SECOND LIFE SYNDROME

Riverside is a very insteresting band, thier on the softer side of Progressive Metal, but also very capable of making a very hard songs. It's got the soft, the hard, and the beutiful melody they always dish out. Riverside did start out really well too, with Out of Myself. They've got the structure and the talent. This is thier second album, and probably one of my favorite all time albums with Dream Theater's Scenes From a Memory and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, Kamelot's Black Halo, and Rush's Farewell to Kings, 2112, and whatnot.

1. After: After is most likely the strangest of all the songs on this album. When I heard this song it took me a good while to get into Riverside, cause I thought the rest of the album would be like this. Still it has some qualities that makes it a better song. But once I got past this okay song I discovered what adventure layed after.3/5

2. Volte-Face: Volte-face is a really good song and carries the album on very well. It has plenty of their electric guitar melody, but also has some good hard riffs to throw in. It's an incredible song and I've always enjoyed no matter how many times I listen to it. 5/5

3. Conceiving You: a soft song made by these geniouses. I must say it's one of my favorite Riverside songs and has a beautiful piano. Give it a listen I'll guarentee you like it! 5/5

4. Second Life Syndrome: A 15 minute epic of pure instrumetal value. Once again Riverside deals an incredible blow to this song. It's got the progression, the emotion, the music, and even the lyrics. It's an awsome song, long yes, but when listening to the greatness of progressive, the length really never mattered at all. 5/5

5. Artificial Smile: The hardest song on the album and in my opinion well done. Artificial smile really puts angry in its place. With an awsome guitar riff it really carries the song away into the rage of Riverside. 4/5

6. I Turned You Down: The album calms down again and brings out some influence back from Out of Myself album. It's a little softer but does progress to get harder. It's a really, really good song and is even a sample here at prog archives. Give a listen and hear the great bass guitar that Mariusz Duda preforms. His skills littered through out the album with his masterful playing. 5/5

7. Reality Dream III: Of all the reality Dreams that Riverside release, III is definetly my absolute favorite. A good progressive tune with some hardcore riffs and melody. it's instrumental of course, which proves just how will this poland band can truely play. 5/5

8. Dance With the Shadow: a great epic to begin closing down the album. It's an awsome song that I often listen to. It's got a great guitar melody that I really love. The lyrics are interesing and Duda does good job singing it! Pretty eerie too! 5/5

9. Before: The final song to the album, and a good close. It's a great album and it really rocks too! The album really gives a good close when the person has changed for good! Yay! 4/5

All in all, this album just proves that poland can give us good music... really, it's a good album and a good band try it! This album as the emotion, the instrumetnal, vocals. A little bit of screaming that really doesn't decract at all. It's rather enjoyalbe, actually, it's just incredible. Give a listen. A Masterpiece of Progressive Metal 5/5 stars (4.56).