RIVERSIDE

ID.Entity is the eighth album from this renowned Polish progressive rock/metal band; their first in five years as well as the first release featuring guitarist Maciej Meller (replacing longtime original guitarist Piotr Grudziński after his sudden death in 2016). Their last LP, 2018's Wasteland, represented (certainly in retrospect) a transition moment for the band. With Grudziński's passing, Duda took over primary guitar duties (alongside bass and vocals), resulting in a more riff-heavy, metallic sounding record. Without question and by nature a somewhat different sounding record, Wasteland nonetheless represented a powerful and affecting statement from the band. "Lament" still hits me hard every time.

With the January 2023 release of ID.Entity, Riverside has not only returned with a strong new album, a new fulltime guitarist, and a world tour that kicked off in my home state (and of course I had to miss it), but also with a renewed sense of artistic purpose. Traveling along a musical spectrum that ranges from quiet, almost ballad-like nuance to explosive metal anger, with multiple stops in between, ID.Entity bleeds emotional verisimilitude amid a broad dispersion of heavy progressive melody.

ID.Entity exemplifies the themes of this record: identity in the digital era. How vision is warped and manipulated by social media. Truth becomes malleable, political discourse becomes weaponized, self-realization becomes anathematic, and the entirety of one's being becomes commerce fodder.

Heady themes indeed, and Riverside delivers them in a powerfully cohesive and engaging album. Their songs reflect these ideas in a thematic concept album that questions and challenges the new realities of this social transition.

Leading off the album with "Friend or Foe?" is a gutsy choice. For starters, the track doesn't sound like anything else on the album. Nor does it sound like a Riverside tune in general. At least, not at first. It's a synth driven 80s pastiche with pop sensibilities of a bygone (but influential) era. To my ancient ears it sounds like something a-ha would have released in their '80s North American heyday. Only when the guitars crunch in during the pre-chorus/chorus do we realize we are in other territory entirely.

So yeah, it's gutsy, but it's the meta aspect that fascinates me. The early/mid 80s was the beginning of the personal computer/online era. Although it took another decade for mass acceptance and then another for social media to take off, the mid 80s was the launching pad for the Digital Age. What a perfect stylistic metaphor for this album's opening track, which delves into the sublimation or obfuscation of self in a virtual world, and the endless parade of masks worn in online interaction.

Plus it's a total pop earworm of the best kind.

"Landmine Blast" evokes the booming, forceful immediacy of crap going sideways in social media. Be it from Cancel Culture overreacting or General Stupidity accelerating. For whatever reason, the wrong words were said at the wrong time, context be damned, and the resulting detonation of outrage rolls on exponentially, without nuance or understanding, or perhaps even with too much of both. The track opens with some country-esque riffing, moving into a strong metal power swell. Middle Eastern melodicism is woven throughout the tune, adding exotic beauty through the crunch and distortion.

You can almost forgive the band for including the cheeseball 'terms and conditions' opening to "Big Tech Brother". Good idea in theory, but in practice, it's a bit silly. Still, it's over in seconds and the keyboard-driven riffing takes over. While the synthetic horns are an odd aesthetic, the transition to Hammonds as the intro ends allow the song to take on a haunting, howling vibe. The song excoriates its title subjects as it puts the adage "when you don't pay for the product, you are the product" to powerful musical effect. The band plays with dynamics to drive their concepts with melodic precision, from quiet piano interludes to atmospheric guitars and organs to evoke an endless digital prison landscape.

"Post-Truth" laments antagonism, hatred, and division, in which the dissemination of truth and verifiable reality becomes refracted through emotion and agenda. Capitalizing on the manipulation of fear, anger, and outrage is big money.

Headline drew attention Then I lost my temper Again

The song ends with a soft piano reprise of the main melody, a plea of hope and reconciliation perhaps? Or is it a normalization of self-righteous outrage? This is the world we live in.

