Riverside biography

It's hard not to believe those words when you see the satisfaction he gets while performing live. Piotr 'Mittloff' Kozieradzki is a well-known and respected figure in the world of death metal. Long before founding Riverside, Mittloff earned his reputation as a gifted drummer. In early 90s in Warsaw he founded Hate - a death metal band. He was a member of both those bands in the 90s and at the beginning of the 21st century.

He worked with Domain for a short time still after founding Riverside. Kozieradzki was always interested in heavier sounds. It did not prevent him, though, from discovering Marillion back in the 80s. It became his favourite band and their album Brave had for a long time -no competition", according to his words. And so, while he listened to Slayer, his soul fell in love with progressive music.

Hate drummer hardly ever spoke about his inspirations and few knew about his love for Marillion. However, it was in Mittloff's car that the idea for Riverside originated. And so it happened. In the only band Piotr Kozieradzki was still a member of was Riverside - a band fulfilling all his dreams:It's the first band in which I feel I'm alive. It has all that my previous bands lacked.

Cool music, climate, the people and overall involvement not just on my part. The change of musical genre obviously influenced also Mittloff's playing style. In a progressive band there is riverside biography place for the tempo and aggression present in death metal. Kozieradzki slowed down, he concentrated on his technique and varied emotions.

However, that doesn't mean he got rid of all his metal characteristics.

Riverside biography

There was no need for it as his playing style fitted perfectly in Riverside's somewhat progmetal sound. This change was good for him as he admitted in one of the interviews that: it's only now that I really started to play. They performed live twice with their own material and in October they entered the studio to record a promotional demo. It was released in March and it gained a lot of attention in the music industry.

The tracks served as an early example of the band's already big potential. They marked their wide musical territory clearly stating what might be expected from the band. They revealed their inspirations and at the same time declared their desire to look for innovation and develop the band's own style. The band sent them to radio stations and record labels but the bulk of it was given to their friends and the audience that came to their spring show in Kopalnia club in March Then the music spread thanks to cd-recording devices.

The demand for their music grew bigger and so it was time to record the first full album. News of a fresh, promising band spread. Metal Center was one of the first to discover their potential. They published a review of the demo recordings in which they wrote: I would be very confused if this record wasn't known outside this country very soon- and I want more!

This music is addictive. The band itself was sure there was a demand for rock music with climate and metal verve. They had to write more songs and go back to the studio to record their first proper LP. The LP didn't see the light of day until December At that point it was clear that only three musicians were fully involved in the group's work.

Keyboard player Jacek Melnicki was not able to devote the amount of time needed and it became obvious that the first personal changes were ahead. The debut album, eventually entitled Out Of Myself, was released as a concept-album, as it was decided by Mariusz Duda who wrote all the lyrics. Members of the band were of course no beginners but it should be noted that only Mariusz Duda had anything in common with art rock and progressive rock before.

Nevertheless, the album is not a collection of random tunes. This CD from the very start up to its final seconds tells a story, both in the lyrical and musical sphere. Lyrical concept was created by Mariusz Duda. It tells a story about human struggle, his failure and subsequent attempt at coming back to life in a society. In the last song - "OK" - the character in a sense comes to terms with himself.

Duda points out an excerpt from the text: there's sadness in my mind, ok, which serves as a declaration of accepting one's own sadness. Lyrical coherence was easier to achieve as it was the singer who wrote all the lyrics alone, but musical coherence had to be achieved by all four members of the band and the success was not all that easy and obvious.

It is one thing to write eight good songs, but writing them so that they fit like eight parts of the same story is another thing. Riverside riverside biography even though at that point they've been a band for slightly over a year. Another success was taming their own musical inspirations which, although heard on "Out Of Myself", are not brazen enough to accuse the band of ripping off other bands.

All those names are more or less appropriate when describing Riverside's music but the crucial thing is that the quartet headed for their own unique sound from the very start. When listening to "Out Of Myself" it is hard not to believe Mariusz Duda, who said in an interview for Mystic Art: from the start we decided that riverside biography would try to distance ourselves from certain hackneyed patterns, that we would ignore our inspirations from the bands that every new progressive rock musician tries to copy.

And even though in another interview he said about "The Same River": We know that we play something that's been played before - it's still subtle enough not to spoil the sincere pleasure of listening. The reception the CD got exceeded any expectations. The album sold very well for a non-mainstream genre and the reviewers were almost unanimous in their positive opinions on the release.

We have a brilliant Polish debut. Then he pointed out the band's versatility: Riverside can record a great ballad "I Believe"heavy-rhythm track in Dream Theater's style "Out Of Myself" and "Reality Dream" as well as a complex composition built around a great melody "The Curtain Falls". There were many more positive reviews, from those saying about hope for the future, to those already putting the band at the artistic top.

Without a doubt, it was a success. The band knew that they should embark on a tour in order to promote the record properly. Those plans, however, had to be put off because right after the release of "Out Of Myself" the group had to find a new keyboard player. In Jacek Melnicki opened a recording studio DBX and despite good perspectives for the band, it was the studio and its proper riverside biography that was still a priority for Melnicki.

