Vlyes - Why (CD)

...and wonders and miracles 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' debut album will be released on April 5th.

“Vlyes” is a newcomer to the progressive rock scene. Well, that's not entirely 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 prog institution “Sylvan” and, with his excellent guitar playing on their first seven albums, played a key role in shaping the typical “Sylvan” sound. After a fourteen-year musical hiatus, “Söhl” is finally releasing a studio album with “Why,” and what a blast it is! Thematically, it's a concept album that, from the first-person perspective of an animal, denounces the miserable vegetating in factory farming from birth to death. Behind this theme also lies a fundamental questioning of one's own “human” actions: Why do I actually do what I do? Despite this rather serious subject matter, 'Why' has turned out to be an incredibly atmospheric, emotional, and captivating album. Honestly, Söhl's guitar sound, which repeatedly recalls (but is not limited to) David Gilmour, is simply magical. 'Why' shines at times with moods reminiscent of Pink Floyd. The opener, 'The Arrival,' with its acoustic guitar intro, which is then accompanied by an electric guitar, has an incredible pull. By the time the intense vocals of Volker Oster, a completely unknown to me until then, kick in, you're completely captivated by the album. Oster's voice is hard to categorize; it's incredibly versatile 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. Then there's Jens Lueck, another absolute professional on board, who not only composed the songs together with Söhl, but also plays or contributes keyboards, piano, drums, and background vocals. Guests such as singer Isgaard, violinist Katja Flinsch, and cellist Annika Stolze further refine 'Why'. The record is incredibly varied, with quiet, melancholic passages alternating with rock elements. Söhl's guitar alone gives the CD a certain Sylvan touch, but there are much more parallels to Pink Floyd, RPWL, and their predecessor band Violet District. 'Why' is simply a beautiful album that you can immerse yourself in and that I can warmly recommend to all fans of melodic, atmospheric prog rock.

01 The Arrival
02 I Can't Get Out
03 I Need A Wise Friend
04 Once In A While
05 The Petition
06 Calm Down
07 The Abandon
08 The End
09 Why
10 The Dubiousness