Review RIVERSIDE “Live ID”

Polish prog rock institution Riverside released their latest studio album “ID. Entity” in 2023 and went on tour to present the new songs in a live environment. One of the shows took place on June 1, 2024 at Arena COS Towar in Warsaw. The band played for almost two hours with a setlist that focused on the “ID Entity” album. The album contributed six songs to the set, while it was “#Addicted”, a song from the “Love, Fear and the Time Machine” album, that opened the show.

The fact that Riverside released their latest studio album is remarkable as the band lost one of their founding members a few years ago. Piotr Grudziński passed away in 2016, leaving a musical and emotional void. Therefore it is “ID. Entity” stands for a new beginning and the live album underlines the fact that Riverside are back.

It was the above mentioned show in Warsaw that was recorded and Riverside played a phenomenal set. The album contains everything you could ask for from a live album. The four-piece captivates from beginning to end. “Live ID.” captures the live atmosphere as well as it comes with a great sound. These are all good things, but it’s the songs that really shine.

There is the 15-minute version of “A Place Where I Belong” that impresses. The song demonstrates everything that Riverside stands for. The band has the ability to create soundscapes that include calm moments as well as dynamic outbursts. There is the shimmering sound of the keyboard as well as frontman Mariusz Dude. He turns the lyrics into little stories, as he can transport the feeling of each song together with his musical companions. It’s a beautiful thing to listen to these songs with your eyes closed and be carried away to another dimension.

We also have a live version of the mighty “Post-Truth”, which includes snippets of “Caterpillar” and “Barbed Wire”. Also “Self-Aware”, the first song of the encore, takes a little detour with elements of “Driven By Destruction”.

The rocking and powerful moments like “Panic Room” add to the appreciation of the album as well as the epic closer. “Conceiving You” is another magical moment including the big applause at the end of the show.

“Live ID.” Is a fantastic live album. Great songs, great sound, great atmosphere. Riverside show in an impressive way why they belong to the spearhead of today’s progressive rock and metal.