RIVERSIDE - Shrine of New Generation Slaves

Of all the countries of the former communist bloc, Poland has given the world the most and the best known bands in the metallic area. With Behemoth and Vader spearheading this country’s extreme metal, at the opposite end we have Riverside - the best known progressive band from Chopin’s country. And considering that each studio album signed Riverside has climbed higher and higher in this genre, we could say about this band that it is in fact one of the best progressive rock/metal bands in the world.

By the release of Shrine of New Generation Slaves, Mariusz Duda and his band have done nothing but keeping the same ascending road they took with their previous two recods: Anno Domini High Definition (2009) and Memories in My Head (2011). Not many of us would have believed this to be possible, because besting these products in musical creation is a huger performance indeed. Still, since we are speaking of Riverside, we can be certain that such an obstacle is easy for them to overcome. 

You’ll find all sorts of influences on this record, from Pink Floyd, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree to that Rush of the 80s (after Signals), but it does not attempt to copy them, it just has some more or less desired similarities. Unlike Anno Domini High Definition, this time the sound is gentler, somehow similar to Memories in My Head, the EP making the connection between these two latest studio albums. This should not scare anyone, because the eight songs we have here bring out a unique, otherworldly emotion. 

And since I have touched upon this subject, I am most fond of Deprived (Irretrievably Lost Imagination) - a very complex tune that I couldn’t help fall in love with on the spot. At the opposite end of the spectrum, if I had to choose a least favourite song, I would choose Celebrity Touch. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very good song and it brings some colour to the album, but I find it to be too commercial compared to the rest. Perhaps this is the exact reason for which it was selected to represent the album with a video. Getting over this small "impediment", what we have here is a simply enchanting album, and in my opinion it deserves a place among such classics as Images & Words, Promised Land, Disconnected, or Fear of a Blank Planet. Whether Shrine of New Generation Slaves will succeed in becoming a classic of the genre like the above records, only time will tell. For me, this was true from the first listen, and this is what really matters!

Fantotzii Nota: 9.5