Music
[Album Review] Riverside ‘Shrine Of New Generation Slaves’
Hailing from Poland, Riverside have been putting out consistently great music for many years now. It’d be nearly impossible to define what category of “prog rock” they exactly fall under, but that’s what make them stand out from the crowd. They are one of those bands that have such a unique sound that it is easy to immediately identify them, an increasingly rare talent these days.
So upon receiving a copy of their new album Shrine Of New Generation Slaves, I knew I was in for something special, something that would challenge me. But have they delivered once again or did they fall fail to live up to their past greatness? Read on below for my thoughts!
Opening with “New Generation Slave”, the album begins slowly with gentle passages interspersed with dynamically heavy moments. Then, halfway through, things slam into full force and it’s straight into heavy prog rock territory.
The current single, “Celebrity Touch”, is a great example of the changes of the album. The opening and verse have a very Kansas-esque feel, albeit a tad heavier. The bridge then delves into some gorgeous Porcupine Tree territory and while a guitar solo during the song could easily be mistaken as a guest appearance from David Gilmour.
“We Got Used To Us” might be considered the ballad of the album, featuring heartbreaking delayed piano chords, silky smooth bass lines, and sexy guitar leads. Meanwhile, the opening to “Feel Like Falling” sounds like it came right out of an 80’s John Carpenter score. And the introduction to “Escalator Shrine” has a strong, old-Eastern European flair to it,
The thing that I noticed with this album is that as each track progresses there are more styles and influences. There is jazz, hard rock, classic prog rock, modern prog rock, metal, and more. From moments of intensity to sheer beauty to seductive smoothness, this album ebbs and flows with the greatest of ease from one style to another.
Serious props need to be given to vocalist/bassist Mariusz Duda for being so dynamic and creative with the bass. He shifts from using the bass as a lead instrument to diving back into the pocket with such effortlessness that it’s mindboggling.
The Final Word: If you want an album full of mystery and seduction while tickling all your prog rock desires, Riverside’s Shrine Of New Generation Slaves is one of the best releases for you. This is an album that kicks off 2013 in all the right ways.
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It’s a new day, and you’ve got new John Carpenter to listen to. John Carpenter, Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter have released the new track He Walks By Night this morning, the second single off their upcoming album Lost Themes IV: Noir, out May 3 on Sacred Bones Records.
Lost Themes IV: Noir is the latest installment in a series that sees Carpenter releasing new music for John Carpenter movies that don’t actually exist. The first Lost Themes was released in 2015, followed by Lost Themes II in 2016 and Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.
Sacred Bones previews, “It’s been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood’s great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they’ve struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration.
“Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as “soundtracks for the movies in your mind.” On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs “noirish” is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone.
“The trio’s free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine—the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John’s own Christine. It’s a chemistry that’s helped power one of the most productive stretches of John’s creative life, and Noir proves that it’s nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.”
You can pre-save Lost Themes IV: Noir right now! And listen to the new track below…
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