SHRINE OF NEW GENERATION SLAVES

After having listened to SONGS quite a few times, I am fully convinced that this is yet another masterpiece by Riverside. This time they did it in a totally different way than on ADHD. There is very little metal and the compositions are much less bombastic than on their previous effort. In fact, as the title of the album suggests, they may be treated as real songs. This was the objective as Mariusz Duda stresses himself. It is mainly due to the fact that in each compositions it is the melody that provides the backbone of the song. As a result, the compositions are truly memorable, providing the listener with an enjoyable experience each time the disc is run. Again that old saying that genius lies in simplicity turns out to be true.

The album is heavily influenced by both 1970s' hardrock and Pink Floydian moods. Of course, the inspiration may be oldschool, but still, everything is served with high quality production making the record powerful and contemporary. A few times Duda's vocals are distorted making him sound intriguing, like never before. Despite the fact that the compositions are truly songs, they are still multi-layer; each listening can offer us something new, details that we did not notice before.

The musicians themselves are not endeavouring to hide the fact that they were not fully satisfied with their previous albums. There was always something missing and all the time it was a search for their true musical identity. It appears they have found it at last on this record by creating a perfect mixture of hardrock and metal and a good deal of melancholy and beautiful nostalgia. Is Shrine of New Generation Slaves Riverside's best album? Impossible to answer taking into account that they recorded Second Life Syndrome and Anno Domini. Each different, each perfect in its own way, each appealing to different tastes.