To deal with some old-fashioned music genres is a matter of patience. No writer wants to be unfair with a band, but to stay drowning yourself in the past is a very boring trend of the last years. It's boring because the past has no more surprises. And the Swedish quartet THE RIVEN is just one more band in the middle of this flood of "mommy, I want to be a band from the 60's-70's" that is anointing. "The Riven" is another album that many will hear just once, and no more.

If the quartet could enter a time machine and travel back to the end of the 60's and beginning of the 90's, maybe they could have a chance to surprise the listener. But it's not the case. They show a set of melodies that are easy to be assimilated by all those who hear the album, but the lack of a personal work is boring, even to the most die-hard fan of the 70's. It's not as bad as you could think, if you can deal with the lack of personality they show. The sound quality was created to be a fine mix between the modern clean form with the organic feeling of the past, and the one behind the production deserves praises. The right amounts of rawness and clarity are presented to the listener, and no one can complain about it.

The problem is in their music. Again: the lack of personality is boring. Obviously they show very good melodies as can be heard on the tender and deeper "Far Beyond" (the vocalist is really talented), on the faster "Edge of Time", the accessible "Shadow Man" (if you won't sing along the chorus, you're a dead body), the good guitars on "Fortune Teller", and the bluesy noir feeling of "I Remember" show that the quartet has talent, but seems to be trying to force themselves into this trend. Those who are into the trend of this form of music, "The Riven" can be a good experience. But if you already know the past deeply, stay away.