Review Summary: May WE all live in fascinating times.
Lion Shepherd might not be a name known to everyone out there; therefore, I think that the least that I can do is a few words of introduction to this brilliant act. They are a Polish progressive band, three albums deep and definitely growing. If your first thought after hearing ‘’Polish progressive band’’ is Riverside, you’re not far off, in fact Lion Shepherd were one of the bands playing before the Warsaw act in 2018 prog-metal mini festival Prog in Park. They are a band which works very hard on their career and publishes albums consistently (regularly every two years since 2015), and which definitely are trying to take a stance on the Polish progressive scene, which, after all, is saturated by a small amount of very talented bands.
The third record of this Warsaw-based crew does not bring any massive change to the sound that was well know from the previous efforts. It still is a mix of very spacious music (mainly the guitars have a lot to say in this matter), vocals resembling the style of Mariusz Duda of Riverside and hooks/ melodies also resembling the band. The biggest difference remains the lack of keyboards on most tracks. But instead of that, Lion Shepherd have found their own niche by placing a large amount of exotic instruments into the mix, which surely makes them an original band, despite all the comparisons to their colleagues from Warsaw.
Another surprise is that Lion Shepherd no longer remains a duo. They have incorporated extremely talented drummer Maciej Gołyźniak, who played with Mariusz Duda on their one-off project Meller Gołyźniak Duda (which consisted of two thirds of Riverside). The drumming of this musician is unique, also because of the drum set he uses, aiding the exotic atmosphere of the band; he also adds a very specific progressive vibe, which the band just did not have earlier. Another musician very much worth mentioning is guitarist Mateusz Owczarek. Apart from painting a beautiful landscape behind all the main instruments, he manages to provide brilliant proof of his talent. We can hear this in the third track, What Went Wrong, where Mateusz plays very original melodies, reminiscent of the late Piotr Grudziński and definitely inspired by David Gilmour, but at the same time very heavily marked by his own talent and signature sound.
The biggest problem for people like me with this kind of music is the lack of proper hooks, riffs, melodies and what not. Subjectively, I as the listener just need the meat! In addition, paradoxically, we get that here too. The record does not bore me even for a minute. Of course, when we are talking hooks, proper ones with a bit of distortion, we only get two or three. The first one can be heard four track in (Vulnerable), and only for a moment. After that we go back into the rather psychedelic, chaotic ride, just to return to the motive at 07:30 (yes, some tracks are that long, but you do not get that impression). Hooks return later in World on Fire, so the amount is just enough to make you survive, while making you hungry.
The lyrics are rather negative, reminiscent- once again- of the poetry dominating Wasteland by Riverside. Not all lyrics are top notch, but some songs really stand out, for example Fallen Tree being a unique example of lyrics going together with the music. The mentioned track is a prodigy on its own, building the suspense for a few minutes using marching drums and whispering vocals, just to burst out in an emotional out roar, which, as a culmination is just brilliant.
And I think that the key word for this album should be ‘’emotions’’. I was never totally convinced to this sort of music, thinking that it is too cautious- I am an old school metalhead after all. But I must admit that I bought this album at an impulse and never regretted it. The sole fact that I listened to it about 20 times in the first month is unusual. And despite the fact that I did mention Riverside many times in this review, rest assured that this band is original in its effort, and the name Riverside is nothing but a compliment/ guideline to what the band should want to accomplish in the future. The 4.5 (as opposed to a 5) is determined by the fact that it is their third album, and they still have that 0.5 room for improvement. In addition, the lyrics could be a bit less ‘’angular’’ and be a bit more worked on, in my feeling. Sometimes you also get the feeling that they lose fluidity, and that the transmissions between various musical themes could be done in a slightly more fluid manner- it just sounds that they do not have the idea to finish of a theme.
The record finishes with May you live in Fascinating Times. If those times ever come, I think we are all ready and can survive with this superb record, which can be listened to end on for a couple of days.
