If you don't know know I have covered a Riverside album album previously and I do recommend you check out the review and the album it's linked to before this. That aside, Riverside is a progressive rock/metal band coming from Poland and has many influences on bands like Marillion. A fairly underrated group in the world of metal and even progressive metal but part of the reason why I review things like this is to share good music to the world that you may not otherwise know much about. Let's get this started already shall we?

Despite not being a concept album, it has book-end styled tracks much like Dream Theater's Sytematic Chaos or Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, although this time it isn't the same title with two parts, instead the two tracks(Lost (Why Should I Be Frightened by a Hat?) and Found (The Unexpected Flaw of Searching)) are more like how it began and how it ended. With that in mind, the first half of the album is more dark and kind of moody while the second half is more atmospheric and almost alludes some Porcupine Tree or Steven Wilson influence as well. Tracks like #Addicted are note worthy in their lyricism and how they decide to present it. In case you're wondering, it's basically them telling us how many of us in today's world are found to be very used to using electronic devices and other sources of internet and media and can seemingly rely too much on this matter. It is very relatable too and makes you wonder how much you really do spend on your phones, computer, consoles, etc. when compared to the amount of time you actually tried to experience the world and all of its glory. We also get the single Discard Your Fears which some might say sounds a little too happy or simple in nature, well I can see where those people are coming from but in all honesty, with comparison to what I've heard prior to it, it seems to fit in pretty well. Tracks like the epic Towards The Blue Horizon and Time Travelers also make for some great moments on the album that should be cherished and if nothing else, the reason you keep coming back to this album. I just love them. Afloat provides a nice transition into the next half of the album too by the way. (Just throwing that out there.) As is the case with Opeth and maybe Pink Floyd, repetition is very hard to perfect and make sound great, Riverside manages to do that and more in a manor that can rival the likes of the bands I just stated above. I can't see many flaws with this album and is by far, one of the best progressive rock albums of the year. Now, onto Amorphis and Spock's Beard how about it?

I give this a 9.5/10. I am the Grim Reaper, signing off.