"The Place Where I Belong", at 13 minutes, is the album's "epic" track. In many ways it summarizes the entirety of the record, emphasizing political division, anger, insincerity, hiding identity, being forced into social conformity, and ignorance presented as defining knowledge. The slow, quieter opening erupts at around the three minute mark with a bluesy bass riff. The band briefly breaks out in a strong jam before the verses kick back in.

Duda's vocals vacillate between anger and self-recrimination as he tries to obtain the titular Westphalia, that place of individual balance, self-realization, and acceptance. His vocals, alongside Meller's shimmering guitar melodie, imbue the song with a strength, beauty, and dignity. It's not a powerful "TIME TO KICK ASS! I BELIEVE IN ME!" bit of posturing that erupts with wailing soloes and a thundering wall of rhythm section badassery. This is powerful musical reconciliation that underscores the lyrical recapitulation of self.

"I'm Done With You" takes its fuzz-bass opening and drives into full-on exorcism mode; good riddance to bad rubbish indeed. Through musical urgency the band bids a not-so fond farewell to the patronization of those who insist they have our best interests at heart.

You are not my judge You are not my God You are not my own CEO Why don't you simply shut your mouth And take your poison from my soul Far away

A powerful piece of self-determination, "I'm Done With You" pulls no punches. It segues into the more uptempo "Self-Aware", with a strong central riff, driving rhythm section, and even some elements of pop melodic construction. If anything, it makes a fine reflection of the "Friend or Foe?" opener. There we questioned who we (and others) really are; here the focus is on reconciliation. Unplugging but not disconnecting entirely. We still need that human connection. Musically the song has hints of Signals-era Rush; again bringing that mid 80s milieu back into high relief. We've come full circle in our reflection of the deregulation of human behavior in the digital realm.

ID.Entity was the first "major" prog release of 2023, and as such set the bar pretty high. It presents an exemplary collection of songs that probe the fragmentation of social and individual identity. The album doesn't proselytize, but it doesn't pull its punches either. Change, as it always does, begins with the individual. Riverside delivers this excoriation of the digital ethos in a manner both explosive and measured. ID.Entity is a different sounding album for the band, but not an entirely foreign one and ultimately an engagingly successful endeavor. Welcome back guys!

OK, I've never been a fan of progressive metal, but Riverside has always been interesting due to their mix of strong melodies and emotional depth that is quite appealing despite the sometimes overly heavy spots (and Mariusz Duda's great vocals are always a highlight). Riverside is lead by Mariusz Duda (vocals, bass), Michal Lapaj (keyboards), and relatively new guitarist Maciej Meller. On this album, their 8th, and with topical themes and lyrical content dealing with issues of the day, the band tries to incorporate a bit more of a commercial sound (at least on the released singles), while still maintaining their powerful Prog and Prog Metal cred, and are mostly successful in that. The opener 'Friend of Foe' has something of an '80's synth pop feel that features Duda's wonderfully smooth vocals. On 'Big Tech Brother' and 'Post-Truth' they flex more of their prog metal tendencies, which is why they are, for me at least, the least enjoyable tracks. 'The Place Where I Belong' is the longest and best track, a lovely song moving from an opening plaintive melody to a beefier prog middle section, leading to a more moody, atmospheric section, and a magnificent emotional extended instrumental outro. 'Self-Aware', the album closer, sounds eerily like some lost Rush track from the early 80's, but it works very well. Overall, a very good album, with strong vocals from Duda throughout, whether singing beautiful soaring melodies or more fierce metal ravings, but because of the lighter pop elements mixed in with the heavier metal-influenced aspects, it may not totally please either the prog metal or the more melodic prog fans. Best Tracks: The Place Where I Belong, Self-Aware, Friend Or Foe, I'm Done With You. Weak Tracks(due to metal content): Big Tech Brother, Post-Truth. Rating: 3.5 stars

Oddly enough, "Wasteland" was released in 2018! So it was time for Riverside to follow up on that transitional album.

And thankfully, that transition has crystallized into this brilliant "ID.Entity". The album has been produced by Mariusz Duda himself, singer, leader and bassist of the band, reaching what is perhaps the most successful production of his entire discography in terms of sound (the bass sound and melodies are just incredible!) In Europe the album has been released by Inside Out Records, who have been working with the band since its inception.

