REALITY DREAM (E)

Riverside, the Polish progressive outfit led by bass player, lead vocalist and main composer Mariusz Duda, is a well-known act throughout Europe. They even managed to tour in the United States as well. Their astonishing debut Out Of Myself (2003), was followed by Second Life Syndrome (2005) and Rapid Eye Movement (2007). The band shows to be influenced by acts like Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree and even now they sometimes play music from these bands. The music by this quartet ranges from ambient to progressive metal, but mainly it's slightly psychedelic progressive rock. Reality Dream was filmed using multiple cameras, both in fixed positions as well as carried by a professional camera crew. As usual the editing of a DVD takes time, therefore this concert from 17th May 2008 was released only in January 2010. The concert features three tracks from the debut album and four from their third album, but the emphasis is clearly on their second album which is represented with six tracks. The Toya Studios in Lodz, Poland is a very nice venue with a large stage. Behind the band several impressive framed images can be seen like immense paintings. On stage there's an old radio and next to the elaborate lighting, there are several screens on which video images are shown throughout the concert. As the venue is not as big as the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam, the screens were not used to film the players or to make close-ups from their hands and instruments. Watching the images, my impression is that the screens were not used to the full and the videos are not always uplifting. The quality of the sound is superb and if I wouldn't have been impressed by the individual members of the band long before, this would be the time to do so, because especially Duda renders a magnificent performance: both his vocals and his bass playing are outstanding. Because the four members of the band have to stick more or less to their designated spot because of their instruments or switches, the static performance was 'enhanced' by stripes, dust particles and 'rain' throughout the whole concert as if some of the tapes used were dating from over sixty years ago. Lots of rather disturbing images were added to enliven the show, but certainly not to my liking. Because sepia, purple, green and red were the colors of choice and most of the time the performers are in the shade and cannot be seen with their usual tans for more than a few seconds, the show is rather 'dark'. Especially guitarist Piotr Grudzinsky seems to be afraid to move more than two inches and to open his eyes when filmed close-up, while heavy weight drummer Piotr Kozieradzki seems to have this fixed facial expression of utmost concentration without any smile or attempt to communicate with the audience. Even keyboard player Michal Lapaj, in the live shows responsible for the background vocals as well, and Duda are far less interacting with the audience in comparison to the live performances on the second DVD. Furthermore there seem to be hardly any improvisations and smoke, while these are elements we are familiar with from the usual shows by Riverside.

On the second DVD we have two encores from the concert filmed by Dutchman John Vis, who filmed the setting up of the stage and the band during their preparations for this event as well as the soundchecks. The photo gallery and the credits are the inevitable 'musts' and the additions of live tracks from Canada and Europe are the living proof that this band is really awesome although the sound quality is far less than the featured concert, but still very acceptable. In conclusion I would say that Riverside is absolutely in brilliant form, but you can enjoy the music best with your eyes closed. This 'best of' live on CD I would have rated at least 9 out of 10, but because the performance as a whole is utterly boring and not pleasant to watch because of the distracting additions, the DVD is rated less. Even the enjoyable bonus features cannot save this DVD. The live CD remains highly recommended and in my opinion a must for all fans of Riverside, Porcupine Tree and perhaps Opeth as well.