Nad Sylvan - Monumentata

Nad Sylvan – Monumentata

When I saw that this album was coming up for review, I was interested to cover it purely because I know so little of Nad Sylvan, other than him being a part of Steve Hackett’s live touring band for the last 13 or so years, as well as contributing lead vocals to some of Steve’s studio albums. With being a huge fan of classic Genesis, I’ve seen Nad sing with Steve on several occasions when the almost-annual live tour rolls into town. And I’ve always enjoyed his performances of all those Hackett-era Genesis compositions, where he has done his best to honour the songs, yet steering clear of being labelled as a Gabriel or Collins sound-alike. Often singing from the rear of the stage on risers, while having enough charisma and showmanship to still grab people’s attention. I’ve seen him on stage with Steve Hackett around 8 times over the years, and he’s certainly earned his dues with the faithful audiences that continually return to hear those amazing songs being performed some 40 or 50 years since their original release.

Because of my limited knowledge of Nad Sylvan outside of the Steve Hackett band, I had absolutely no real expectations for Monumentata, which is actually his 8th solo album overall, and his 5th official release with the Inside Out label. Of course, I know him to be a fine vocalist, but that was the total sum of any former knowledge until I first played this latest release from him, and began to look at the accompanying sleeve-note information. I was checking out to see who the list of musicians would be on the various songs, to then be absolutely stunned that Nad Sylvan plays all the keyboards on everything, as well the majority of guitars on the tracks, most of the backing vocals, even bass guitar on some tracks, and likely some drum programming too. I then read on to find out that he fully wrote all the music & lyrics to every song featured, did all the arrangements, recorded it, and produced it all too. Wow … this truly is a solo album.

Nad Sylvan (by Diana Seifert)

I had absolutely no idea that Nad is a highly talented all-rounder, and not just the semi-gothic dandy fronting a band and singing other people’s material. He is a highly capable musician in his own right, which is fabulously showcased through-out the Monumentata album. Yes, of course, there are some guest appearances from several known players involved with the prog scene. These include bassists Nick Beggs, Jonas Reingold & Tony Levin, drummers Marco Minnemann, Felix Lehrmann & Mirko De Maio, as well as a few guest guitarists with Randy McStine, David Kollar & Neil Whitford. I get the feeling that the main bulk of the work was carried by Nad Sylvan himself at his home studio, and then various chosen guests have added their parts to the recordings, replacing some guide instruments that would have been present in the original demos. And no doubt with these players also recording their parts locally or at home, and forwarding them on, which seems to be the norm now in this wonderful world of technology that we have these days.

What you end up with is an album that has a very strong identity, with it essentially being the vision of just one artiste. No co-writers, no record producer with their own take on things, basically no external influences that could have swayed the direction of the music. This is 100% Nad Sylvan, with a bit of help from his friends to put a little extra decoration on this musical cake. Not only do the musical compositions come from Nad, but also the lyrical content seems to have quite a personal theme, with it often being reflective about past loves, friendships & family. I’m not normally a person that takes much notice of lyrics, as for me it’s always been about the music. Yet the song-writing on this album allows that space needed for the vocals to take centre stage, and for the words to have their impact, without any chance of being lost amongst possible busy musicianship or overly dense musical arrangements. As such I found myself listening to what Nad was saying, and not just the sound of his voice. He does display a more vulnerable side to himself, with the title track Monumentata in particular, being about his late father. There’s undoubtedly a lot of personal experiences being laid bare here.

The opening song is Secret Lover, which begins with a guitar riff that wouldn’t be out of place with an 80’s rock band. Completely not what I was expecting, but then again, to be fair I wasn’t truly anticipating a full-blown deep concept album either. It’s not until the song hits the first chorus that you can sense the darker twisted side to this track, and that it’s not a straight-ahead rock tune. It’s got such a great groove to it, and such a great guitar hook line too. It’s a very catchy song that will soon earworm itself into your consciousness. The next track is my favourite on this album, with That’s Not Me. This is probably the most prog sounding song on Monumentata. It’s got another superb guitar hook, a mega-catchy chorus, some gorgeous keys parts, and a feel of latter-day Kansas meets Neal Morse, etc. This is right up my street. It also features a fine vocal delivery from Nad, that displays some different characteristics to his voice that I hadn’t heard before.

Monte Carlo Priceless is a song that was inspired by his mother, who unfortunately passed away over 15 years ago. A slower paced number that is acoustic guitar driven, with that slick 80’s easy-listening production. Think of classy George Michael pop sensibilities, with a really nice laid-back jazz vibe. It’s probably the most commercial song on the album, and again something that wouldn’t normally register with my usual tastes, yet it’s a very good song that is so well- written that it grabs your attention.

The next track is Flowerland, which again is an incredibly commercial song with highly infectious melodies. Great lyrics about a love from many years previously in his youth, with the poignant closing line that says “we are 21 no more”. It has a lovely personal reflective approach to it all, as well as being a gorgeously structured tune. This is predominantly a pop song, yet is so well-crafted that it elevates itself above being anything remotely bubblegum or throw-away. It’s at this point that you start to realise that Nad Sylvan is a very talented experienced song-writer, with a lot more strings to his bow than simply being labelled as ‘prog’.

