ANNO DOMINI HIGH DEFINITION

I've always liked European progressive bands. Most of these tend to be German, so it's kinda wild to have one from Poland. I've enjoyed Riverside over the years but there's never been a defining moment for them. They have always had the elements. Very Tool, Porcupine Tree sounding. The vocals are solid but you have to be willing to deal with an accent.

So the new Riverside is actually amazing. I was not expecting it. The album is shorter than their previous releases but I think that makes the difference here. Too many bands feel the need to jam 70-80 minutes on a CD without much care for the quality of it. The new Riverside is just over 44 minutes. Not a wasted minute on it.

5 tracks and each one is strong. From the horns on "Egoist Hedonist" to the thick bass line on the closer "Hybrid Times", this is how progressive metal SHOULD sound. If Tool was truly more adventurous and more melodic (see Porcupine Tree), they might sound like this. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting more from their progressive metal.