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Riverside - Second Life Syndrome CD (album) cover

SECOND LIFE SYNDROME

Riverside

 

Progressive Metal

4.25 | 1870 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

hdfisch
Prog Reviewer
4 stars Modern accessible Prog as good as it can get! 4,5 stars really!

Having this record since quite a while in my collection and still loving it a lot after numerous spins already I've been really wondering whether it needs a rating #220. But since I reviewed as well their debut I think their excellent second full album deserves it even more. Well, what could I add what haven't been said before? There's definitely something about this album as Gatot mentioned already. I would say that is the capability to appeal to almost everybody whether young prog metal fan or old Floyd-follower. Though I'd claim I don't belong to neither of these two groups I've to admit they're able to fascinate even me (as an usually hard to be satisfied old sourpuss). They manage better than any other band, whether it's Porcupine Tree, Anathema or Green Carnation to combine features from both symphonic space rock and metal prog resulting in a highly appealing and captivating blend. Actually there isn't anything really that much innovative or PROGRESSIVE (in the literal sense) in their music. I would rather consider it as excellent "popular" rock music (no insult intended) meant in terms of accessilibity and to distinguish from "real progressive" (Avant) music like Kayo Dot is doing for example. Since both bands are listed in the same category I'm forced to compare them in a way though they don't have anything in common apart from the metal element. The lack of true innovation here on "Second Life Syndrome" is actually the only point keeping me off from giving the full score and call it a "masterpiece of progressive music". IMHO it is not, but truely an excellent example for "eclectic modern rock music" being catchy AND sophisticated at the same time.

hdfisch | 4/5 |

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