My favourite prog rock band. Outstanding voice of Mariusz, excellent rhythm of instruments. I was on their 2 concerts, amazing atmosphere. Music from the soul. The next marvelous album. "Friend and Foe" has come to my ears and couldn't go out, flows all the day!
Hey Pete. Thanks for the great review. I was looking forward to this record. I just got it the other day and I was not disappointed. ID.Entity is a fantastic album. It's hands down my favorite of the year so far and I'm sure it's gonna be near the top of my list at the end of the year.
A new album from Riverside always brings a lot of excitement and anticipation for me, I.D. Entity is a very light hearted and at times laid back recording while leaning towards a more poppy commercial style but retaining a lot of the classic heavy Riverside sound that we all know and love. After listening to it a few times, I really enjoyed it, it sounds like Aha meets mid 80s Rush which shows you that the band are not afraid to dabble into different genres. It's a great collection of songs from top to bottom and the two bonus instrumental tracks are definitely worth checking out. After almost 5 years, it's really nice to have a new Riverside album
That was fast. I was hoping to get this album's review soon, but having it this week is amazing. Thanks, Pete. Really digging this record. 'Friend or Foe' is a song that gets better with each listen. Didn't notice that 'The Place Where I Belong' was over 13 minutes long the first time I played the album, it's excellent nonetheless. Also enjoyed 'Big Tech Brother' and 'I'm done with you'.
Cheers Pete, that went exactly as expected. It’s a fine album with great atmosphere. Hope you get to see them live, the musical atmosphere they create live is phenomenal.
Never had heard of this band before (my loss😪), but the song Friend or Foe popped up in my suggestion box and after that one song I went and listened to everything they had in their catalog and even have tix to see them in February. I'm all in on this band now! 👍👏😁
Of course we do not pretend this will be the new dark side moon , or foxtrot , or in court crimson , or Tarkus , or Octopus , or even Obzen meshuggah or moving pictures from Rush , but please believe me this is an outstanding album totally instant Prog classic , I am really enjoying this album 💿 probably will be the best album of 2023 , almost 99% of Chanel music 🎵 agree with me 😅😅😅😅
Pete, thanks that was a brief but accurate summation of ID.Dentity. As with all their albums ID. Entity is incredibly multi-layered and demands the listener put in quality listening time. The one thing that is true about Riverside's albums is that you can never judge any album on a first listen - this is especially true of ID. Dentity. For example, I have to confess that I did not 'get' SONGS or Love, Fear and the Time Machine (Compared to their earlier efforts) for the first couple of plays, and now I consider them absolutely magnificent. ID. Dentity has so many layers, so many doors to go through, so emotionally moving, so textured and nuanced! A true 3-D sonic experience - in short it is amazing! I think much of the criticism may be based on the fact that the late brilliant guitarist Piotr Kozieradzki provided so much regarding the arranging of their songs, his loss can never be under emphasized, but 'todays' Riverside is a band that has gone through a catastrophic experience and come out the other side. We all felt the emotional pain contained in The Wasteland, we all understood that that album had to be what it was. Now the band prompts us to move in a different direction, while still letting us know they are still very much the band we have always loved. The fact that lyrically the album is a comment on the world we now live in reflects the point that Riverside are still here and a resonating part of all our journeys. I am looking forwards with eager anticipation to seeing them live in March!
More upbeat lyrical content than past releases. Especially "Self Aware", very '80s Rush sound. The heavier "I'm done with you" is my favorite song. Overall the bass-focus of the songs speaks to me. I saw them live last year and going to see again in March. Can't wait! They really connect with their audience I find.
Another thanks, Pete, for the commitment to the weekly new product shows. Have listened to an except or two and will be returning for a more detailed listen later this week.
I have been a fan of Riverside since their first album and with this release, I am further amazed by the sheer quality of their music. In terms of present prog bands, Riverside has risen to be my favorite. Thanks Pete for the great review!
I am highly impressed with this album. Seems like they added some more unique elements and more melody. They didn't lose the tech side either. Naturally, it takes a few listens, like all the best music.
The only other record I've gotten so far for 2023 with any decent good tracks is We Are Scientists/Lobes & this one definitely beats it. The new Damanek & Black Star Riders albums were kind of letdowns...
@@wolf1977 The only other albums I've listened to were from Fireworks, Maneskin, and Twilight Force. The latter two I found to be ok, and the former was pretty cool.
Completely agree. In fact. I was a little pissed that I pre-ordered the CD before knowing about the special edition, then had to order that one to get the extra tracks. But they were worth it!
Nice review Pete. I really like the new Riverside album. I am a fan since their first album Out Of Myself from 2003. See my review of all Riverside albums on my own channel Harold's Prog Rock Show.
I agree, Pete, Riverside is a band that seems to take a while to fully digest and appreciate. I'm not sure if I'm a total fan yet. I've been listening to their catalog since your Must Hear Bands of the 21st Century and I do like them the more I listen. I think I like them a lot right now, but maybe don't love them yet. Will keep playing them though, the music is undeniably finely crafted.
I'm liking this album so far. I thought I was listening to A-Ha when the first track kicked off but it soon gets down to business. I've been listening to it for less than a week but it seems so familiar already.
I look forward to seeing them live here in the states. Very rare they come here and a first where I live as well. So it will be pretty special. Love your work by the way! We should talk love music!