On the other hand, the group required more and more time and involvement. It was no longer possible to divide the time between the studio and the band in a way that would keep everyone happy. A replacement had to be found. But when I listened to the album I had no more doubts. I just had to be in that band. The line-up change went smoothly. From his early years, he was much into music which was very much present at his home.

The organs were his favourite instrument. Among his favourite artists he mentions Genesis, Yes and Deep Purple and number one on the list is his idol Jon Lord, to who he attributes inspiring his love for the organs. Nevertheless, it was only after his first rehearsals with the band, during which it appeared that they shared mutual understanding, that he could happily admit: I finally have a great band!

Although I haven't played with them for too long yet, I feel like we've been doing this for years. Riverside is the aim of my perennial pursuit. A river of ideas from which I fish out sounds that make my soul happy. It is my place in music. The new member of the band quickly learned their songs and by the beginning of March the group was ready to play their first gigs.

During their two concerts at Warsaw club "Progresja", they were applauded by more than people which is a very good number for club gigs. One of the shows played in March was reviewed by a reporter from rockmetal. The riverside biography musicians played some wonderful, truly beautiful and sometimes calm tunes that had their whole hearts put into.

This music is a true poetry inspired by Pink Floyd, Marillion, Porcupine Tree and some progmetal bands. Fantastic musical landscapes, brilliant keys and marvellous guitar parts - I'm trully speechless, it was amazing. Of course, the audience welcomed them warmly and didn't hesitate to cheer and clap their hands. Another gig took place in "Kolor" club in Wroclaw on March From that evening, the capital city of Lower Silesia became the band's second home for a long time.

The reception was great. A reporter of artrock. Chanting the band's name. And it stayed this way until the end, it didn't matter whether they played tracks from "Out Of Myself" or newer compositions. Many people knew the lyrics and sang with Mariusz, one of the examples being the single "Loose Heart" or the title track from the debut album.

The first of those took place in spring, and the second in autumn The band played over 20 gigs in the biggest cities, the concerts usually taking place in small clubs for or people. This was also a success, as it needs to be remembered that hardly any Polish progressive band is able to play regular tours. Another big moment for the band was the opportunity to open for Anathema in Bydgoszcz club "Ku-nia".

Wroclaw was one of the cities that hosted the band both in May and in October. The gig in autumn was especially unforgettable thanks to its atmosphere. The audience that filled the "Diabolique" club liked the music so much that they requested four encores from the band. So, for the 4th encore, the band played "Out Of Myself" for the second time that evening.

It is worth mentioning that apart from their own songs, the band performed a cover of Porcupine Tree's "Radioactive Toy". It was obvious from the start that if the band wanted to survive, it had to attract attention in Western Europe and America. Even the best band may not survive playing this kind of music only in Poland. About nine months after its Polish premiere, on September 21, "Out Of Myself" was released worldwide under the Laser's Edge music label.

Positive reviews in the foreign music press encouraged the band to set up a small tour outside Poland. The second album was first planned for early Unfortunately, the reality was slightly different. The band needed more time to write new songs. The musicians knew how high they set the standards with their debut. The follow up to "Out Of Myself" had to be at least equally good, but different at the same time so that the band would not be accused of copying their own ideas.

We could hear the first declarations - the second album was to show the heavier side of the band and continue the lyrical concept of the first album. It was also decided that the debut album as well as its follow up would be a part of a trilogy called "Reality Dream". The second album was to be released in autumn It was supposed to keep the interest in the band alive and make the long wait for the new album more bearable for the fans.

At first it meant to be only a limited CD for fanclub members. Eventually, it was also available in music shops, which was a good move as the almost 40 minute release was full of interesting sounds. Apart from three live versions of the songs known from the debut album, "Voices In My Head" also contained five new compositions. It is, however, not fully representative for the band as it shows the more mellow side of Riverside.

Only three of the tracks made it to the live shows "Us", "The Time I Was Daydreaming" played as a five-piece with an additional bass player and "Acronym Love" and only one track contains any live drums by Mittloff. But, on the other hand, you cannot say that these songs lack subtlety, character and charm. Composing a track like "Dna ts.

Rednum Or F. Raf", the band showed a lot of creativity and guts. Three live recordings were also a special treat for the fans. They were recorded in "Traffic Club", Warsaw in May and show the band in great shape. The reviewer from "Teraz Rock" was especially fond of "Dna ts. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools.

Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. Polish musician. Progressive rock progressive metal art rock ambient. The eight-minute The Curtain Falls veers into dreamy new-age territory with moronic guitar solo and even more moronic elegiac singing. There is also an incursion in introverted bedroom folksinging, the acoustic ballad I Believe.

Second Life Syndrome Mystic Production,featuring new keyboardist Michal Lapaj, boasts a denser sound but fundamentally continues in the same vein of the first album: emotional and lyrical prog-rock with moments of metal fury and atmospheric guitar solos. The nine-minute Volte-Face is a rather confused suite, whose highlight is the piano intermezzo.

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