RIVERSIDE – WASTELAND
7/10
‘Vale of Tears’ is a sparse, dystopian nightmare for fans of Ghost, Rasmus and Porcupine Tree. Clever intertwining harmonies and vas arrangements flow through the album from this powerful Polish three-piece. Michał Łapaj compliments the album with keyboards and Hammond Organ whilst Piotr Kozieradzki drums with vigour and slow calculated intensity.
Mariusz Duda composed the music and lyrics for the entire record. He also fronts the band as singer and multi-instrumentalist playing bass, banjo, acoustic and electric guitar and even piccolo. ‘River Down Below’ is a cool gentle ballad whilst ‘Vale of Tears’ is a rockier Muse-like tune. ‘Lament’ leans towards a prog sound starting off like Zepplin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and ending like a System of a Down song. ‘Guardian Angel’ and ‘The Struggle for Survival’ are both stand out tracks showing the band’s departure from the electronic/ industrial sounds of 2016’s ‘Eye of the Soundscape’.
