RAPID EYE MOVEMENT

Riverside's third offering simply did not meet expectations. While I am not grading this album solely based upon expectations, there is a certain amount of influence which a band's previous albums plays in the judging of a subsequent record. Rapid Eye Movement closes out Riverside's trilogy, which began with their first two full albums Out of Myself and Second Life Syndrome. Both of these previous works were stunning and brought this prog metal band from Poland an international appeal and some commercial success.

Popular bands are constantly challenged to continue to write music which is similar, but different from their past portfolio. It is frequently difficult to continue to appeal to their established fanbase, while striving to push the bar higher in developing and cultivating a musical niche. Riverside found such a niche with their first album and brilliantly followed that up with Second Life Syndrome, certainly one of the best prog metal albums ever recorded. And now comes Rapid Eye Movement...

This third album continues to portray the Riverside sound, but is much more subdued and never really captures those magical moments which appear frequently on their first two albums. As I listen to the music, I can't help but wonder if the band got a little too concerned about the lyrical concept which has spanned all of their output and neglected what I consider to be more important-the music itself.

The highlights for me are "02 Panic Room" and "Cybernetic Pillow." In "Schizophrenic Prayer", the band does delve into some more tribal chant-like music which they did so well in Second Life Syndrome with the "After" and "Before" songs. However, it seems to fall flat this time around. The album closes with the lengthy "Ultimate Trip." While this is a fairly decent song, I keep waiting for it to get someplace special and it never arrives.

Overall, this is a decent album, but it is a pretty severe drop-off from their first two albums. I will continue to follow these guys and look forward to future releases. Three stars is all I am willing to give this one though.