. He is and remains to this day, one of my favourite vocalists to have emerged during the past 2 decades and is a voice to appreciate right from the embryonic beginnings of the band right up until their more recent work.

I have enjoyed the band's music since I stumbled across their 2004 album X-Rayed and began the obligatory search for the remainder of what was available at the time. I think that would have been about 12 years ago when I completed my collection with whatever albums were available at the time. Since then, I have eagerly sought out every album ever since and now find I am reliving some old favourites yet again, albeit in a live environment. And what a great live environment this album has turned out to be. The production is first class, the sound stage massive, (provided you have the essential stereo equipment)and the playing precision is so incredibly tight.

One of the most striking elements of this live album is its comparison to the studio versions of Sylvan's songs. Known for their meticulous production and layered arrangements in the studio, Sylvan brings a refreshing spontaneity and raw energy to these live performances. Each track undergoes a metamorphosis in the live setting, breathing new life into familiar melodies and lyrics. The band's choice of songs is also right on the money as they have cherry-picked some of the best material they have released to date and done so in a seriously admirable way. One could easily attribute that quality to the fact the band has remained relatively unchanged for many years yet still managed to release a series of quality albums every few years to appeal to their growing fan base.

The stunning strength of the vocals on all the 12 songs added with the incendiary lead guitar will have chills running up your spine in no time as the supercharged delivery of these elements will be amongst the strongest and most compelling you could ask for. To be able to do this in a live environment is also no mean feat but simply reinforces just how professional this band has become over their career.

I liken the strength of the band's singer to Jean Pageau from Canada's Mystery, Poland's Millenium, (despite the vocalist lineup change they have experienced over the years) along with Mariusz Duda from Riverside. In this regard, if you know these other singers and the style of music they have released with their respective bands, then you will know what to expect here. Additionally, the scorching lead breaks, when they appear, are some of the tidiest and most emotive examples you will hear in a live environment. Needless to say, the additional input from the drums, bass and keyboards are all compellingly pristine and work so effortlessly to allow each song to soar.

Are there any downfalls? Not really although given the incredible consistency with this band's output since 1991, I would have liked to see some songs from their earlier period. Additionally, the omission of any songs from Sceneries from 2012 is somewhat understandable, given its length plus the fact it is spread over 2 discs. Including songs from a concept album such as that, might have been difficult to find a suitable slot on the play list to have them included but hey, at least I can play the actual disc when the need arises instead.

This is a seriously good album by any measure and will certainly appeal to fans of IQ, Arena, Satellite, Collage, Marillion, possibly Porcupine Tree (in parts), Barock Project, Galahad, Citizen Cain, Comedy Of Errors and Frost. If you are unfamiliar with this band's earlier material, this is a great place to start but be warned, once bitten, you will probably feel condemned to seek out the remainder of the band's catalogue. For existing fans, if you have already been bitten, these classic tracks can be fully enjoyed in a live environment and played to perfection by some of the most professional musicians in the business. A stunningly good release and one I can highly recommend for all fans of progressive rock / neo prog.