Don´t know about you, but when I read about a band who gets seriously hyped I almost always get suspicious. But then again, if you don´t give them a try, you will never know, right?
So when the opportunity presented itself, I bought Anno Domini High Definition by Polish band Riverside. So the first question to answer is, is it any good?
I can honestly say I think it is. Especially music wise this is a very convincing album that speaks loudly of its qualities. This is somewhere between symphonic rock and progressive metal, with some unexpected twists added. Think of brass (really! and it works) and some more modern sounds (sequences). It rocks where it needs to, the guys know what they are doing, know how to write a good tune, can lock into a groove and how to spice it all up with clever arrangements.
The only 2 things I feel leave room for improvement are the lead vocals and the length of the album. I think 44 minutes is rather short and as far as the vocals go, they are in no way bad, but fairly clean. I would love to hear Jorn Lande or Steve Hogarth doing this. I know, 2 very different types, but both are able to add an extra dimension to a song.
That said, these remarks are obviously minor. This is top notch without doubt. If you haven´t checked them out yet, do it, you will not be disappointed!
Personal play tips: hey there are 5 songs on this record…
