SHRINE OF NEW GENERATION SLAVES

I was completely horrified upon hearing the new Riverside single Celebrity Touch and its companion video did little to help me appreciate the song. Still, I had my hopes up for the release of the band's fifth full length album and a follow-up to their highly successful record Anno Domini High Definition!

I recall being somewhat disappointed when Riverside decided to stray from their winning formula by releasing their 2011 EP Memories In My Head. There was a clear change in the band's sound that was leaning heavily on the familiar sounds from their past but ultimately lacked the punch, which made the EP an unmemorable affair for me. Things only got worse when I heard the proposed new single Celebrity Touch which was easily the worst thing that I've heard from Riverside so far. Still, I had to hear the rest of the album before dismissing it all together and so I made the decision of purchasing the record upon its release.

My first spin of Shrine Of New Generation Slaves was a mixed bag. I did enjoy some of the material but the overall feeling was that the band have shifted away from their sound on Anno Domini High Definition. The tone was much softer and most of the compositions drifted even further away from their progressive metal sound of the past. This by no means implies that Riverside have made any major changes to their sound, the album is still filled with familiar Space Rock inspired guitar passages and Mariusz Dudas melancholic vocal delivery, so fans of the band should not fear.

I was initially planning to give this record an average rating but the album finally began to fall into place after I saw Riverside performing it live. I was especially impressed by the live renditions of Escalator Shrine and Feel Like Falling which manage to overshadow their studio versions. I might still be slightly unsure about my feelings towards this record but I definitely have began to appreciate it more over time and am willing to give it the excellent rating that it would have never been able to receive have I written this review earlier.

***** star songs: The Depth Of Self-Delusion (7:39) We Got Used To Us (4:12)

**** star songs: New Generation Slave (4:17) Feel Like Falling (5:19) Deprived (Irretrievably Lost Imagination) (8:26) Escalator Shrine (12:41) Coda (1:39)

*** star songs: Celebrity Touch (6:48)