Riverside – ID.Entity – Album Review

20th January 2023 1 By George Simpson

What a great start to the new musical year. Polish proggers Riverside are back with their first new album in nearly five years. Not only that, but they have also set a very high bar for everyone whose albums follow it this year. There really isn’t a bad track to be had here.

In the greatest of all prog traditions, ID.Entity is a concept album dealing with, would you believe it, identity. After the craziness of the last few years, this is a multifaceted subject. Who are we? Are we still who we think we are? Why are we who we are? These are a few of the questions tackled here on this 53-minute journey into the depths of our collective psyche.

As well as tackling the wider world’s sense of identity, it most definitely sees them finally finding their own musical one again. After the sad passing of guitarist, Piotr Grudzinski in 2016, and 2018’s still reeling from the shock album Wasteland, they were a band unsure of what and who they were. By asking themselves this question, they came to realize that their key strengths were live performance and melody. This album sees a confident Riverside emerge from a tough decade with a very strong album that is very true to itself, playing very much to these key strengths.

The opening track, Friend Or Foe? oozes with melody. For a good part of the song, the eighties vibe that it exudes brings to mind classy pop bands like A-ha and Tears For Fears. Indeed, both of those dip their toes into the prog waters regularly, so it sounds very natural. Vocalist Mariusz Duda sounds remarkably like Morten Harket, before a more traditional Riverside sound emerges to remind us who we are actually listening to.

In addition to ramping up the melodic aspects of this album, they also deliver on the live-sounding front. These songs certainly sound like they were born through a band playing together in a room, rather than growing in the studio. The hypnotic riff that dominates Landmine Blast finds the band following a performance-lead approach to great effect. You can bet that these songs won’t sound that different when they come to play them live this year.

However, don’t be lulled into thinking they’ve mellowed out and turned into a pop band. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Whilst there’s a strong emphasis on melody, they certainly still know how to riff with the best of them. There’s a lovely Sabbath feel in places on Big Tech Brother, with a bit of Pink Floyd thrown in for good measure. Likewise on Post-Truth, they produce the Black Album era Metallica crunch guitar sound with aplomb. Though, just to take us on a left turn, they end this track with a haunting piano outro to bring a great track to a close.

The album’s coup de grace is undoubtedly the 13-minute multi-section epic The Place Where I Belong. It’s the track I’ve gone back to most on the album since getting it. It takes the listener through several different passages, moods, and styles to accompany Mariusz‘s tale of struggling with the chaos of the last few years. Asking so many questions about himself and the world around him. Indeed, no wonder he thinks these are the best and strongest lyrics of his career to date. They simply are, throughout the whole album. The concept is tackled thoughtfully on every track, without repetition.

The album’s final two songs perfectly demonstrate both sides of the musical coin that Riverside flip so perfectly. On the recent single/video I’m Done With You there’s a lovely 70’s Deep Purple vibe going on. The subtly battling guitar and organ riffs are pleasingly reminiscent of Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord in the pomp. In contrast, album’s closer Self Aware features a much more modern sound, and is probably the most catchy track on offer here. The Muse like riff and understated synths ensure the track helps bookend the album nicely. The album opens and closes with a modern sound and takes on a great journey in between.

Through tackling identity as a subject, the newly rejuvenated Riverside have certainly found its own one again. They have also delivered a great album I’ll probably still be listening to in years to come too. Superb stuff!

Score: 8.5/10