Scott's Spotlight #53: Riverside

 

Welcome to Scott’s Spotlight (#scottsspotlight) issue #53. For more information about this series, please click here:

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If you read my previous spotlight (issue #52, Symphony X), you may recall that I mentioned that there were two bands that kept coming up on Facebook posts that I was slightly familiar with, but not familiar enough with them to discuss with any sense of authority. One was Symphony X, and the other is this week’s Spotlight artist, Riverside. To be clear, one reason that I do the Spotlights is so I can learn more about bands I like.

Riverside were formed in Warsaw, Poland, in 2001. It all began when two musician friends, drummer Piotr Kozieradzki and guitarist Piotr Grudziński, each of whom were playing in separate metal bands, took a short drive together in Piotr K’s car. On that drive he played some Marillion for Piotr G, and the two discovered that they shared an affinity for progressive rock. They had a mutual friend in keyboardist and producer Jacek Melnicki, who owned a recording studio. The three of them began to jam and experiment in writing progressive rock music. The trio decided they needed a bassist to complete the line-up, so they contacted vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mariusz Duda, from the band Xanadu to complete the line-up. Duda agreed to come to one rehearsal, but the chemistry was undeniable. After a few more rehearsals, the quartet agreed that they were onto something and continued to write more material. Initially, Duda sang in Polish, but decided to write English lyrics instead. After about a year together, in October of 2002, the band performed two shows in Warsaw. By then they had a demo tape, and they soon sold all 500 copies of it. As they were completing their first proper album in 2003, Jacek Melnicki, fell out with the rest of the band and wanted to go back to focusing on his recording studio work. While the band finished mixing the album, they chose a new keyboardist named Michał Łapaj.  

The debut album, titled “Out of Myself”, was released in late 2003 in Poland. The album was a success in Poland and they became a polished live band as well, which led to the debut album being re-released by American record label Laser’s Edge in 2004, with artwork done by Travis Smith, who had designed covers for Opeth, Katatonia, Anathema and Devin Townshend. After that, Riverside quickly became a fixture on the prog radar. Several publications named “Out of Myself” as the debut album of the year They took Duda’s background in ambient and electronic music and fused it with the metal background of the two Piotr’s, and the result is a sound somewhat akin to Porcupine Tree, but with its own vibe. Songs I have enjoyed on the first album include the 12-minute opener “The Same River”, the title track, “I Believe”, “Loose Heart” and the 8-minute closer, “The Curtain Falls”. They do not sound like a rookie band just finding their feet, but polished professionals at the top of their game. The album has a rating of 4.20 out of 5 stars on Prog Archives (PA).  

Shortly before the release of the second album, Riverside released an EP titled “Voices in My Head”. The EP contains five new studio tracks and 3 live versions of songs from “Out of Myself” Notable tracks are the 7+ minute “Dna Ts. Rednum or F. Rat” and “The Time I Was Daydreaming”

By the second album, “Second Life Syndrome” the band signed with international prog label Inside Out, except for at home in Poland where they would release albums on the Mystic Productions label. Released in October of 2005, the album was as highly acclaimed as the debut. This is the first Riverside album to feature Michał Łapaj on keyboards. The songs seem to be slightly harder-edged than those of the first album. I really like “Volte-Face” which is an 8:40 mini-epic song that really rocks. The centerpiece of the album is the 15:40 epic title track which has 3 movements; it is a brilliant slice of heavy modern prog! The album also includes the 11:39 “Dance With the Shadows”, which is another heavy-prog masterpiece.

Album number three, “Rapid Eye Movement” was released in 2007. The album is divided into two sections. The first five songs are under the heading of “Part 1 - “Fearless”, while the last four are “”Part 2 - Fearland”. Some versions of the album, particularly in the US, contained a second disc which contains three songs from a single that had only been released in Europe, called the “02 Panic Room” single, and 2 additional atmospheric tracks. Notable tracks include the album opener “Beyond the Eyelids”, “Schizophrenic Prayer”, “Parasomnia” and the 13:13 album closer “Ultimate Trip”. The album was fairly well received, but some fans felt like it was a slight step down when compared to the first two. PA reviewers have given it an average score of 3.81. Just before the album was released, Riverside scored an opening act slot on tour with Dream Theater in Europe. The next year, 2008, Mariusz Duda, launched his side project, Lunatic Soul.

The next album, 2009’s “Anno Domini High Definition” , dropped in 2009. While it is a fairly short album by comparison to the predecessors, around 45 minutes over 5 tracks (albeit ranging between 5:45 and 11:53 in length), this album is seen as a return to their earlier heights. I have enjoyed “Hyperactive”, the nearly 9 minute “Egoist Hedonist”, which is in three movements, the 11 minute “Left Out” and the 12 minute “Hybrid Times”. One thing I have noticed about Riverside is that while there are many instrumental segments, there are not many “solos” in the traditional sense. There are fewer moments of quieter music on this album, with the band further pursuing its more metal side. On PA it has a score average of 4.22 stars out of 5. To promote the album, Riverside put a website online (no longer active) that tracked the progress of making the album. Following this album, Riverside released a 3 song EP, called “Memories in My Head”, which celebrated their decade as a band, and was initially only available at concerts, but later widely released.

