Sylver Myst - Emotions revealed 3.5/5
Reviewed: 7-27-07
Tracklist:
1. Predestination
2. A life's tale
3. Lovtred
4. Depth of illusion
5. Strains of souls
6. Escape from reality
7. Desire
8. My valentine
9. As heaven blessed a dying rose
10. Devoted yet unable
11. Waiting for a new day
12. As the circle closes
13. The bleeding snowlands (bonus track)
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First off, I want to send an apology to the guys over at Sonic Cathedral (www.soniccathedral.com), as they sent me this CD several months ago and it ended up sitting in my "unlistened" pile for way too long. So despite it being the middle of 2007 that I'm reviewing it, Sylver Myst's full-length debut 'Emotions revealed' was actually released back in 2006, by Sonic Cathedral's sister company Sirenette Music Industries (www.sirenette.com). Anyway, I finally got the CD in rotation and it has been a pleasant surprise.
'Emotions revealed' is a female fronted symphonic/gothic metal CD, but it reflects influences from melodic metal bands like Enter Twilight, Amazon, Edenbridge and Skyward. Because of this influence, 'Emotions revealed' ends up being a very unique and original-sounding CD. In addition, it's got a very well-executed song variety and although most of the songs are slow or mid-paced, there are some interesting twists and turns within the songs and plenty of upbeat/bouncy moments exist as well. With exception of the fast track 9 "As heaven blessed a dying rose", there are only flashes of speed, so don't expect a power metal CD here. Instead, the band relies on melodic guitar work, occasional but effective keyboards, and an atmospheric background.
Vocally, Marjolein Hüsken is nothing short of superb, as she seems to be able to hit all of the notes in the higher register with ease. Really, her voice is quite varied and she doesn't hesitate to enter the soprano either. Some of you may be pleased to learn that there are some sporadic "beast" vocals too, which are well done but far from overbearing. In fact, I'd hesitate to consider 'Emotions revealed' a "beauty and the beast" styled CD. Regardless of the exact ratio between female and male vocals, Sylver Myst definitely contains an all-around strong vocal department.
As for the songs, most of them bounce back and forth between the small gap of very good to great. I like them all, though I do have favorites; the slow and atmospheric track 5 "Strains of souls", which picks up midway through showcasing sweet guitar work for starters. I also like track 7 "Desire", as it's got a lot of soprano vocals, and the aforementioned track 9 "As heaven blessed a dying rose" since it's the most exciting song on the CD. The upbeat and catchy track 11 "Waiting for a new day" is a favorite too, but I must mention the spectacular and very memorable bonus track "The bleeding snowlands", as it contains fantastic guitar work and a beautiful flute segment (courtesy of Marjolein) that will bring Sunterra to mind.
So we end up with a CD that's all about wonderful vocals and melody. Though I haven't mentioned any weaknesses, I do think the band can produce an even better 2nd CD. It's all about increasing the level of songwriting, though I must emphasize that 'Emotions revealed' is both a terrific start and also a CD that I'm going to keep as a regular spinner throughout my listening days. Yeah, this is a well done and recommended CD that you shouldn't pass by.
CLINT
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