WASTELAND

...and then there were three. Plus guest guitars. After Piotr Grudzinski sadly passed away in 2016, the musicians expressed doubts about the possibility to keep the band. But they kept it. Here is it, still performing live and recording in studio. Though it's evidently not the same band as before. A large part of their previous magic has gone. And this loss is... no, not devastating of course, but irreplaceable. The old magic went away, no new magic came in. Yes most of the music is still written by Mariusz Duda, as it was when they were four. But... maybe Grudzinski contributed not only with interesting musical ideas and extraordinary guitar playing but also with some special 'soul vibrations'? Maybe Duda was and still is the band's leader but Grudzinski was the band's spirit? At least, this is my impression. All the tracks sound as if the musicians felt inconvenient and ill at ease that they still are the band - while that 'awkwardness' is totally missing in the latest release by Lunatic Soul, a side project by Duda that Grudzinski never participated in. (I'm a dedicated listener of Riverside since 2010 when their debut album was reissued on vinyl and I bought a copy from Robert of Primal Vinyl Records, so I know what I'm talking about.)

At the same time, in fairness, I cannot give their new album less than four stars. Here at PA the 4-star rating means 'excellent addition to a prog collection', right? Well, of absolutely no doubt Wasteland really is a brilliant addition to any prog collection, who will dispute this? Though some carping would be possible if desired, for example, the album was announced as 'harder than ever before' (or so) but ADHD from 2009 was harder... But personally to me, it would be easier to enjoy Wasteland if I forgot that it's a Riverside album. The tracks are great, and first to be marked are the closing section of Acid Rain (vocal without words), rich ideas in Lament, and atypical (especially for lullaby-type songs!) combination of 5/8 and 6/8 in The Night Before. But something imperceptible is missing.

A slight disappointment is the opening track, The Day After. Yes it sounds unusual but might sound revolutionary if the melody was more inventive and intricate.

A track of very special interest is Guardian Angel. It sounds like Grudzinski is still here.