Riverside Poland

"This Polish Prog-Metal act really put a nice album together with Out of Myself. I first purchased Second Life Syndrome due to the high ratings that it was given on this site. I enjoyed that album immensely; and thus, went ahead and purchased their first complete album which I am now evaluating.

The Same River Great first song to the album. This is a much stronger opening track than what you will find on Second Life Syndrome ("After") as it incorporates all sorts of progressive elements over the course of its 12 minute length. While some may find it a bit dark and brooding, I find this to be a stunning song and the best on the whole album, in my opinion. It is mostly instrumental with vocals not beginning until a good five minutes into the song.

Out of Myself The title track picks up where The Same River left off by delivering another outstanding arrangement, while using more vocals for additional texture to the sound.

I Believe The third track is a strong ballad with a nice melody and lyrics. Even though I like this song, it is probably the weakest song on the whole album. Overall, Riverside does a very nice job with their ballads.

Reality Dream Riverside can do ballads and they can do instrumentals. In fact, their instrumental sections are usually my favorite parts of their music. Please don't get me wrong. I think Mariusz Duda has a great voice for progressive metal. It is soothing at times and can also be a bit violent. But this group really shines when given some time to just jam out and that is what it sounds like they do with this instrumental song. It is a precursor to not only additional "dreams" to come in the future, but also provides a very similar sound to what will be found on the title track of their next album ("Second Life Syndrome"), which is a wonderful treat to the ears.

Loose Heart Loose Heart is another ballad which grows in intensity and finishes with some growling vocals that provide a nice contrast over the course of the song. While I typically do not care for growling, I find that it is done here very tastefully and not enough to be annoying.

Reality Dream II While this doesn't quite live up to the first Reality Dream, it is another well-crafted instrumental which moves the album along quite nicely.

In Two Minds This is my favorite ballad on the album as it incorporates a wonderful melody with some fascinating lyrics. Duda does some exceptional vocal work as well creating a wonderful atmosphere and making this one of my favorite tracks on the album.

The Curtain Falls This track is another very strong effort which is very reminiscent of vintage Pink Floyd. In fact, there are moments where you might think you are listening to "On the Run" from Dark Side of the Moon. But while it does sound similar, it also sounds very good. Good music oftentimes will sound like other good music and the Floyd-influence is very noticeable on this great song.

OK This is probably the most difficult song for me to evaluate on the album. While I find the ending to be a bit anti-climactic, I think this is exactly what Riverside wants to do with the atmosphere and mood that they have created with this album. So while I may not particularly care for this type of closing track, I can appreciate the artistic mood that the band has achieved and is now bringing to an end. The song is quite nice, just not one of the highlights on this album."