The death of guitarist Piotr Grudzinski in 2016 forced Polish prog rock band Riverside to operate as a trio on
Wasteland(2018). The band has since returned to working as a quartet, with guitarist Maciej Meller joining the ranks. Whereas Wasteland is a rather dark-sounding record, the foursome goes more toward melodic rock on ID.Entity. The record starts with Friend Or Foe, which sounds like an 80s
… synth pop hit. But the band certainly shows its heavy side as well. Singer Mariusz Duda has written his lyrics around the theme of identity and incorporates questions such as "Who am I?" into his songs. Duda sings excellently and the band, which has now been around for more than 20 years, sounds inspired. (JV)more
