Leave it to Old World rockers to take us into the dark depths before finally pointing us to the light.
By Andrew Petiprin
Growing up in the United States in the 1980’s and 90’s, I learned to love freedom. At the same time, being both a Christian and the product of a broken home instilled a certain skepticism within me. There were always unseen forces at work, lies festering, and illusions masking reality. Could someone ever truly be free?
These days I know quite a few people who grew up behind the Iron Curtain, in circumstances very different from my childhood. I have learned from them that the subtle paranoia I have always felt in the Land of the Free is a more mainstream sensibility among people who have experienced life under an oppressive regime. In such a world, lies are not only baked into the cake, but they form its main ingredient. As Ryszard Legutko explained in a recent speech, “the nature of these lies is systemic: once you are a part of the system, you accept its logic; once you accept the logic, you accept the consequences.” Although Communism is officially gone now from Europe, a new system challenges freedom worldwide. Today’s challenge is to be fully human amid technological advances that are mostly out of human control.
In pursuit of this true freedom, we should pay special attention to the perspective of people who grew up under Communism. They may simply be more attuned to the creeping danger of anti-humanism. People like the aforementioned Legutko, a Pole, remind an American like me that I was right all along to be worried about the things I found in Orwell, The X-Files, and the music of Radiohead. Likewise, the Polish prog-metal band Riverside may serve the same purpose of tech-resistant solidarity. Their 2023 studio album, ID.Entity, is a worthwhile listen for those with ears to hear.
Concerns about the soul-destroying effects of technology and other aspects of modern life have been common in Riverside’s lyrics throughout their career. On their eleven albums spread out over twenty years, their musical style includes elements of prog-metal in the vein of Porcupine Tree, dreamy compositions akin to early 70’s Pink Floyd, and 80’s-style pop. And for a band whose words often critique technology, there is irony in the fact that, similar to Radiohead, their music relies on technology. Indeed, it sounds technological. Such is the duality of life in the technocratic paradigm.
On ID.Entity, vocalist and bassist Mariusz Duda’s ordinary source of lyrical material is significantly enlarged by the experience of coming out of COVID. If there ever was a time to pause and ask oneself what it means to be truly free and fully human, this is it. And Riverside does.
The first ninety seconds of the opening track, “Friend or Foe,” hit the ears as an 80’s-throwback classic reminiscent of A-ha. We hear big synth, power chords, and an ethereal vocal intro, and then the bass takes over, along with Duda’s crystal-clear voice. The lyrics set the tone for the whole record, with an amusing critique of ideological cosplay: “so are you neo or post?” The catchy chorus then evokes the inescapability of our digital age: “And we go round and round, update, upload.” Then follow some convicting questions, “Are you fake or real? Are you friend or foe?”
On the second track, “Landmind Blast,” we are invited to consider that our divisions are manufactured. Duda sings, “Someone wanted to make us fight one another.” The third song, “Big Tech Brother” is just as direct. After a computerized spoken intro reminiscent of Radiohead’s “Fitter Happier,” the band returns to the synth and bass combination from the opening track. The lyrics directly reference 1984 and Brave New World, and Duda expresses disapproval of utilitarian arguments for surveillance:
Being tracked
Being parsed
Being mined
Modified
Being used
Being searched
Being lied to
Monetised
All that we’ve got
Is not for free at all.
The song goes out on a noodly guitar solo that will please fans of Kirk Hammett and his ilk.
“Post Truth” is my favorite song on the record. It begins with synths evocative of the Doctor Who theme, joined by thrash-style guitars and the usual driving bass. The lyrics are about struggling with anger amid confusion over discerning reality from phoniness. Duda sings, “in a constant lie I live.” Musically, the song then wanders from 70’s prog to a 2000’s-era heavy bottom, with Duda’s vocals at their most delicate, David Gilmour-esque. The piece then ends most unexpectedly with a soft, ethereal piano part. Magnificent.
The fifth track, “The Place Where I Belong” is a thirteen-minute suite that forms the centerpiece of ID.Entity, and it contains the best music on the record, but also some of the weakest lyrics. It begins with very gentle acoustic guitar and vocal that calls to mind the American folk-rock psychedelic band Love. The song then gets spacey like Pink Floyd’s Meddle and parts of Radiohead’s OK Computer, before becoming groovier, with bass and organ as the prominent instruments. It is all very prog, sophisticated, and thoroughly interesting to listen to.
Duda's words, however, are a little too on-the-nose at times. Duda’s line, “Extreme right or extreme left, that’s the only choice,” is platitudinous. Likewise, he refers inelegantly to a “pop-philosopher” and “a few well-known quotes from your favourite browser.” Eventually, however, Duda offers some turns of phrase that cut deep. My favorite is this line: “Maybe I don’t want to wait for better times.” The end of the song is appropriately pessimistic (or is it an admirable resolve?): “I’m sorry I’m getting out.”
The next track, “I’m done with you,” would have fit musically on Yes’ Close to the Edge. The lyrics are harsher than anywhere else on the record, and they describe a personal conflict that may resonate with people who had fundamental disagreements with loved ones during the COVID years. Duda sings, “You feel you have to wake me up. You have to make me aware. Tell me I lost my way.” He then asks bluntly, “Why don’t you shut your mouth?”
The next song, “Self Aware,” may be a response to the bitter words of the previous track. With an 80’s-style driving guitar riff throughout, it is much brighter than the other songs on the record. And while the lyrics reflect a struggle over whether to retreat from or engage with a mad world, hope emerges from the near-despair of our recent unpleasantness: “I’m sick and tired of our fighting on a minefield, of the social distance warnings. The future is in our hands.” Most importantly, Duda revisits his pain over the broken relationships he explored previously, and he also calls back to the fourth track, “Post-Truth,” concluding, “the truth is I cannot live without you.”
After exploring all of our warranted frustration about the state of the world, it is in this place of human love where we must land. That’s real freedom. Otherwise, the technocratic paradigm really does win, and we are left with the lies of disconnection and loneliness. Leave it to Old World rockers to take us into the dark depths before finally pointing us to the light.
Check out Riverside’s whole catalogue, and especially ID.Entity for a timely exploration of what matters.
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