And Then They Were Four. After a "Wasteland" realized as a trio in memory of their deceased guitarist, Riverside has inducted the former Quidam guitarist, Maciej Meller, as a full member of the band after he accompanied the band live in the meantime. The result of an introspective reflection on the band's identity, but also of a questioning about who we really are in a world where real and virtual intertwine on a daily basis, "ID.entity" is presented as a new start for Riverside, intended among other things to bring out the dynamic aspects of the band as it can present them live, leaving aside the melancholic aspects of the previous productions to stick to lyrics in tune with the brutality of the world around us.

And strangely, the album opens with a rather atypical track with the big appearance of a single in which would be invited Ultravox and its characteristic rhythms, then Sylvan with a melody and a very catchy chorus, before ending the work in instrumental mode with soaring keyboards. 'Landmine Blast' on the other hand sees Riverside coming back to its basics, with rhythmics full of breaks and several changes of atmosphere in spite of a very short duration. The machine is launched and will continue to carry on the listener to not let go.

The universe of the Poles is always as fascinating, oscillating unceasingly between multiple styles, example is given by 'Big Tech Brother' which starts in instrumental mode with jazzy colors, concluding with a powerful Metal chorus, recycled then at the end of the track on a background of very present symphonic keyboards, the whole surrounding a vocal section in 3 atmospheres.

But what to think of 'The Place Where I Belong' which invites the astonished listener in a psychedelic world, carried by the huge bass of Mariusz Duda and the Moog of Michal Lapaj, in which Pink Floyd, and more particularly the album "Animals", appear regularly as a reference in the first part, while the final allows Maciej Meller to show that he has nothing to envy to a certain David Gilmour... And what a beautiful conclusion that 'Self-Aware' which, in almost 9 minutes, synthesizes the whole album: a very pop first part followed by a more complex section sprinkled with some metal colored projections, before a soaring final that evaporates slowly as if to better incite us to take the whole thing back to its beginning.

Less atmospheric than the two previous albums, "ID.entity" brings us back to Riverside's first love, an intelligent mix of psychedelic progressive and references to the 70's canons, with a modernity pushed by judicious Metal impulses, the whole carried by a flawless interpretation. Able at the same time to carry us away by catchy verse/chorus passages with the appearance of a single, but also to bring the attention on much more complex parts, Riverside succeeds in a tasty mix able to attract a numerous audience.