VOICES IN MY HEAD

There are some fans of Riverside who greatly miss the early days of the band, when they were a moody atmospheric progressive rock band without the metal elements they would later incorporate. Although those later albums are all excellent examples of the heavy prog genre, it's nice to see the band put out a newer work along the lines of their first album, although more adventurous fans of the band will still recognize plenty of the gloomy characteristics Riverside would maintain on their later releases. `Voices In My Head' is a valuable collection of mostly slower, thoughtful and heartfelt acoustic pieces full of melancholy and genuine human emotion, with immersive electronic elements and melodic progressive passages.

`Us' is a lonely drifting acoustic piece with lyrics full of longing and gentle hoping. I can easily relate to his piece, and it really touches my heart. `Acronym Love' begins as a subtle piano piece with a thoughtful lead vocal, then the entire band launches into a mid-tempo performance of a piece that wouldn't have sounded out of place on more recent albums by Marillion and Porcupine Tree. Lovely melodic guitar solos throughout, and a powerful upbeat finale stop it from being too unhappy. `DNA...' is a a moody and slightly sinister 7 minute piece with droning vocals, aggressive chunky bass and cold programmed percussion. The first half of `The Time I Was Daydreaming' has lovely heart-broken vocals from Mariusz with quiet acoustic guitar and a warm chorus, before building in drama with spacey synths, urgent programming and searing guitar solos. Still very tastefully restrained thanks to the talented band who know when to hold back. `Stuck Between' is a very contemporary piece of sophisticated dreamy adult prog/pop with trip-hop beats, floating group vocals and a catchy but downbeat melody. Very nicely done, and this is even the sort of track that might attract the ears of non-progressive audiences!

The EP finishes off with three decent live recordings that offer moments of the heavier tracks from their more recent albums, but I think they could have included live performances of pieces that are more in the style of the new music on this release. Would have given the album an even more successful sustained mood.

`Voices In My Head' is a perfect companion CD in the Riverside discography that can stand proudly on it's own merits as a full album. I think it might also be a fine place to start for beginners, as I think the album is oddly accessible enough for new listeners and even female listeners thanks to the heart-felt lyrics and pained romantic vocals from Maruisz. Just don't listen to the album on a broken heart, it just might cut a little too close to the bone.

Four stars.