These Polish guys have made an impressive carreer in less than 2 years, after their successful debut album 'Out of myself', a much calmer EP and a fantastic tour throughout Europe they have now released their second album. In 2004 I was afraid they could never equalise or even surpass this first album. Well, they have at least delivered something comparable, a great effort for sure, and they will be on top of the lists at the end of this year.

The first track ‘After’ immediately sets the tone for the entire album, both musically as lyrically. A whispering voice introduces a dark, melancholic song, where after keyboards and percussion follow little by little. ‘I can’t take anymore, I can’t breathe’, it becomes clear, this album will certainly not release you from a depressive mood. And the dreamy guitar solo at the end will not change this at all.

The longer tracks all surprisingly start with an intro on keyboards, an instrument which is more present than on ‘Out op myself’. But as on ‘Volte-Face’ a heavy guitar riff quickly disturbs this peaceful moment and then we are on our way for more than one hour of music, full of twist, rhythm and mood changes, with even more variation than on the first album. Mariusz remains the main player, he switches smoothly from dark and emotional whispering through heavy outbursts (on the edge of grunting). ‘Conceiving you’ also starts as a beautiful ballad, later on changing to a heavy rock song with a beautiful guitar solo. References to Porcupine Tree are obvious, surely it’s no coincidence that they are integrating ‘Radio-active toys’ in their live performances. This track could easily find its way on the better radio stations (or am I only dreaming?).

The title track has a genuine Pink Floyd intro (Crazy Diamonds) with those typical guitar licks, but Riverside gives it an extra aggressive flavour, the bass plays yet again a prominent role. Maybe there are, on a pure technical basis, better bass players in the world of progressive rock, but only few can dominate the sound of a band like Mariusz does. And as a singer Mariusz certainly belongs to the top (Russel Allen, Daniel Gildenlow, Steve Wilson…), he earns from Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth) the typical correlation between emotional singing and ‘death-metal like’ screaming. This could be slightly over the edge for the true sympho freak, like in ‘Artificial Smile’, but if you consider the Freudian lyrics, then the grunts illustrate perfectly the feelings of a tormented soul. Because ‘Second life syndrome’ is in fact the second part of a trilogy, where a lonely guy is in search of his own identity. In the beginning he wants to have a normal life, but he is doomed to fail in his intentions. Here after he tries to fight against his memories to obtain more self confidence. This will make him a lot stronger, but then he wonders, if this was really what he would to achieve in his life. Truly a concept over three albums!

‘Artificial Smile’ is based on alternative rock, but it breathes an atmosphere of bands like Dead Soul Tribe. ‘I turned you down’ seems to be a quiet ballad, but it has enough ingredients to remain captivating through the end, also thanks to the nice guitar play. The instrumental ‘Reality Dream Part III’ builds on the fundaments of the two first parts of ‘Out of myself’, a unique blend of neo prog with heavy progressive metal, a bit of  Dream Theater and even ELP influences.

Dance With The Shadow is certainly another highlight on the album, with a folky (even a bit celtic) introduction, the vocals are switching smoothly into a ‘distorted’ guitar, and after 2 minutes the pace is rising up again. Also a special mention for the drummer Mariusz, who once again plays on a heavy but yet very subtle way. If you have seen this impressive guy on ‘live’ performances, you can only have respect for what he realizes.

‘Before’ is a typical ending of a Riverside album, the text says it all, ‘I’ve become resistant to myself’ … I’ve changed myself. An introvert introduction, culminating to a driving apotheosis.

I have doubted to give the maximum score, because how should I rate their next album then? But I made it all up: excellent production, captivating songs with beautiful arrangements, more variation than on the first album, nice art work. An album, at the same level as ‘Octavarium’ of ‘Dream Theater’, so there is no doubt at all. The guys of Riverside have did it again, how we were lucky to have them programmed as headliner on our own Prog-Nose festival!