Out Of An Ancient World is Riversea’s long-awaited debut, and its title’s not for nothing. There’s a sense of optimism captured in this record that propels the listener back to a time when music wasn’t a huge self-consuming beast; back when it drew us in with a whisper, not a shout. deftness with which the band pursue their subject matter is exemplary: they ensure the hoary topics of religion and mankind, relationships and love have been tended by the beautiful, planned strokes of the progressive stylus.
Yet as positive as this record is, there are lows that only serve to accentuate the beauty and brilliance of its remainder.
Is That What God Wants tentatively paints a picture of destructive religion, contrasting the melancholic keys and symphonics of the verse with the emphatic, guitar-led glory of the chorus. The magnificent Eden bears the pathos of hope and loss, and ultimately gain, all the while Marc Atkinson’s vocals pick their way towards Utopia.
There are nods to notable progressive ancestry, from Pink Floyd to No-Man to 80s vagabonds Pendragon, but Out of An Ancient World is something atmospheric and completely encompassing in its own right.
