Anno Domini High Definition
Five songs are enough for Riverside to create a remarkably active record. Anno Domini High Definition is concerned with the pressure to keep moving, and its playing makes that subject tangible. A keyboard phrase or bass figure can seem to accelerate the whole arrangement before the guitar adds another layer of urgency.
Hyperactive begins more calmly than its title suggests. The piano offers a brief space for reflection before the band establish the restless movement that will shape the record. The contrast makes the intensity feel imposed on the song rather than simply chosen for excitement. Mariusz Duda's voice gives that pressure a recognisable human response.
Driven to Destruction makes particularly effective use of the bass. Its strong rhythmic identity provides a foundation for changing keyboard and guitar parts, allowing the music to remain coherent while the surface stays busy. The interplay has a physical attraction that keeps the technical detail from feeling remote.
Egoist Hedonist is the most adventurous piece. The relationship between heavy guitars and organ already has considerable character, and the arrival of brass opens a different kind of movement. The shift is surprising without feeling arbitrary. Across its different sections, the song maintains an uneasy balance between pleasure and compulsion, making its changes useful to the album's larger concern.
Left Out slows the approach and allows a more exposed sadness into view. The quieter guitar playing and Duda's measured delivery give the eventual increase in force an emotional foundation. Some of the harder instrumental activity can feel less connected to that intimate beginning, but the playing remains involving enough to preserve the track's direction.
Hybrid Times provides a substantial final statement, with the keyboards contributing colour and momentum through its changes. The ending has weight because the album has been building a relationship between agitation and exhaustion throughout, rather than reserving its strongest performance for a final display.
Anno Domini High Definition is a compact album with a large musical reach. Its density can be demanding, yet the five songs have clear individual purposes. Riverside make their virtuosity communicate an everyday feeling of being hurried and overwhelmed, while leaving enough melodic clarity for the listener to find a way through.
