The Bride Said No, the new album from Steve Hackett and Agents Of Mercy vocalist Nad Sylvan, will be released on May 26th via InsideOut Music. Part 1 of a track-by-track video series is available for streaming below.

In 2015, Nad Sylvan impressed everyone with his fine conceptual solo album Courting The Widow. A vampiric tale wrapped in a 17th century atmosphere, this definitively marked out the talented Swede as a surging star in the progressive rock world. Now, Sylvan is back with The Bride Said No, an album that continues the fascinating plot, albeit with a far more extravagant musical palette.

“Musically, the previous record was very much located in the 1970s, and you can still hear a little of that here”, comments Sylvan. “But this one is a lot more modern sounding and diverse. In fact, I would say it is closer to musical theatre than anything else.”

Sylvan plays the keyboards and much of the guitar on the album. He recorded in his home studio from September 2016 to January 2017, having spent the previous few months collating the material. But the album does have some special guests appearing throughout including Steve Hackett, Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel), Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Kaipa, Karmakanic), drummer Nick D'Virgilio (Spock’s Beard)! Sylvan is especially proud of collaborating with female vocalists Jade Ell, Tania Doko and Sheona Urquhart. You can hear how this works on both the title track and also “What Have You Done”.

While traces of classic Genesis are partially present in the playful and highly variable arrangements of “The White Crown” or the emotional depth of the magnificent ballad “When The Music Dies”, references to Marillion, Fish solo, and even a bit of funk (“The Quartermaster”) can also be discovered on this versatile sophomore album. The double vinyl includes an etching on Side D as well as the CD as extra.

Tracklisting:

“Bridesmaids”
“The Quartermaster”
“When The Music Dies”
“The White Crown”
“What Have You Done”
“Crime Of Passion”
“A French Kiss In An Italian Cafe”
“The Bride Said No”

Track-by-track Part 1:

“The Quartermaster” video:

Pre-order the album at this location.