Riverside - Shrine of New Generation Slaves

Artist: Riverside
Album: Shrine of New Generation Slaves
Year: 2013
Rating: 88/100

When it comes to the harder edge of music, Poland's primary export has been death metal, with the likes of Behemoth, Decapitated and Vader all imposing their wares on the music buying public, meeting with widespread acclaim. Warsaw quartet Riverside, are a prog metal band more in the vein of Dream Theater and Tool who have largely remained under the radar in spite of releasing high quality material, such as "Second Life Syndrome" and "Anno Domini High Definition". Effort number five, "Shrine of New Generation Slaves", looks to follow in exactly the same vein.

Opening track "New Generation Slave" roars into life with a sumptuous blend of abstract time signatures, fantastically atmospheric keyboards, distorted guitars and the impassioned vocals of Mariusz Duda (who also happens to be the main man behind the equally brilliant Lunatic Soul). However, it is obvious from second track "The Depth of Self-Delusion" that Riverside are certainly not afraid to mix things up if they need to, pulling back from the harder edge of the opening track and keeping the coherence with one key element that appears to be lacking in most prog; the ability to write a damn good song. Lyrically, Riverside's primary focus on "Shrine of New Generation Slaves" turns its attention to non-conformism and a cynicism towards contemporary life: consumerism and fleeting relationships, particularly on songs like "Celebrity Touch" and "Escalator Shrine" are fantastic examples.

When you have a first proper listen to Riverside, you'll wonder why they ever escaped your attention in the first place. "Shrine of New Generation Slaves" is merely a continuation of what made them so good in the first place; the heartfelt, impassioned songs and the outstanding musicianship. A true gem of an album.

Track list

1. New Generation Slave
2. The Depth of Self-Delusion
3. Celebrity Touch
4. We Got Used To Us
5. Feel Like Falling
6. Deprived (Irretrievably Lost Imagination)
7. Escalator Shrine
8. Coda