When you already have a terrific grasp on the sound you want to bring to the table, it can only be a bit of a dilemma for some when it comes to a decision: do you continue down the same path or shake things up a little bit to really see what you can do? It can pose quite a difficult question for some bands with it being an easy answer for some, but the call of challenging yourself and seeing what you’re capable of is still a call that plenty cannot resist. Sylvan Awe absolutely could have continued down the same path that they were travelling down when they crafted “Transcend” just two years ago, but clearly that wasn’t going to satisfy whatever itch was going on deep within Sylvan Awe. Expanding their sound as well as continuing down some of the same paths their last album pulled off, Sylvan Awe shoots for the stars with their third full-length album.

A natural progression of your sound is something that virtually every other band strives for as they go from one album to the next as that’s just part of being a musician and seeing just how adept you can become at your particular sound whatever it may be. When Sylvan Awe threw down their last record, it was clear that the band already knew what it was doing inside and out. Sitting down and experiencing what “Pilgrimage” has to offer, however, it becomes incredibly clear that stagnation was not an option whatsoever. This record greets us with six tracks that are nigh on intoxicating and engaging to the fullest extent as the factors of melody, intensity, and the very selective and thus incredibly effective use of beauty to really show us what Sylvan Awe pulled out all the stops to make every single one of these 45 minutes something that demands your attention from start to finish. A constant display of what the band is capable of three albums deep and more than enough room to take their sound in any given direction they please, Sylvan Awe has done nothing but impress with “Pilgrimage”. Every opportunity to expand upon an already-impressive sound and execute it in such a form that devastates and leaves one in wonder, Sylvan Awe should be incredibly proud of what it’s crafted with this effort.

When challenge laid before them alongside the prospect of failure, Sylvan Awe has overcome in spectacular fashion. There isn’t a single thing is in this entire album that I would change for any given reason as it is throughout its entirety that “Pilgrimage” delivers be it through intensities or splendorous wonder with it all coming together seamlessly to ensure that Sylvan Awe has a wonderful future before them.

LISTEN to “Pilgrimage” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Sylvan Awe on Facebook here.