The next full length Riverside album came out in 2013. Album number 5 is called “Shrine of New Generation Slaves”. The album title’s initials form the acronym “SONGS”. And that is exactly what it is, a fine collection of songs. Like previous Riverside albums, there are lots of great guitar riffs building the songs. Album opener, “New Generation Slave” is very high energy indeed. “The Depth of Self Delusion” is syncopated, and a bit of a slow burn, yet dramatic. Another notable track is "Deprived (Irretrivably Lost Imagination)”, which signals a return of Riverside’s more atmospheric side. . The penultimate track is the nearly 13 minute epic “Escalator Shrine”, which many fans consider to be one of Riverside’s finest, comparing the organ parts played by Michał Łapaj to Deep Purple’s great organ-master Jon Lord. The album closes with the short, aptly named “Coda” which is only 1:39. This album has also been well received on PA with an average score of 4.07 out of 5.

The sixth Riverside album would sadly mark the end of an era, as we will soon see. Released in 2015, it is titled “Love, Fear and the Time Machine”. Interestingly, there are no tracks over 10 minutes long on this album. It kicks off with the unusually titled “Lost (Why Should I be Frightened by a Hat)”. Other notable tracks include “# Addicted”, “Discard Your Fear”, “Toward the Blue Horizon” and the album closer “Found (The Unexpected Flaw of Searching)” Note that the album begins with “Lost” and ends with “Found”. The album rated a score of 4.08 out of 5 on PA. Sadly however, in February of 2016, Riverside would lose founding guitarist Piotr Grudziński, who passed away from a pulmonary embolism. He was just shy of his 41st birthday.

After his shocking death, Riverside would carry on as a trio, with Duda contributing both guitar and bass in the recording studio, while hiring Maciej Meller as a touring guitarist. At the time of Piotr Grudziński’s passing, Riverside were working on a “compilation of ambient and instrumental pieces” comprised of mostly older recordings, with a few newer ones.”Eye of the Soundscape” was released later in 2016, as a double CD, but is not considered as an official studio album. It would be the final release from Riverside involving Piotr Grudziński.

Album number 7, “Wasteland” appeared in 2018, recorded primarily with the three surviving members, although touring guitarist Maciej Meller did appear as a soloist on four of the album’s nine tracks. The opening cut is “The Day After” while the closer is “The Night Before”. As before there are no tracks of more than 10 minutes, although two have titled subsections–”Acid Rain” (6:02) and “The Struggle for Survival” (9:31). Other notable tracks include “Lament”, and the title track. While I cannot confirm it, it seems to me that some of the titles may be a tribute to their fallen guitarist. This one rates just under 4 out of 5 stars on PA, with a score of 3.96.

It would be 5 years before Riverside’s eighth and most current album as of this writing, “I.D. Entity” would be released. Maciej Meller became a full member in 2020 and is credited as such on this album. Released in both a regular 7 track album, and as a deluxe edition with two new titles and 2 single edits of other songs on the album. This album sees the return of a post-ten minute track with the 13 minute+ “The Place Where I Belong” Other tracks I have enjoyed are the opener “Friend or Foe” and “I’m Done With You”. The album closer “Self-Aware” clocks in at just below 9 minutes. It rates only minutely higher than its predecessor at 3.98 out of 4 stars.

So, what is my assessment of Riverside after taking a deep dive? I really like them…a lot! To me, they fall into the category of modern sounding heavy prog, more than Progressive Metal as Prog Archives places them. They can occasionally go more metal, but they are closer to Porcupine Tree in style, than say, Dream Theater. They are all outstanding musicians, but not prone to virtuosic displays of instrumental skill.I expect them to become a larger part of my preferred listening choices.

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Prog On!

Scott

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LINKS FOR LISTENING:

From “Out of Myself”:

“The Same River”

https://youtu.be/6CXGKFQE0WE

“The Curtain Falls”

https://youtu.be/wSv8FOUwE5c

From “Second Life Syndrome”

“Volte-Face”

https://youtu.be/6p2kmcLPops

“Second Life Syndrome”

https://youtu.be/Gy5Xe-Nm_Ew

From “Rapid Eye Movement”

“Parasomnia”

https://youtu.be/rO_SRMfm7Uo

“Ultimate Trip”

https://youtu.be/RYVHNIJC-FU 

From “Anno Domini High Definition”

“Egoist Hedonist”

https://youtu.be/yqvyCygtXkk 

“Hybrid Times”

https://youtu.be/Wg-01P_BlPw 

From “Shrine of New Generation Slaves”

The Depth of Self-Delusion”

https://youtu.be/VdNcAHbpaGc 

“Escalator Shrine”

https://youtu.be/YoQK83_4eHM

From “Love, Fear and the Time Machine”

“Lost (Why Should I Be Frightened by a Hat?)”

https://youtu.be/7ZFu_1N_Yvc 

“#Addicted”

https://youtu.be/6oZL5em0UgQ

From: “Wasteland”

“Acid Rain”

https://youtu.be/l9B_o4Cw_9I

“The Struggle for Survival”

https://youtu.be/9NEF1rT7iiI

From “ID.Entity”:

 “Friend or Foe”

https://youtu.be/eW-N8UqBHTA

“The Place Where I Belong”

https://youtu.be/VL1IZt-nudw