Riverside
Voices In My Head

THE REVIEW

The Riverside are one of the recent bands I appreciate the most for their skill in creating a sound influenced by Steven Wilson's projects (Porcupine Tree, No Man), Opeth during the "Damnation" era, and the more recent period of Anathema, while demonstrating a distinctive compositional originality. The Polish band, fronted by Mariusz Duda (vocals and bass), following their first two albums, the debut "Out of Myself" and "Second Life Syndrome" (the first two parts of the conceptual trilogy concluded with "Rapid Eye Movement" in 2007), released an EP titled "Voices In My Head" in 2005.

The EP in question features 8 tracks, including 5 new ones and 3 live versions. The style of this work partially reprises the characteristics of their debut album, namely songs marked by a melancholic atmosphere, in which Michal Lapaj's keyboard backdrop is fundamental in sustaining the structure, but it also demonstrates some stylistic "evolutions", characterized by electronic parts that foreshadow their subsequent work. The opening track "Us" evokes acoustic guitars dear to Akerfeldt & Co., while the romantic "Acronym Love" begins with a piano backdrop and then proceeds with Grudzinski's guitar with a relatively "Gilmourian" progression, as already demonstrated in pieces like "Conceiving You" (from "Second Life Syndrome").

The most prominent moments are represented by "Dna Ts. Rednum or F.Raf" and "The Time I Was Daydreaming", which alternate electronic parts to create a sort of Ambient, a characteristic of the style of the tracks that will characterize the existential trip "Rapid Eye Movement". The live versions taken from their 2004 Warsaw concert include 3 pieces from their debut album, an alternative version of "I Believe" with the piano, "Loose Heart", and "Out of Myself", which do not present significant differences compared to the studio version but are a further demonstration of their instrumental skill.

The contract with the record label "Inside Out", which boasts several bands in the Progressive Rock field, has allowed the publication of these latest works and, moreover, to bring their music beyond the borders of their nation.