OUT OF MYSELF

Buy this and you'll automatically get maybe the best release of 2004. It's big words for a small band but don't you just love when a total no-name steals the show!? 4 guys, totally out of nowhere (no offense Poland) slapping silly the face of all the great prog princes of the new millenium.

Since the late 90's, progressive metal really kicked in gear. Seems like there's a buzz around making darker, gloomy music. Double pedal bass drum, razor sharp riffs and a good amout of screaming seems to satisfy the new millenium proggers. But with Riverside, the whole concept of metal is so well balanced that you're forced to admit that Out of Myself is simply one of the best easy listening record around. I said this album is balanced and how. The album is relatively quiet and gets meaner as the song progresses. Riverside is inspired by the Gilmour type of guitar playing, but thank god they don't use it often. They also seems to apply themselves not making it too complex. The caliber of the musicians is obviously high, but it's like they kept it simple on purpose. The results? Songs easy to get into and a sound that share a lot of similarities with today's FM productions. Especially the singer's voice could be easily mistaken for bands like 3 Days Grace. The signer is REALLY good. He's not the Labrie's type....thank you so much!! Man am I tired of the same old opera/castrate vocals a la Dream Theater or Symphony X. Riverside sings softly and the singer's range is way better that way. The music could be more aggressive, but the voice is soothy it all and keeps the mood to relax. The best to understand is to listen to it.

Apart from the FM shape of many songs, the approach is based often on a rather complex but tasty, dirty bass line. Then a solid and rapid drum line's joining it. The keyboard is mainly there to embellish by giving a spacey feeling rather than being rythmic. The guitars are not giving the melodies all by themselves. The're more to support the major bass line by being razor sharp bar chords. More bands should follow that logistic because it's keeping the tune accessible but also leaves space to more atmosphere.

Any Nickelback/Incubus/3 Doors Down kid could get into this, no problem. It feels good to have such an refreshing record without being innovative. It could sound paradoxal but that's exactly what this record is....something to get you out of yourself.