For this revival and confirmation of the new Riverside with the guitarist Maciek Meller already as a full member, the band has chosen to offer a mix between their most classic style (Landmine Blast could have been in "Second Life Syndrome", High Tech Brother reminds to "Anno Domini High Definition"...) mixed with new sonic adventures that presents a great influence of eighties pop and techno music even with influences from bands like Rush and The Police (Friend or Foe and Self-Aware), as well as more purely progressive grounds (The Place Where I Belong) and even surprisingly aggressive tunes (I'm Don With You)

The result is a very varied album, tremendously fun to listen to repeatedly in its entirety, and which brings us back a Riverside which is in top form. In fact, for me this "ID.Entity" is without a doubt their best album since "Shrine of New Generation Slaves", and a serious candidate for best prog-rock album of 2023.

Congratulations guys! That's how things are done.

Best Tracks: all the songs are very good, it is very difficult to stick with one in particular. Even the two bonus tracks on the special edition, Age of Anger and Together Again, are of a very high quality.

One of the first big releases this year, and one I have been looking forward too, is the latest Riverside album of ID.ENTITY. Riverside, to me, is one of Poland's finest prog bands out there, besides the curious cases of SBB and CzesŁaw Niemen. Mixed with the top tier contemporary sounds of Porcupine Tree with a more drive for metal, this band has been a recent favorite of mine. However, I feel like they have started to trickle down to safety rather than progression after the release of Wasteland, which, in my eyes, felt like an album they didn't give their all in. It seems like that safety has reached a second, and concerning point with their latest record.

On my first listen, I thought it was fairly mediocre, second listen I thought it was really good, but not after a third listen I find that it shifted back to mediocrity.

I do not like to dwell on the negatives, so let's start with what I actually like about this record.

For one, I think some songs on here are actually very superb and some of the best Riverside material we've got in a bit. The very 80s Neo Prog feeling Friend Or Foe, the super jazzy Big Tech Brother, and the very brilliantly executed I'm Done With You, are some of the best Riverside songs to come out of their current line-up. I feel like these tracks alone can make up a very great EP that could rival albums like Anno Domini High Definition, or my personal favorite of Love Fear And The Time Machine. I especially love I'm Done With You, with a very amazing combination of the usual prog metal affair, with a curious dosing of more Haken flavored keyboards, topped with star shining vocals that could rival some of the best vocalists in prog metal to begin with, creating for a modern day Riverside masterpiece.

Another aspect I like about this album is the general concept around modern times and politics. Each track centers around elements of corruption, big businesses, technology, racial issues, gender norms, and so on and so forth. It creates a very progressive outlook that I think is quite needed in prog metal, more than just the odd political song here or there.

However, that brings me to the issues I have with the album, and that is while I like the concept, I feel like the execution is very cringy at best. Tracks like Landmine Blast, Post-Truth, and especially The Place Where I Belong just have that awkward lyricism that I give odd looks to. The Place Where I Belong especially has this weird awkwardness with the lines of "What's my gender, What's the color of my skin" which just doesn't sit well with me. I know the band definitely means well, but when it comes to topics like racial issues and gender dysphoria, I feel like they could've been handled way better.

Aside from choice lyrics, relatively speaking this feels like a very generic Riverside album. What I liked about Riverside was their willingness to change their mold a bit, not to the point where their fans could not recognize them, but to ensure a healthy and steady evolution to newer sounds that test the waters. I think those tests reach a gold standard with Time Machine, but afterwards it seems like they missed an opportunity to mine diamonds and gold with Wastelands. I was fairly excited for ID.ENTITY as it could mean a new Riverside sound, but aside from a few songs, this feels like the Riverside I am used to, and I do not like that. It feels like they aren't trying to change, but rather be conservative within their sounds, and this is a PROGRESSIVE metal band we are talking about. For them to not make progress in their sound in some shape or form, even if it is subtle, is quite sad to me.

