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Treasure View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Riverside appreciation
    Posted: July 07 2008 at 21:34
These guys are absolute geniuses. The most underrated band in prog, next to Demians.  I bought the debut, and I like them so much I bought the other two records within the week. Who else here likes them as much as me?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 08 2008 at 02:59
I'm surprised there haven't been any responses yet. I love Riverside. Great sound and great tunes. I particularly love their softer, atmospheric side. The heavier side is mostly good, especially when they keep it melodic and atmospheric.
 
The only negative I have for them is their really heavy side. I don't like Duda's attempts at growls (few as they may be) and I absolutely cannot stand the bulk of the song "Artificial Smile." It's got a great instrumental section as usual, but the verses and choruses are repulsive to me. I also find they could sound a bit more thick in the metallic sections. The sound is a bit less dense and could be more powerful. The writing is excellent, though.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 08 2008 at 16:47
Holy crap, I feel the exact same way!

His growls, honestly, are laughable. I listen to every kind of death metal there is and they sound like nails on a chalkboard to me. I also liked Out of Myself much more than SLS. I found it more along the lines of 70's prog than prog metal.

Riverside!

EDIT: Errr, I liked Artificial Smile I guess. I got it confused with the song that came after. I liked it because it sounded a lot like Porcupine Tree.


Edited by Treasure - July 08 2008 at 16:51
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 09 2008 at 18:43
Riverside are tremendous. I agree that the growls (demon voice) have to go, but maybe it has helped them try to get a foothold in the heavier market. The atmosphere and drama of all three records just hasn't gotten old. I always smile when their music comes up in shuffle. I'm particularly smitten by Volto-Face on 'Second Life Syndrome'.

Let's hear it for Polish prog and F1 drivers!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2008 at 00:22

I have this feeling their next album is going to be their "rock" album.  So I imagine it's going to be heavier than SLS.  So beware :)

I'm seeing them in Atlanta in September.  Can't wait for that show.

 

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2008 at 14:23
agreed a great band though I have yet to get round to buying the debut. So much great music around and not enough money!!!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2008 at 18:20
Originally posted by Plankowner Plankowner wrote:

I have this feeling their next album is going to be their "rock" album.  So I imagine it's going to be heavier than SLS.  So beware :)

I'm seeing them in Atlanta in September.  Can't wait for that show.

 

 
Oh at Prog Power!
 
My friend down there is gonna see em there too!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2008 at 18:45
They are one of my favorite modern bands. I am also a fan of some of their softer work. I considered their latest album to be just a little above decent though. Still going to buy into their next album.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 11 2008 at 04:43
I'm listening to Riverside right now.
I think they are a very good band, but not so original or so special. I find them a little boring, maybe they are still waiting to enter their maturity and find their original shape.
A very good surprise anyway.
And I *do* love the short growl passages ;-) They fit very well with the sound I think, and do not disturb the whole work being too much invasive.

EDIT: and by the way, they are far superior than anything done by Dream Theater in the last years, just to quote a more-succesful band. Judging from this point of view, Riverside are surely under-esitimated.


Edited by pepato - July 11 2008 at 04:46
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 12 2008 at 11:34
Good band - saw them live in London last November at the Camden Underworld and they put on a good show. Got to meet them in the bar afterwards too!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 15 2008 at 17:32
Originally posted by pepato pepato wrote:

I'm listening to Riverside right now.
I think they are a very good band, but not so original or so special. I find them a little boring, maybe they are still waiting to enter their maturity and find their original shape.
A very good surprise anyway.
And I *do* love the short growl passages ;-) They fit very well with the sound I think, and do not disturb the whole work being too much invasive.

EDIT: and by the way, they are far superior than anything done by Dream Theater in the last years, just to quote a more-succesful band. Judging from this point of view, Riverside are surely under-esitimated.
 
Err...
 
What are you listening to? You might find the first record sort of meh, (most people do for some reason, I don't).
 
Listen to the song Second Life Syndrome, then get back to me.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 17 2008 at 03:14
Second Life Syndrome is the only album I know. :-)
Maybe I can pull back about its originality, but I must repeat myself: I find them quite boring, expecially the voice, quite monotone.
A good band, indeed, but not one of the most memorable, by now.
I think here we get into personal opinions, since I see everyone here in ProgArchives like this band so much. :-)
cheers
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 04 2008 at 18:59
Riverside is such a good band, but i agree that they weren't to much original in their first album.
But I think they have found their own sound in SLS and then lost it again in REM that is a coomeback to what they've done in OOM so now i really don't know.
But even if they aren't that much of an original band they certainly aren't boring at all, even if sometimes they try too hard to sound like some of the classic 70's prog bands (Pink Floyd someone...)

The Start of Something Beautiful...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 05 2008 at 01:57
On listen 4 or 5 I did all that, now on listen 30-35 I've forgotten about any comparisons Big%20smile .
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 08 2008 at 19:27

Maybe someone should help me.  I own only SLS but intend to get their debut soon.  For some reason I just can't figure out what all the hype is about.  It's not that I find them 'bad', but I'm just not blown away by them like everyone else seems to be.  I think a lot of it lies within the guitar (since I am a guitar player!).  I find his guitar tone to be to rather bland, and his lead work feels very repetitive.  This wouldn't be a problem, but so much of the songs are centered around his lead work.  I'm also not crazy about the singer's voice either.

I'm not trying to put down what is appearantly a great band, I'm just trying to let someone tell me what I'm missing.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2008 at 20:13
^As a musician/multi-instrumentalist (including guitar), I find the guitar tones for the cleans and distorted solos & leads to be excellent, but the distorted tone for his rhythm work (mostly chords and lower-end riffs) to be really weak. I can see where you might think his leads are repetitive, but Riverside is more about creating atmospheres than dazzling us with tecnical feats. I was underwhelmed by them when I first listened to them, but after putting in the time I loved them. They create some great moods and stuff.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2008 at 20:18

I'm torn with this band, half the time they are outstanding and yet the other half they just seem like they're not trying hard enough. This is judging only from second lfe syndrome by the way. Their longer songs on that album are about average on the spectrum of what they can do and have done on that album. Idk I'm definately going to listen to them again but calling them geniouses is a bit much.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 11 2008 at 21:41
I enjoy Riverside very much. They give me my heavy melodic fix. They really are pretty damn good.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2008 at 18:01
Hey, I love their songs.  Their music is great!  So this thread is dedicated for them, huh?Smile
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2008 at 06:29
I really like Riverside too.
I bought a copy of Rapid Eye Movement double CD version first after seeing them in Prog Archives and then went out and bought the first two.
I like all of their albums, even Rapid Eye Movement which no one seems to like.
I am quite a fan of Porcupine Tree too so maybe that's why I like it (I think In Absentia is their best, in particular 'The Sound of Musak').
Currently I am educating my housemate in the ways of Prog Metal. He really likes Dream Theater, Opeth, Tool, Iron Maiden, Ayreon's Human Equation but hasn't liked Riverside. I think Riverside is more about atmosphere that technical ability (although they can do that too).
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