Wildfire definitely feels more traditional, with its strutting rock choruses, and it’s roots clearly in the 70’s. It’s quite an anthemic number with yet another very catchy melodic chorus, of which Nad seems to be proving himself very adept at producing these over and over again. It’s probably the most generic song on the album, as it’s not really breaking any boundaries musically, yet once again it’s so perfectly crafted that it still stands up as really good track. The quality of the writing and the execution of it all makes this a great tune, a one which will undoubtedly appeal to many as perhaps one of their own personal stand-out moments on Monumentata. Next up is Make Somebody Proud, which I’d probably say is my 2nd most favourite song on this album. I adore the funky vibe of the verses, which has that clever-musician vibe of the mid 80’s, where artistes like Go West and Nik Kershaw were very much the thinking-man’s pop music of their time. The mid section is likely the most typically prog thing on this entire album, which bizarrely counterpoints the hugely commercial feel of the massive up-beat choruses, complete with guest female backing vocals. This tune also includes a really tasty guitar solo from David Kollar, which I think is one of the finest moments on Monumentata.

Nad Sylvan (by Diana Seifert)

The album then takes a very different direction with the more quirky beat of I’m Steppin’ Out. It has such good hallmarks of commerciality in the song-writing, and a slightly alternative musical slant than the rest of the material featured. Yet, once again, the writing and the musical hooks are first rate, which matches the quality of everything that has come before it. The final number on the vinyl release of the album is the title track Monumentata. This is probably Nad’s most personal statement among these songs, which deals with the changed emotional perspective he underwent, after his father’s passing in recent times. ‘Tata’ being a word for daddy, taken from his father’s part-Hungarian heritage. It’s the slowest, softest number on the album, with very heartfelt reflective lyrics. The chorus is like something from a Todd Rundgren ballad, which trust me, coming from me personally, is meant as a huge complement. This isn’t an instant song, but after many listenings it grows on you so much. A good choice of closing number.

On the CD/digital download version of Monumentata, you get a bonus track with Unkillable tagged on to the very end. I certainly wouldn’t treat this song like a left-over that wasn’t worthy of inclusion. It’s a fine song in its own right, with a very summery up-beat vibe. It’s that kind of tune that would be perfect in the soundtrack of a movie, where the main character is driving down a curving mountain-side road in an open-topped car, blazing sunshine, heading for the coast, with this song playing loudly & proudly. I’d happily say this is just as essential a part of the album as any of the other material, and well worthy of checking out for any of those that only got the vinyl copy.

I think Nad Sylvan has done an exceedingly impressive job with his latest solo album. He started writing it back in 2021 after the release of his previous one, Spiritus Mundi. Managing to find time around the touring schedules he had with Steve Hackett, and then spending a year long period from January 2024 until January 2025, to record it all. No rushing things to hit deadline targets … simply taking his time to make sure everything was done right, so that he could be proud of the final finished product. And he has undoubtedly achieved what he set out to do.

Nad Sylvan (by Diana Seifert)

I undertook this reviewing assignment because I knew so little about Nad Sylvan. Since listening to this album it has sparked my interest in to checking out the rest of his back catalogue. Not only his previous solo work, but also his collaborations with some of his fellow Swedish country-men, which resulted in the Unifaun album, as well as 3 albums working with Ronnie Stolt of The Flower Kings, which went under the title of Agents Of Mercy. The quality of the song-writing on Monumentata has so impressed me that I want to hear what else Nad has created/worked on. I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of this new batch of music, it has urged me to dig deeper into Nad’s past work, as I’m sure it will be of a similar high standard. His attention to detail with all the elements showcased on Monumentata, proves to me that this is a proper labour of love. Something that he has spent a lot time invested in the creativity process, as well as seeing it through to the finish line with immense pride. Ironically Nad sings the line “make somebody proud’, and in this case I think it is Nad Sylvan that should be incredibly proud of himself and of what he has achieved here. Huge respect to him for making a very fine album that just keeps on getting better with every listening.

[Photos courtesy of Diana Seifert]

TRACK LISTING
01. Secret Lover (7:02)
02. That’s Not Me (5:18)
03. Monte Carlo Priceless (5:38)
04. Flowerland (5:06)
05. Wildfire (6:30)
06. Make Somebody Proud (6:03)
07. I’m Stepping Out (5:03)
08. Monumentata (5:15)
~ Bonus track [CD/Digital]
09. Unkillable (3:53)

Total Time – 49:38

MUSICIANS
Nad Sylvan – Lead & Backing Vocals (1-9), Keyboards (1-9), Electric & Acoustic Guitars (1-9), Bass (3,4 & 7)
~ With:
Marco Minnmeman – Drums (1 & 5)
Felix Lehrmann – Drums (7 & 8)
Mirko De Maio – Drums (2,3 & 4)
Jonas Reingold – Bass (1 & 6)
Tony Levin – Bass (2 & 8)
Nick Beggs – Bass (5)
David Kollar – Guitar (1 & 6)
Randy McStine – Guitar (1)
Neil Whitford – Guitar (4)
Joe Denizon – Violin (4)
Lalla Larsson – Synthesiser (5)
Jade Ell – Backing Vocal (6)
Sheona Urquhart Smångs – Backing Vocal (6)

ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: InsideOut Music
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 20th June 2025

LINKS
Nad Sylvan – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | X | Instagram