Yeah, indeed, this album feels much more 'immediate' than earlier Riverside works: I liked it just from the first listen. And second listen solidified my sympathies even more. Not sure if it's better than earlier works, Wasteland for me was just fantastic. At moments, were synth and guitars come into play at the same time, it sounds like Rush from the times of Grace Under Pressure or Power Windows. Especially in Friend or Foe? and Self-Aware. I've never noticed similarities to 80s Rush in Riverside's songs. And I really like that sound. My favourite tracks: Friend or Foe? and I'm Done With You. If I need to rate this in numbers, I'd give 4,5 stars out of 5.
Fantastic live band, caught them last Spring, and they are touring N. America again this March/April I believe. Even before Pete's positive review I knew I would be picking up this new studio release.
Just FYI, since you started out mentioning it - this is a new cover artist, and all of their previous covers were done by someone else. The new artwork is outstanding, in my opinion, and I think it works very well - but it does NOT look like what one expects from a Riverside album cover, and that is (literally) by design. Cheers!
how did i miss new Riverside album? ok i'm checking this out! Also, according to the website, it's Steven Reid who reviewed this album, not Simon Bray.
I was just going to buy the album off this review and the comments and replies. In one of the comments, it was mentioned that it cost $42. Then I saw the album consisted of three Compact Discs. Now I see most, if not all the songs are in triplicate or in quadruplicate. I may be in the vast minority, but usually I do not like to listen to a song more than once a day, maybe about once every 24 hours.
This pushes a bit into 'metal' territory without really being metal. A good thing for me. Yet also has some pop. Sufficiently accessible - sometimes I don't have the patience for some prog, though as time goes on it becomes an increasingly big thing for me. Getting to the point where not comparing Duda with Geddy Lee is difficult - not that they are the same or anything like that. The bass on this album is fantastic. This and Katatonia were released on the same day, and as others are saying, both are really strong albums.
After Shrine of New Generation Slaves and Anno Domine High Definition I got disinterested in Riverside. Their brand of hard rock just didn't interest me. I just sampled this new one and I'm back on the train. This is really good!
Great playing and production but i think so far what you said about it being more accessible(but not overly) is what is holding me back some Love Riverside but also as a prog fan (and fusion) I don't care much about accessibility I know i need more listens here but i don't see any way in which this album is pushing the musical envelope much ,if at all Good album,... where is the progress? More listens coming Thanks for the review Pete PS This point brings up again question of what is prog There can be prog bands that don't progress Not saying Riverside is one of them And there are many bands/artists who won't be classified as prog whose music is always moving forward Problem of definitions i suppose
I really didn't get much out of this album. I think Riverside have put out some solid material in the past but the writing on this album especially lyrically I found to be incredibly convoluted. Yeah, I'll give it to you there's some decent riffs but I think this album is trying it's best to pander to people who want something with deep, meaningful writing. But what they end up delivering is a really watered down sounding record that doesn't really have much to say that hasn't been said before by bands with a more articulate grasp of the same ideas that Riverside are fumbling over here. There's a distinct lack of nuance in the writing that I find concerning. I think that's a thing that a lot of modern prog bands struggle with. Being so laser focused on writing something technically impressive or musically incredibly tight that when it comes down to what the song is actually about they just seem to have to spoon feed something to their listeners because these bands don't seem trust the intelligence of their listeners enough to write anything deeper than "technology bad". Anyway, if you liked it I'm glad you got something out of it. I just think this could've been a lot better if it wasn't so blunt in the lyrical department.
I share your feelings. Lyrics are too literal and it puts me off at times. Musically there are many good ideas but they are underdeveloped. Still a good album that I enjoy listening. I'm glad to see Riverside exploring new sounds and new themes, other than anxiety, mental health and sorrow.
Good one, I liked 7 tracks from their new album. This is my 13th release by them (including live stuff & some acoustic sessions) - great band. One of the best prog bands going I'd say. Really solid vocals as Pete outlined. They also always keep things melodic which I appreciate (a lot). Nothing bad to say about this record or band. Is there some heaviness too? Hell yeah, even Angry Metal Guy likes it - he draws comparisons to Gazpacho (another good band but not quite on Riverside's level). All in all I'd rank this one slighly behind Shrine Of New Generation Slaves & also behind Love Fear And The Time Machine (my fave Riverside album) but not by that much
Unfortunately the album disappointed me a bit. I'm a big fan of Riverside and I must compare this release with the great ones "Second Life Syndrome", "Out of Myself" and of course my best "Anno Domini High Definition". I found the album quite weak lyrically, the guitar riffs are poorer (compared to the albums I write above) and with the synth overpowering somewhat too much(???). Overall ... the album is not bad, it's just a little bit weak and this is my personal opinion. 7.5/10 from me.
Maybe the weakest album in an insane strong catalog. But the album grows more and more 7/10 so far. But I just hate the silly spoken intro to track 3...
Let's be honest here. This is their weakest work ever. All of their previous albums are a minimum 4.5. This one is a 3 at best. I struggled through this entire album feeling a sense of relief when it was over. What a slog it was. The band members even know they have a stinker on their hands when you see them interviewed. There is nothing worse than waiting 3 or more years and getting a sub par album. Fortunately their back catalog will keep me going until their next release. I may give this one another listen in a few days once the amnesia kicks in.
@@seaoftranquilityprog Same here.. i think all their albums are guite good. No weak albums.. But i recommed Lunatic Soul Mariusz Duda soloproject ..All Lunatic Soul albums are awesome...
@@ShinDSER maybe it's just me, but I find it strange to state that this is one of their worst albums when it's only been out for a few days now, and we all have so much history with their previous albums. I think it's fair to give a new album a few months to sink in before saying where it might sit in a catalog. But, to each his own.
