Riverside: Sweet melancholy from Poland.

Good morning!

I'd like to introduce you a band that some of you might not have heard about. I heard about these guys a year and a half ago, they hail from Poland and they're called Riverside. They remained pretty much anonymous outside the progressive rock scene.

One thing about Riverside is that they combine a lot of musical influences: mainly progressive rock and progressive metal, but they also combine elements of jazz, ambient and electronica in specific moments. Second thing about Riverside, is that they have this very unique sound which makes them who they are. Their sound is very natural, live, and yet very atmospheric and full of touch.

For those of you who insist to know 'what does they sound like', they draw strong influences from Pink Floyd, Opeth, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, and Anathema.
The band released only two full length albums and a few singles and EPs, but their next album, 'Rapid Eye Movement' will be out soon at October 2007.

For me - Riverside mean a lot of things. They have progressive yet catchy songs, and a very melancholic/romantic mood. Some of their songs actually symbolize events and periods in my life, because of the powerful emotion they have.

So, let us be more specific: Personally, I prefer their first album, Out Of Myself, but their second album, 'Second Life Syndrome' is excellent to as well as their Single '02 Panic Room'. By the way, for those of you who like Pink Floyd's album 'Wish you were here', this Single has a surprise for you.

Here's a video of Riverside performing at the Masstival. Short, but that's the bes quality I found:



Here is a download link including their new Single '02 Panic Room' plus three selected songs from previous albums.