From the bleak cover art to the emotional melancholy, Voices in My Head is somewhat like Riverside's answer to Opeth's Damnation album, stripped down blend of acoustic & electric guitars, lush keyboards, and calming, poignant vocals. Containing 5 studio tracks and three live tunes, Voices in My Head, recorded in early 2005, was originally to be the follow-up EP to the bands debut Out of Myself but is now just being released by the bands current label InsideOut Music America. Differing from both Out of Myself and Second Life Syndrome, it is nontheless another remarkable collection of songs regardless of the brevity of it all.
Gorgeous acoustic guitars meet with soaring vocals on the brief opener "Us", which leads into the lush sounds of the psychedelic "Acronym Love", which mixes haunting keyboards with acoustic and electric guitar patterns. The band then launches into the spacey melancholy of "Dna ts. Rednum or F. Raf", a 7-minute bubbling cauldron of sumptuous keyboards, passionate vocals from Mariusz Duda, and tribal sounding grooves. Look out also for some effective David Gilmour-ish lead guitar work from Piotr Grudzinski on this one as well. Back to acoustic soundscapes on the gentle "The Time I Was Daydreaming", a sort of Porcupine Tree meets Opeth gem complete with alluring melodies, lush acoustic guitar strains, and cascading keyboards. Similar ground is covered on "Stuck Between", a decent ambient pop song that will instantly appeal to fans of The Gathering's recent output.
The final three tracks were all recorded live in Warsaw in May of 2004, each one blistering renditions of songs that originally appeared on the bands debut Out of Myself. Those who are anticipating Riverside's appearance at NEARfest 2006 this year can hear a snippet of what to expect from this Polish juggernaut with these three live cuts. Overall Voices in My Head is a tasty little nugget from a band that seemingly can do no wrong, and makes a nice companion piece to their two full-length releases.
Track Listing
1. Us (2:33)
2. Acronym Love (4:45)
3. Dna ts. Rednum or F. Raf (7:20)
4. The Time I Was Daydreaming (4:53)
5. Stuck Between (3:46)
6. I Believe (live) (4:00)
7. Loose Heart (live) (5:28)
8. Out of Myself (live)(3:42)
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