An album that I looked forward to managed to be one of the more lackluster. It has some good tracks, but the album's lows outway what I actually like, to where I fear that the band will stay the same. I want a new Riverside, not a Riverside that is the exact same from yesterday. I don't expect them to have King Crimson levels of change and variation, but I want something more. A change in atmosphere, maybe an emphasis on acoustics, maybe a more heavier sound, something to drive me ahead to new waters. This album doesn't do that for me, rather it sinks me down in the river.

A Very Uneven Endeavor with a Few Bright Spots

Riverside has been creating a unique take on progressive metal for over 20 years now based in part on Mariusz Duda's amazing voice and heavy use of Floyd-ian atmospherics. ID.Entity still has these elements, and some very solid riffage. But the band has also decided to slide in the pop / 80's direction to mixed effect. Though I don't usually review song by song, this album almost demands it as there is so much variation in approach and quality.

1. Friend or Foe - maybe it was Stranger Things. Pulling in early 80's keys is trendy and Riverside goes full in on the opening track and promo single. The song reminds a bit of the similarly intention retro 80's synthpop of the Weeknd's 2019 hit "Blinding Lights." Luckily, I think the move works here. It's a great melodic hard rock song. Hard to call it prog, besides the fact that it's (too) long.

2. Landmine Blast - my favorite song on the album. The band takes a great riff (yes a throwback to their own previous work) and trades it through different instruments and permutations almost like a classical piece. Some of the guitar solos also intentionally point back to early work (even though it's not the same player).

3. Big Tech Brother - after a clumsy, dumb spoken word intro, we get another very strong song. It opens with a great riff in odd time that almost has an R&B feel (a horn like keyboard patch is used and I can definitely hear a Tower of Power horn section taking it on). Duda uses a staccato delivery in the verses a la Haken to great effect. It has a strong aggressive rhythm, and plenty of layering. So far so good.

4. Post-Truth - here things start to slow. The lyrics, meant to be political criticism, start to sound obvious and whiney. The songs itself it pretty straight forward. Nothing wrong here but no surprises.

5. The Place Where I Belong - and we go off the rails. This epic length song has almost nothing progressive, or even interesting. The first half is quite boring. The second half is PF/PT moody and does carry some emotion, but there is absolutely no excuse for a song of this kind to be this long. There just isn't enough happening, too repetitive.

6. I'm Done with You - another relatively straightfoward rock song with bad lyrics. The main riff and intertwining parts are pretty driving and form a good groove, but the verses are boring and the chorus is bad. The "Fire Away!" section is pretty cool. The instrumental breaks toward the end are good. But like the album as a whole, really uneven.

7. Self Aware - starts with a riff straight out of the 80's that Ghost has already used with more menace and I consider them a tongue-in-cheek parody / novelty act. Not as tightly constructed as Friend or Foe, but seems to have a similar intention or inspiration. Harmless.

Perhaps that word is the best description of the album. Harmless. The first time I listened to this album I actively disliked it, probably because the last 3 tracks are the weakest. But on repeat listens, I can appreciate it. It has it spots. But overall - harmless. Not compelling. Mostly solid. A little better than meh. Not sure I would ever put this on just for enjoyment (I listen to alot just to see what's new in the world) when there is so much better music out there (even from Riverside). I may steal track 2 for a 2023 prog playlist. That's about it.

Good but really non-essential

Long gone are the days of the giants of 00s. From the generic new release of Porcupine Tree to the rapid downfall of Haken, it looks like we don't have anymore those bands whose albums devastatingly land like bombs on the grounds of the prog community, collecting thousands of votes with the average rating of 4.1+. Prog is far from dead, but it is now moved forward by forces of, luckly numerous, modest lesser-known bands springing up unpredictably all over the place.

What about the Riverside, whose first albums keep their rightful place in the annals of progressive metal? To be honest, I was skeptical that the band could exist after the death of the guitarist, but Wasteland proved to be quite solid; moreover, his trademark soloing was hard to find on LFTM already. So, despite the massive loss, the band is moving on, now releasing yet another new album with the updated line-up. The latest solo efforts by band members have also been very decent, so there clearly is still a ton of potential.

