After
the release of their debut album "Out Of Myself"
in the autumn of 2004, RIVERSIDE suddenly
found themselves in the fast lane. An original mixture of
atmospheric new art rock and dark metal with touches of
Porcupine Tree, Opeth and also Anathema, the band was received
incredibly well by the media. A month later the quartet
from Poland performed their first foreign gig at the Progpower
festival in the Dutch city of Baarlo. They left audiences
completely floored, and sold out of all CD stocks. Finally,
InsideOut Music took the bait. Off to a seriously promising
start, it raises the question; can the band maintain this
level of high expectation? "Second Life Syndrome"
is the extremely positive answer.
"Nobody
thought that 'Out Of Myself' would be such a success",
Mariusz Duda, bassist, singer, and songwriter, sums up the
difficult situation. "So there was some pressure with
the new recordings. But we made it clear to ourselves that
we hadn't even begun to explore all the possibilities with
our debut, and we stuck to our goal to convey the bigger
picture of Riverside to the people".
"Second
Life Syndrome" first and foremost, remains true to
all positive aspects of the previous album. Elegiac guitar
solos, dark keyboard textures, creative and complex guitar
riffs, with powerful drumming, unique bass lines, and the
dynamic vocals of Mariusz Duda. At times he evokes the highest
quality of heavy metal vocals and then at the right moment,
is able to shift into wonderfully arranged harmony lines.
Furthermore,
RIVERSIDE's music has clearly developed into a harder and
darker realm, which really fits in with the theme of the
new album. "'Out Of Myself' is the first part of a
trilogy that deals with a lonely human being on a quest
in search of his true self", says Duda. "In the
first part he tires to begin a 'normal' life with another
person, but fails bitterly. Now, in the second part ('Second
Life Syndrome'), he wants to change his life. In order to
achieve more self-confidence he has to battle against his
memories. This leaves him ultimately stronger but our protagonist
wonders whether he really wants to go where he has arrived.
This will be the topic of the third part, which will be
our next album".
"Second
Life Syndrome" has all the elements that fans of powerful
and demanding (art) rock desire - ranging from dark atmospherics
with slightly psychedelic guitar solos ("After",
"Reality Dream III"), powerful rhythms ("Volte-Face"),
sparse minor key melodies ("Conceiving You") and
sumptuous waves of sound ("Artificial Smile").
Keyboardist Michal Tapaj who replaced Jacek Melnicki after
the recording of the first album, has enhanced the band's
overall sound in a very noticeable way with more sophisticated
keyboard parts and the use of Hammond and piano sounds.
With "Second Life Syndrome", RIVERSIDE have not
only maintained the standard they set with their debut album
but have gone a step further in establishing themselves
as an important new force on the scene.
Check
out the band's homepage for more detailed information and
to listen to some samples.
Band
homepage
