ID.ENTITY

1. "Friend or Foe?" (7:29) What's with the recent fascination with/return to the 1980s? It's as if these band members got together and decided that they wanted to do a remake (or tribute) to MIKE AND THE MECHANICS' "All I Need Is a Miracle" but then decided they wanted to put their own lyrics over the top of it. Such simplicity. What happened to Riverside? (12.5/15)

2. "Landmine Blast" (4:50) now extracting a motif from one of their old songs: the first vocal verse from their great epic "Second Life Syndrome" from the the album of the same name the band fuels a new song. (The master composers of classical music did it, so why not Riverside?) At least this song sounds like Riverside. The instrumental section in the fifth and sixth minutes is interesting. (8.75/10)

3. "Big Tech Brother" (7:24) starting with a hokey little public information announcement, the music then picks up as an almost-Jazz-Rock Fusion piece with fast-moving notes of bass and drums mirrored by banked synth horns (which are serving as the keyboard's mirror to the fast-moving drum, bass and guitar play). The music then becomes slowed down, exuding heavy power rock, and then much more cabaret rock-like (with a solo organ for the initial support) for the vocal sections with theatric stop-and-goes and plenty of bombastic bursts from full band and Mariusz' vocal. The soaring guitar solo in the sixth and seventh minute is buried in a very heavy, thick full-band power chord sequence, but then the instrumental passage turns back to the opening motif, only with a far more rock-like flow and palette to it. Nice composition and sound. Almost as edgy and inventive as the Riverside of the 2000s. (13.25/15)

4. "Post-Truth" (5:37) a nice song that uses standard formatting and an attitude that says "we can do this stuff in our sleep" to me. Again, rife with borrowed riffs and ideas. I do, however, love the piano outro. (8.75/10)

5. "The Place Where I Belong" (13:16) sounds like the place that David Gilmour and Roger Waters both ended up when Pink Floyd had run its course: elemental blues rock. Even the lyrics and vocal performance sound like Roger. Still, some nice performances from the individuals: solid drumming from Piotr Kozieradzki, nice Hammond work from Michał Łapaj, excellent vocals and bass (and acoustic guitar work) from Mariusz, nice power guitar and dobro from Maciej Meller. The middle section sounds so much like Roine Stolt and THE FLOWER KINGS. The tenth and eleventh minutes are by far and away my favorite parts of the whole album: absolutely stunning beauty in the finish of Mariusz' vocal performance and gorgeous acoustic guitar-led chord progression. Everything about those final four minutes are just ear candy! Thank you, thank you! A top three song. (27/30)

6. "I'm Done with You" (5:52) built entirely around twin ascending melody lines, this clever song construct is, to my mind, a sign that the creative juices are not quite dead. My only complaint is in the fact that the main idea/motif is by far the most dominant idea used throughout the song, with vary little variations or visits to other ideas. Still, it is a good, fresh idea. Bravo! Another top three song. (9/10)

7. "Self-Aware" (8:43) opens with a sound, feel, and chord/melody line quite similar to that of The Beatles' song "Help!" (if Thin Lizzy playing were playing it). In the second minute, after the first chorus, the band shifts into staccato Reggae mode but then goes full early RUSH with a little guitar chord sequence before falling back into the new Reggae motif. Riffs of homage also go out to Golden Earring, Nazareth, some 80s pop band (like the Squeeze or Godley and Creme), Pink Floyd, The Cure, and others. (By "self-aware" are they meaning that they've all become aware of the sources of formation of their musical tastes and are herein paying tribute to some of those bands?) Clever and interesting but not the type of song I'd ever thought I'd hear coming from this band. Oh, well. I must stay true to my claim that I like artists who grow and evolve--who aren't afraid to try new things and change. Is this a great song? No. Is it good and solid? Yes. Very. Probably my final top three song. (17.5/20)

Total Time 53:11 It never seemed to me that the Riverside of the Naughties relied so much on pre-existing forms and structures like they have in the past 15 years--and this album shows nothing different. Are the guys too busy or too sidetracked by other projects (like life) to put as much into their music composition as they used to? These guys are so talented--and capable of such creativity--that I hold them to very high standards and expectations. I thought that Mariusz' outlet with his solo and Lunatic Soul projects would allow Riverside to continue to grow and evolve, but I think that it has worked oppositionally: the Riverside project may be looked at as the "easy" outlet and thus given far less time, energy and attention or the creative juices of the quartet have pretty much run their course and reached a point at which borrowing from the others--from the past--is the best (easiest) source for new ideas. Or my third idea is that the band has become more lyrics/message driven, that the music now serves more to carry and deliver the message--some of which are quite nostalgic and created from a perspective of age, not youth.

B+/four stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection.

P.S. the atmospheric instrumental bonus tracks are not included in my review but "Age of Anger" is good and the other one, "Together Again" is better--particularly for its nice Richard Wright keys and "twin" guitar. It would have been my final top three song. The latter, if finished, polished, and included in the main album, would have boosted the album's rating, the former kept it the same.

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