The second post-Grudziński album is, just like its predecessor, solid. It does not look, however, like the band has evolved in any way since the times of Reality Dream. There are some new sources of inspiration, but they are questionable (read "poppy"). So what we get here is average Riverside slightly adulterated with mainstream influences. From a band of this caliber, you probably expect more?

One other problem with the album is its concept. It seems that some bands are better off with abstract whimsical lyrics like RS were at the beginning of their journey; Anno Domini already was a rant about modern society, but at least the delivery was not as straightforward and naive; it also was 15 years ago, though even then it didn't look too fresh. I'd normally not pay too much attention, but the band literally forces me to attend to the concept by bringing musical dynamism to its altar: take, for example, the annoying spoken word in Big Tech Brother, or the vocals of The Place Where I Belong which sound like a spoken rant much more than singing. They even use the f-word for the first time (not counting "f you" in Artificial Smile). I wish I could cut it all out. Maybe one should finally unsubscribe from [&*!#]ty Facebook communities (upon writing this I realize that it's exactly the band's suggestion in one of the songs)?..

Musically, the best things here are where Riverside sound like themselves, e.g. on the two shorter tracks, or on the 20- minute instrumental treat of the bonus disk, which sounds like an EP from the good old days of classical Riverside. Everything else, while enjoyable, does not strike me as essential. I don't think I will be coming back to this album after a while.

Still, the album is not to be ignored: the band is incapable of playing bad music. "Good, but not essential" is the precise description.

I confess that I am no great fan of prog metal, but, with Riverside, that doesn't tend to matter overmuch, because their music routinely stretches far beyond the confines of any particular sub-genre. And I have enjoyed various tracks from each of their albums from Out of Myself to Wasteland. (Looking at my collection, I note that tracks from Love, Fear and the Time Machine feature most prominently.) Sadly, and contrary to the widespread acclaim for ID Entity, I have found it a real struggle to add anything from the latest album to my collection. Suffice is to say, I just found it a directionless jumble, perversely lacking any sense of identity of its own. By far the band's weakest album to date in my opinion, notwithstanding the undoubted (and usual) technical excellence on offer.

Whilst I duly concede that I may have a blind spot as regards the magic that fellow reviewers are so patently recognising, I am nevertheless quite happy to sit unmoved on the canal bank and simply wave at the ID Entity barge as it passes serenely by, until it altogether disappears from sight, behind the lock gates.

For what it's worth, I ended up salvaging only Friend or Foe? for my collection. The rest of the tracks simply sunk without trace. And there they will remain, unloved, for all time, I reckon. Three stars max.

A really strong, melodic, beautiful and a bit dystopian new album by Riverside - the Polish prog rock masters return in 2023 with the eight installment in their studio catalogue, titled 'ID.Entity', this time taking some more time between this release and the previous one, which landed in 2018. One important change in terms of the band's line-up after the unfortunate passing of their ex-guitar player Piotr Grudzinski in 2016, as he has been officially replaced by Maciej Meller, previously only a touring member. Now with a proper lineup of four again, Riverside come back to present a collection of a little more uplifting than usual, quite versatile, and very lovely compositions, whose style ranges from their usual prog rock with tints of Porcupine Tree to a more classic rock-oriented numbers, all making up for a pleasant listening experience. Apparently Mariusz Duda is taking a critical look upon the contemporary world, with the songs hinting at themes like mass control, identity crisis, disillusion, disappointment with friendships and relationships, among other topics.

