Album release 2024 APRIL 5
... and signs and wonders still happen. 18 years after Presets and Posthumous Silence, Kay Soehl, founding member and former guitar hero of Sylvan, is back. Together with Jens Lueck (Single Celled Organism) and Volker Oster, VLYES will release their debut album on April 5.
"Vlyes" is a newcomer in the prog scene. Well, that's not really true, of course, because "Vlyes" is a project by "Kay Söhl" and "Jens Lueck". "Lueck" is of course known from "Single Celled Organism" and "Isgaard". "Söhl" was a co-founder of the German pog institution "Sylvan" and played a key role in shaping the typical "Sylvan" sound with his excellent guitar playing on the first seven albums. After a musical break of fourteen years, "Söhl" is finally releasing another studio album with 'Why', and what an album it is! Thematically, it is a concept album that denounces the bleak existence of factory farming from birth to death from the first-person perspective of an animal. Behind this theme is also the fundamental questioning of one's own "human" actions: why do I actually do what I do? Regardless of this rather serious topic, 'Why' has become an incredibly atmospheric, emotional and captivating album. Honestly, Söhl's guitar sound, which is always (but not only) reminiscent of David Gilmour, is simply magical. 'Why' shines in some moments with moods reminiscent of "Pink Floyd". Even the opener 'The Arrival' with its acoustic guitar intro, which is then accompanied by an electric guitar, has a tremendous pull. At the latest when the intense vocals of "Volker Oster", who was completely unknown to me until then, kick in, you are finally captivated by the album. "Oster's voice is difficult to categorise, it is incredibly variable and conveys the different moods perfectly. It reminds me of a mix of "Geoff Mann" ("Twelfth Night") and "Kai Marckwordt" ("Martigan"), but you can certainly hear a lot more, precisely because his voice is so versatile. In addition, "Jens Lueck" is another absolute professional on board, who not only composed the songs together with "Söhl", but also plays keyboards, piano, drums and contributes backing vocals. Guests such as the singer "Isgaard" or the violinist "Katja Flinsch" and the cellist "Annika Stolze" further enhance 'Why'. The disc is incredibly varied, with quiet, melancholy passages alternating with rock elements. Söhl's guitar alone gives the CD a certain "Sylvan" touch, of course, but there are clearly more parallels to "Pink Floyd", "RPWL" and their predecessor band "Violet District". 'Why' is simply a wonderful album that you can really immerse yourself in and that I can only warmly recommend to all fans of melodic, atmospheric prog rock.
Tracklist:
1. The Arrival
2. I Can't Get Out
3. I Need A Wise Friend
4. Once In A While
5. The Petition
6. Calm Down
7.1 The Abandon
7.2 Knowledge
8. The End
9. Why
10. The Dubiousness
Line-up / Musicians
- Kay Soehl (Guitars, Bass)
- Jens Lueck (Keyboards, Drums, Piano, Backing Vocals)
- Volker Oster (Vocals)
Guests:
- Isgaard (Vocals 7)
- Katja Flinsch (Violin)
- Annika Stolze (Cello)
- Peter Mowka (Guitars 7,9)
- Joerg Linke (Bass 7,9)
