‘70s style retro rock band from Sweden… hmm, maybe you’ve heard this one before right? Well, although this sounds so clichéd it doesn’t mean that the Riven’s sophomore album is not fantastic; quite the contrary!
We’re talking about a well-crafted album down to the last detail, which is crammed with natural inspiration, freshness, talent, skills and energy. In the beginning, they might remind you of Motörhead, but then on the similarities are just a few, since Totta’s intoxicating voice might bring you Janis, Ann Wilson and Beth Heart in mind. Sometimes hard as nails and sometimes fragile and vulnerable is like boarding on a Ferris wheel of emptions that change all the time, just like the title of the album suggests.
Musically, this is a cross between Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep (without keyboards), early Judas Priest, while personally I though also about their mighty compatriots Heavy Load. Of course, all those are just hints and do not give out the whole picture of what you are going to listen on this album. It’s just an easy way to simplify the hard task of describing the Riven’s music. Because, having written all that “La Puerta Del Tiempo”, a flamenco interlude, turn things around. In general, time seems to be an issue with many references in song titles, however this was something that they had in abundance, as they were stranded in the woods with no pressure, or deadlines and that played a major role in the quality of their work.
The album’s biggest asset is the amazing “Fly Free”, which sticks to your mind at once. But, the Riven is not the type of band that relies to 3-minute fireworks. They go deeper than that with longer tracks that flirt with the blues, psychedelia as well as… metal!
All songs stand out and are perfectly placed in the album. The flow on “Peace And Conflict” is awesome making you play the album again and again. It’s like a ticket to a great ride along with Totta (vocals), Arnau (guitar), Joakim (guitar),Max (bass) and Jussi (drums).
