Polish prog-rockers Riverside have been somewhat experimental with their sound throughout their career. From their more ‘metal’ albums, Second Life Syndrome and Anno Domini High Definition, to the hard rock Shrine of New Generation Slaves, Riverside have showcased their ability to be musical chameleons. With Love, Fear and the Time Machine the band come full circle, returning to the more mellow and melodic sound that they became known for on Out of Myself, but here they are unable to recapture the magic of their highly-praised debut.
Though in a way returning to their musical roots, Riverside have matured their sound, toning down the keyboards, allowing for the finer details of the rhythm section and guitar work to shine through. ‘Under The Pillow’ is one of the album’s highlights, beginning with a clean, melodic guitar section and building up to an all-out progfest, packed with long winding guitar solos, complex rhythms and ’70s style jazz organs. Single ‘Discard Your Fear’ is one of the catchier tracks and it ventures into metal territory with a breakdown in the middle section and eerie tremolo guitars.
Eight minute epic ‘Towards the Blue Horizon’ shows Riverside at their most virtuosic and melodic, and is reminiscent of Pink Floyd. ‘Afloat’ provides a welcome contrast to the more overblown moments on the album, and is also the most melancholic, as Mariusz Duda‘s peaceful vocals glide over a repeated clean guitar riff, accompanied by subtle synths. It’s a simple, yet stunning and memorable song.
Despite the reduced presence of keyboards, Love, Fear and the Time Machine is a little too much of a flashback to the 70s and 80s. The weak production makes it all sound quite dated, and as a result the songs pack less of a punch. Riverside are without a doubt very fine musicians, however this album lacks energy, and is unfortunately rather bland.
