SYLVIUM is a Dutch progressive rock band which was started by guitarist/composer Ben van GASTEL, and whose roots can be traced back to the year 2000, when he wrote the basis for an EP entitled Teardrop From A Leaf made up of instrumental music with alternating rock, jazz and ambient passages. However, Ben decided that he needed to develop himself as a musician and refine the music further, so the band SYLVIUM itself wasn't formed until ten years later in 2010, when Ben teamed up with bass, keyboard and drum player Fred BOKS. His passion is to create music of uncompromising character, but which is still accessible to a broader audience. On every SYLVIUM album Ben van GASTEL intends to work with different musicians, and to explore a variety of music genres.
