OUT OF MYSELF

If you're looking for a debut album to blow you away from a band that comes out of nowhere, this is a great place to look. Sure, Poland isn't the first place you're going to go looking for progressive rock, but these guys may very well have put their country on the map of modern progressive rock. While they're considered a progressive metal band, I think that this album is more of a psychedelic progressive rock offering with some bits and pieces of heavy metal. The doses of metal will become bigger and more obvious on later albums.

Riverside's debut, like I mentioned, is more focused on creating psychedelic soundscapes while adding traces of metal to some songs. One of the things that originally surprised me was how prominent the bass is on this album. Some of Duda's licks get very interesting to hear, and he also provides acoustic guitar on some tracks as well as serves as the band's vocalist. His singing is slightly hypnotic and very beautiful, which fits the music very well. The keyboards are very atmospheric and help to set the feeling of all the songs. The guitar and drummer are also both very excellent. I remember first hearing the praise this band was getting and decided to check them out, while hoping this wouldn't be a Dream Theater clone. And they certainly were anything but that. If you want a band that's beginning to develop a progressive metal sound with a strong progressive rock influence and sounds very, very original and refreshing, this is an album you should consider checking out. My only real complaint is that I wish there had been more of a clear metal influence on this album. Some of the highlights for me are The Same River, the title track, Reality Dream, and Loose Heart. I also think that the album loses some of its punch on the last two songs. For those two weaknesses, I can give this album 4 stars, as it is still incredibly enjoyable. This is something anyone who enjoys modern progressive rock should check out.

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