RIVERSIDE

The album opens with the haunting piano playing of "Hyperactive". This will soon change in menacing metal that's very rich of synths. The song is very powerful, like most songs on the album, though it isn't a masterpiece. The same goes for "Driven To Destruction"; a good song, but nothing more. The following songs are longer ,more progressive, and also more interesting. "Egoist Hedonist" features some cheesy melodies but in the end is a very nice song. "Left Out" is probably the most atmospheric song on the album and in my opinion the best. It shows some excellent musicianship and I can't really say much bad about it. The closing track, "Hybrid Times" starts with a piano intro, like "Hyperactive". Soon the song will burst out into the heaviest track on the album, that isn't much less good than "Left Out".

There aren't really bad songs on here, though none are really overwhelming. All songs are incredibly powerful though, and while that might sound positive I don't think it is. The album sounds a bit unbalanced because of this, which I think really is a shame. The bonus DVD, which is recorded at the Paradiso in the Netherlands is a nice feature. The performance is excellent, and much more atmospheric than the album itself. This is because it features songs from the previous albums. This live performance also shows the excellent musicianship of the band.

Three stars seems like a very good rating for this album. It isn't bad by any means, but just lacks the atmosphere that is so defining for Riverside's sound. I'd recommend this to anyone liking some powerful prog metal with psychedelic influences and not minding a bit of cheese here and there.

It's not exactly prog metal. It's rock and metal somehow blended together. 70s sounding keyboards illustrates it and gives me rock feeling. But there's metal part, guitars mostly. Simply - weird, but interesting. And interesting is everything here. Honestly, I was expecting something which would be mystery for me why everyone loves it. But now I understand, what's it. Maybe it's because this is my first Riverside album, but I hope others will be as good as this. There's maybe one bad thing, Arabic influence is welcomed, as it's not so usual in prog music, but sometimes they pushes limits too far (end of otherwise great ending song Hybrid Times), or maybe another thing. Even they're trying to be as opposite as possible, their music is sometimes repetitive. But just a little bit, nothing so much important.

4(+), I just like how this album is for everyone (not everyone is going to appreciate Yes music, some may be awed by Jon's voice, some may feel lost in long compositions. Not every progger will like death metal, will be able to stand the voice and brutality of it.), good for beginners and also providing real treat for old-schoolers.

Of course, the name Anno Domini High Definition definitely wasn’t helpful when it came to me being worried about this album. I looked at it immediately and thought “well, that’s kind of a stupid name,” which was followed by “oh, it stands for ADHD, how trite.” Not trite at all, actually. The band has managed to produce what I think is a much of a mature, engaging and excellent progressive metal record with its roots in bands as diverse as Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Dream Theater and Marillion. Sure, these bands overlap in certain areas, but they are also varied enough that when you think about the combined, you definitely have to spend a couple of minutes pieceing together how that would sound.

ADHD is here to demonstrate that Riverside fully deserve the title of one of present day leading band of progressive metal. This album showcase a remarkable creative torsion by the band, a leap forward that while confirming all the good from the past aims at reinstatiating it in new directions - at demonstrating that the band's emotional, even sentimental, deep and reflective character is not rooted in a single pattern or circumstance, but can be carried along in whatever situation.

Extraordinarily tight and full of substance, ADHD deals with present days paranoia, schizofrenia, obsessions, loneliness, dishumanizing trends. The very beginning set the stage with a clean piano pattern alternating major and minor G chords. Hence a flow of reflections, both lyrical and musical, overcomes the listener. Obsessive passages, melodies repeated purposely to the limit of boredom, sudden changes in rythm and harmony. All elements already featured by Riverside, but now with a thougher metal edge which very well suits the narrative purpose. Indeed there is a sustained use of simple guitar patterns which may seem trivial or trited, but here they find the right place to the point of seemng irreplaceable. This is what I can consider a sort of reinvention of progmetal arrangements. Toward the end, the album becomes nicely mellower but always subtle and cohesive.

All musicians are at their peak form, and no one takes full scene putting the others in the background. There is an ample use of organs together with electrifying synth sounds. And above all, many ideas evenly spread all over the 5 pieces. And there is no filler: the album is relatively short, which I may consider as a sign of the band's consciousness of the strength of their proposal.

Riverside shows us how to make progressive metal lyrical and emotional even dealing with daily routines and problems. Highly recommended, expecially to those claiming the end of progmetal's content and form. One of 2009's best outputs without question.