Riverside (band)
Riverside is a Polish progressive rock band from Warsaw. It was founded in 2001 by guitarist Piotr Grudziński; drummer Piotr Kozieradzki; bassist and vocalist Mariusz Duda; and keyboardist Jacek Melnicki. Melnicki was replaced by Michał Łapaj in 2003. Grudziński died in 2016, and guitarist Maciej Meller joined the band in 2020. As of 2026, they have released eight studio albums, three EPs, four live records, and three compilations, as well as a number of singles.
History
Beginnings and ''Out of Myself''
Drummer Piotr "Mitloff" Kozieradzki had played with the death metal band Hate between 1990 and 2001, while guitarist Piotr Grudziński had been a member of Unnamed from 1993 until 2003. Together with keyboardist Jacek Melnicki and vocalist, bassist, and acoustic guitarist Mariusz Duda, they formed Riverside in 2001. Melnicki left in 2003 and was replaced by Michał Łapaj. The band's debut studio album, titled Out of Myself, was released later that year in Poland, and it came out a year later in the United States, with artwork by Travis Smith.''Voices in My Head'' and ''Second Life Syndrome''
Following their successful debut, Riverside issued the EP Voices in My Head in 2005 and followed it with their second full-length album, Second Life Syndrome, released under Inside Out Music later that year. It reached number 62 on Prog Archivess top 100 prog albums.''Rapid Eye Movement'' and Lunatic Soul
In October 2007, Riverside issued the album Rapid Eye Movement, once again under InsideOut. A year later, Duda launched his solo project, Lunatic Soul.''Anno Domini High Definition'' and ''Memories in My Head''
The band's next album was Anno Domini High Definition, released by Mystic Production in 2009. It became the best-selling record in Poland during its second week on the charts, following a debut in sixth place. Riverside issued the EP Memories in My Head in 2011.''Shrine of New Generation Slaves''
In 2013, the band published their fifth full-lentgh album, Shrine of New Generation Slaves.''Love, Fear and the Time Machine'', ''Eye of the Soundscape'', and death of Grudziński
Their sixth album, Love, Fear and the Time Machine, came out in 2015 and reached higher peak sales outside Poland than their previous records.On 21 February 2016, guitarist Piotr Grudziński died of sudden cardiac arrest. Riverside subsequently announced the cancellation of scheduled tour dates.
On 10 March, the band announced that a new album, a compilation of ambient and instrumental pieces, was in progress. On 21 August, the record was announced to be titled Eye of the Soundscape, and it came out on 21 October.
On 23 September, Riverside announced that they would not immediately replace Grudziński and would instead continue as a trio. On 22 February 2017, Maciej Meller was revealed to be the band's new touring guitarist..
''Wasteland''
In September 2018, Riverside released their seventh album, and their first without Grudziński, titled Wasteland. On 3 February 2020, they announced that Meller had joined the band in an official capacity and would be involved in the writing sessions for their eighth album.''ID.Entity'' and ''Live ID.''
In January 2023, Riverside issued ID.Entity, which was followed by a live recording titled Live ID., in 2025.Band members
Current- Mariusz Duda – lead vocals, bass, acoustic guitar ; guitars
- Piotr Kozieradzki – drums, percussion
- Michał Łapaj – keyboards, backing vocals
- Maciej Meller – guitars
- Piotr Grudziński – guitars
- Jacek Melnicki – keyboards