Band:	Pandemia
Album:	Riven
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	May 12, 2005
A review by:	Jeff

01. Riven
02. Stream Of Destinies
03. Weight Of Wisdom
04. Legion Beneath
05. Us And Them
06. Dispirited
07. A Place Under The Sun
08. The Outbreak
09. All Alone

Pandemia: "1. (of a disease) prevalent throughout an entire country, continent, or the whole world; epidemic over a large area". The definition of my dictionary is definitely a good one too for the 3rd cd of this combo from Czech Republic, "Riven" is like a devastation. Brutal as hell but without any lack of technicality, this album should become (I really hope it) the revelation of this excellent Death Metal act.

To sum up, "Riven" is a great mix of Technical Brutal Metal and with this CD you'll find some really interesting things. The songs and the album are a bit short (33 mins for the whole album?) and that's my principal reproach but on the other hand those songs are devastating with some really powerful riffs (not so far of Thrash actually) à la Vomitory for example. Also, the good point comes from the numerous dark breaks in the Slayer spirit like on the track number seven, "A Place Under the Sun". It gives a special tortured ambiance to the album and believe me that's a good thing.

Riven is an interesting album for a lot good points, the compositions are well done and the guitars solos for example are perfect in the style, I don't even need to talk about the blast of the drums?. Pandemia is a real great Death Metal killer but I regret however the average recording of the album. Evidently I saw in the past a lot of worst recording but the one of Riven is a bit cheap sometime, and it doesn't help the album unfortunately. Don't be afraid however, because it doesn't kill the album, but it should be better.

Pandemia is a real bulldozer, a Death Metal machine and I let's hope that their last production will become a real "pandemic disease" that will conquer the European continent first and why not the whole planet later. In any case anyway, the Death Metal freaks will have to miss this album. Highly recommended if you like Death Metal?