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░ ██ ██ Artist: Riverside ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Wasteland █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2018 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2018-12-31 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Inside Out Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ As a quartet, Polish act Riverside produced some █
█ of the most characteristic and captivating albums █
█ in modern progressive rock/metal. Sadly, the █
█ untimely passing of founding guitarist Piotr █
█ Grudzinski in early 2016 sent fans and the █
█ remaining membersùvocalist/bassist/lead songwriter █
█ Mariusz Duda, drummer Piotr Kozieradzki, and █
█ keyboardist Michal Lapajùinto a painful world of █
█ uncertainty about if, when, and how they should █
█ continue. After all, GrudzinskiÆs distinctive █
█ style was a major part of their treasured formula, █
█ so adequately replacing him seemed both impossible █
█ and potentially impolite. █
█ Ultimately, they decided to stay together, release █
█ a compilation of new and old ambient instrumental █
█ pieces dedicated to Grudzinski (2016Æs Eye of the █
█ Soundscape), and spend the next two years or so █
█ working on a proper follow-up to 2015Æs Love, Fear █
█ and the Time Machine. Happily, their efforts and █
█ apprehensions have paid off, as their first studio █
█ album as a trio, Wasteland, is a beautifully bleak █
█ testament to the aftermath of tragedy that retains █
█ almost everything that made Riverside special █
█ since they first emerged with 2004Æs Out of █
█ Myself. ItÆs not the groupÆs best work to date, █
█ but with Duda, Kozieradzki, and Lapaj still firing █
█ on all cylinders within a shared vision, itÆs an █
█ exquisite sequence nonetheless. █
█ Of the decision to carry on, Duda recalls telling █
█ Lapaj and Kozieradzki, ôLet's remember that this █
█ is just the beginning. Many of our fans can't █
█ imagine an album without Grudzien and for some of █
█ them the band ceased to exist when he died. We █
█ have to prove that we are able to survive not only █
█ by playing concerts but, most of all, by recording █
█ a new album.ö (Also, while Maciej Meller joined as █
█ a touring guitarist last year, heÆs not yet an █
█ official member. Duda clarifies, ôI love Maciej █
█ but everything has to have its place and time.ö) █
█ Suitably written ôfrom the point of view of █
█ someone bereft, someone who has survived a █
█ tragedy,ö the LP finds Duda taking over six-string █
█ duties, too (alongside solos from Meller and █
█ Mateusz Owczarek) and it incorporates violins via █
█ Michal Jelonek. █
█ Aiding the aforementioned personal subject matter █
█ is post-apocalyptic social commentary inspired by █
█ fiction like Cormac McCarthyÆs The Road and the █
█ Fallout video game series. Finally, Kozieradzki █
█ remarks that Wasteland feels like a second debut █
█ album and Duda aptly continues, ôI honestly can't █
█ remember listening to new Riverside music with █
█ tears in my eyes, and there are such moments here. █
█ The music very often grabs you by the throat.ö █
█ Indeed, Wasteland features some of the most █
█ gorgeously painful moments in their entire █
█ discography. █
█ The record harkens back to earlier albums in a few █
█ ways. Most overtly, its opening mantra (ôThe Day █
█ Afterö) conjures Second Life SyndromeÆs starter, █
█ ôAfter,ö in title and form (as does its closer, █
█ ôThe Night Before,ö albeit more quietly and █
█ sparsely). Likewise, its harsher, more █
█ riff-focused cheerlessness evokes that sophomore █
█ effort, too, as well as Shrine of New Generation █
█ Slaves. Truthfully, its abrasive leanings and █
█ solos can be a bit perfunctory and repetitious at █
█ times (like the verses of ôVale of Tearsö), yet █
█ Riverside still infuses those moments with enough █
█ inventive nuance and engaging intricacy to make it █
█ worthwhile. Of course, they mostly still excel █
█ when it comes to unleashing progressive metal █
█ delights, such as the gripping chorus of ôLament,ö █
█ the mesmerizing (if also a tad too lengthy) █
█ complexity of the wordless ôThe Struggle for █
█ Survival,ö and the infectiously quirky jam halfway █
█ into the title track. Without a doubt, Wasteland █
█ delivers plenty of idiosyncratically destructive █
█ and sophisticated gold. █
█ That said, the bandùas well as DudaÆs solo █
█ project, Lunatic Soulùalways shines most during █
█ the more introspective, melodic, and earnest █
█ moments; on that front, Wasteland is truly █
█ masterful. In general, it proffers an █
█ overarchingly ingenious compromise between its █
█ heavy and light personas, with a few standout █
█ passages ranking among the top Riverside moments █
█ ever. For instance, the closing half of ôAcid █
█ Rainö lets an atmospheric bridge give way to one █
█ of DudaÆs catchiest and most spiritually rich █
█ chants (a returning trademark that appears several █
█ other times, in different forms, on the █
█ full-length). Elsewhere, his frank deliveries meld █
█ with forlorn soundscapes to make ôGuardian Angelö █
█ a lovely acoustic ballad, whereas ôLamentö █
█ cleverly reprises the piercing violins of ôThe Day █
█ Afterö to give Wasteland even more conceptual █
█ continuity. Also, ôRiver Down Belowö is a █
█ wonderfully mournful and peaceful ode (DudaÆs █
█ trembling tenor makes it downright heart-breaking, █
█ in fact). █
█ Easily the most impactful piece in that regard, █
█ however, is closer ôThe Night Beforeö because it █
█ brilliantly exemplifies how the most richly █
█ emotional songs are often the simplest. Comprised █
█ only of a few luscious piano patterns and █
█ downtrodden, echoed reflections and hums, it █
█ captures perfectly a sense of acceptance and █
█ catharsis following a lengthy trauma. Taken in █
█ context, those elements, combined with sentiments █
█ like ôWhen the night begins to fall / You and I in █
█ a safety zone / If all the world shall not return █
█ / But weÆll survive intact again,ö make it one of █
█ the most ethereally devastating tracks DudaÆs ever █
█ sung. █
█ Despite its very slight instances of generic █
█ tedium, Wasteland is another remarkable album from █
█ one of todayÆs best progressive outfits. Sure, the █
█ absence of GrudzinskiÆs personality is surely █
█ felt, but the guitar work here is still quite █
█ fitting and capable. Similarly, RiversideÆs █
█ colorful eccentricities are clearly missingùbut █
█ thatÆs precisely the point. Rather than offer █
█ vibrant theatrics (such as the ôReality Dreamö █
█ instrumentals), Wasteland appropriately aims to be █
█ a somberly serene meditation on grief, █
█ abandonment, and ultimately, letting go and moving █
█ on. With the remaining players still at the helm, █
█ it absolutely accomplishes that, proving that █
█ while GrudzinskiÆs passing indefinitely changed █
█ their dynamic, Riverside certainly has a second █
█ life as an empowered trio. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. The Day After 1:48 ░
░ 2. Acid Rain 6:02 ░
░ 3. Vale of Tears 4:48 ░
░ 4. Guardian Angel 4:24 ░
░ 5. Lament 6:10 ░
░ 6. The Struggle for Survival 9:31 ░
░ 7. River Down Below 5:43 ░
░ 8. Wasteland 8:27 ░
░ 9. The Night Before 4:08 ░
░ 10. River Down Below (Radio Edit) 4:25 ░
░ 55:26 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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