ID.ENTITY

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, the much darker transitional album 'Wasteland'. 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 an eclectic and electronic-driven collection of a little more uplifting material than usual, full of versatile and smart compositions and preserving to an extent the band's signature style of melancholic and occasionally heavy progressive rock, this time however packed with a seemingly more commercially-oriented sound as Riverside try out a few synth-inspired sounds here and there and display a bit more streamlined songwriting, more similar to their 2015 material, all resulting in a slightly less consistent experience. Not that the album lacks originality but the songs seem to be a bit more rushed than usual, which results in a perceivable tension that might have also come from the slight stylistic difference of the album.

A catchy and somewhat 80s synth-prog-inspired opener, 'Friend of Foe' is an enjoyable way to kick off 'ID.Entity', starting off on a more uplifting note, presenting some tasty bass playing, lovely keyboards, and the usual warm vocal delivery. Lyrically, the album does not fail to follow up on the usual themes found in the band's music, themes that deal with identity, loss, personal experience and the like. 'Landmine Blast' is also very strong, tricky bass playing here, with Duda displaying his great songwriting capabilities once again. 'Big Tech Brother' is one of the longer pieces, reminiscent of some 80s synth-prog, most probably Rush; a fine track but a much less intriguing one compared to other longer compositions by the Polish band. 'Post-Truth' is a bit more forgettable and 'The Place Where I Belong' is the longest track on the album, a more adventurous piece that has some very neat playing, while 'I'm Done With You' has a more powerful, darker and anthemic nature. All in all, 'ID.Entity' is a strong addition to the band's discography as it presents a different side of Riverside's music and sees them trying out a less heavy musical presentation - the end result is quite a fine work that differentiates itself from the rest of the band's catalogue but nevertheless remains a very interesting entry that certainly expands their musical palette.