| CD REVIEW Riverside |
|
|
Band : Riverside The new album Anno Domini High Definition from Riverside is another one I was given by Dirk here at Concreteweb to review and I’m glad he threw it my way. This Polish band certainly seems to be schooled in the sounds of prog metal and Hammond organ hardrock from the seventies. “Hyperactive”, the first song on the CD puts you in hyperactive-drive. Finely blended vocals, unstoppable cannon like drums by Piotr Kozieradzki and great guitar work by Piotr Grudzinski make this a real ear pleaser. “Driven to destruction” is more or less mainstream prog metal. Solid thumping rhythms and nice backing harmonies make this an overall great Dream Theater-like sounding tune. Keyboardist Michal Lapaj displays hammond wizardry throughout the whole CD. He demonstrates taste, style and chops. While most keys recorded in today’s world are either overplayed or way too chaotic with bleeps that are not controlled or the keys are just completely lost in the mix... not in this case. The sound of “Egoist hedonist” cannot be easily categorized. It’s rather complex with pop/funk elements, combined cleverly with prog and hardrock and resulting into a very interesting, uplifting outcome. On the melancholic “Left out” I hear shades of Pink Floyd along with some slightly less obvious influences of other acts Uriah Heep, Rush and Deep Purple. Here, Mariusz Duda’s voice will capture your mind and will make you focus on each and every song. His vocals do not pound out power because they are more of a finesse type vocal, slow and melodic. I’m a fan of their old and new work alike so what could be better for me than a perfect mix of both of their worlds? The last song “Hybrid times” takes the best elements out of the entire discography and creates a blend that will drive every Riverside fan wild? Listen to the guitarsolo and the chaotic key outro, mindmelting Anno Domini High Definition is an incredibly well mixed, arranged and produced masterpiece. 95/100 Cosmicmasseur. |