A catchy and somewhat 80s synth-prog-inspired opener, 'Friend of Foe' is quite a lovely way to kick off 'ID.Entity', starting off on a more uplifting note, presenting some tasty bass playing, lovely keyboards, and the usual warm vocals delivering some thoughtful lyrics. Even if the music seems a bit different than usual, I would not consider the lyrical content too distant from what is expected from the band, meaning that what Riverside is best known for, is still present here, the identity of the band could hardly be lost, despite the fact that this is one of the revolving themes of the record. 'Landmine Blast' is also very strong, tricky bass playing here, with Duda displaying his great songwriting capabilities once again. 'Big Tech Brother' is very interesting, once again reminiscent of some 80s synth-prog, I just cannot put my finger on exactly what it is, but the keyboards are very impressive on this one, so are the guitars. 'Post-Truth' is unfortunately a bit more forgettable and 'The Place Where I Belong' is not my favorite longer track by Riverside, but 'I'm Done With You' redeems both of them with its powerful, darker and anthemic nature. Finally, there is the playful and enjoyable 'Self-Aware'. The deluxe edition of this album features two bonus instrumental tracks as well as the single edits of 'Friend or Foe' and 'Self-Aware'.

'ID.Entity' is a very solid addition to the band's discography overall, it presents a different side of Riverside, and catches them trying to display a less darker musical presentation - the end result is a very well-constructed new album for them and a great entry point for their new lead guitarist.

One of the most eagerly awaited premieres of 2023. Entitled ID.Entity... and whose title is a kind of play on words between entity and identity or the identification of a person... a way of reflecting on the alignment, control or domination that large corporations exercise over people or over the planet.

But apart from this subject matter, which is all very well but doesn't say anything new either, what matters is the music. The music both as a reflection of this theme and in an absolute way.

And in this aspect, it is worth noting that Riverside has not rested on its laurels. And as usual, they have once again given another twist to their musical style.

And how do they surprise us on this latest album? Well, the formula is very varied and for me very successful. They start with the audacity of introducing sounds inspired by 80's music, in fact, the first track of the album and first single, sounds close to A-ha: dynamic rhythms, fresh harmonies and melodies with a pop and new wave touch... But it doesn't stop here, far from it: the 80's references are just another resource that they use in a controlled and punctual way to varnish some of the tracks. Tracks that are in constant movement and change and in which we find hard and heavy moments, a fondness for their metal background, more basic rock zones and zones of static atmospheres and contained rhythms with a great profusion and dominance of keyboards.

Of course, we also find very progressive areas: wide and epic developments, with great rhythmic and dynamic contrasts and sometimes emotional and sometimes very descriptive, almost narrative voices that remind me of the way people like Andy Tillison from The Tangent approach their developments. Or other combinations that remind me so much of proposals that could perfectly be signed by King Crimson, Pink Floyd or Porcupine Tree.

But all these references are simply impressions, as all the music contained in this album seems to me to be highly personal and original. In the end, the references only serve to frame or give form and what matters is that the proposal knows how to integrate those references while contributing new things... And in this ID.Entity there are good doses of that.

An album that, although it must necessarily be classified as progressive rock, it is really only nominally so, as for me it stands out above all for its open-mindedness to integrate multiple references from arena rock, through new wave, metal or atmospheric music.

And of course all excellently performed. The instrumental contributions are very good: amazing bass lines, the keyboards are very dynamic and provide a rich timbre, and the guitar solos are very intense.

A very complete album. An album that I think people with different musical sensibilities will like, and that since the beginning of this 2023 is positioned as a firm candidate to be among the most outstanding of the year.

I guess this is where I part ways with Riverside. I have been a very big fan of Riverside and own all their albums. I have been looking forward to the release of this album but, I must say, I am disappointed.

What got me hooked on to Riverside was primarily their melodies. Somehow this time around their melodies do not resonate with me. Also the chosen topic for the album is not very interesting. I think all that can be said about the influence of high-tech companies on the society have been said and regurgitated ad nauseum.

Having said all of this I still think their musicianship is still superb. I am yet to be convinced with their new guitar player. I saw them live in a small club and he was doing a good job but again somehow, I am not connecting with his solos on an emotional level.

Although the album contains lots of proggy sections, fundamentally I find the songs very much based on pop music. This is not necessarily bad, but not to my taste.

I had a similar parting of ways with Steve Wilson when he released his Future Bites album. So be it. Pop music is not my thing.