Riot/Riot V
Unleash the Fire
Rating: ****
When heavy metal/hard rock band Riot
announced they would start working on new material, some fans were skeptical.
The band’s founder and sole original member, Mark Reale, passed in early 2012 after
a lifelong battle with Crohn’s Disease. With Reale’s passing, it seemed that
the band would die with him. The band, now under the name Riot V, have been
touring all of this year and now have a new studio album. The album, Unleash the Fire, is a touching hard
hitting tribute to Reale. While Reale might be gone, the Riot riffs and
melodies he wrote are very much alive on this new album.
Riot
are one of those bands that carries a long history with them. The group were
originally formed in 1975 by Reale in New York. Despite constant line-up changes,
the band were able to churn out three studio album with original singer Guy
Speranza. The band’s third album, Fire
Down Under, is considered by many to be an underrated hard rock gem.
Speranza left in 1981 and was replaced by singer Rhett Forrester. With
Forrester, the band made another two albums. In 1984, the band were left in
limbo as they had reached rock bottom with disappointing album sales. Reale left the band on the back burner until
1986 when he revamped the band with a new line-up and more heavy metal oriented
sound. This
line-up released 1988’s Thundersteel, which help resurrect the band and gain
some attention. Although this line-up would end in 1992, Reale and guitarist
Mike Flyntz (who was added to the group during the Thundersteel tour) kept the band going. The Thundersteel line-up reunited in 2008 and in 2011, they released an
album entitled Immortal Soul. In
early 2012, Reale passed away after being a coma for several days due to his
lifelong battle with Crohn’s Disease.
Sometimes after Reale’s passing,
Flyntz and Thundersteel era bassist
Donnie Van Stavern started putting together a new version of Riot. Flyntz and
Stavern are joined by three other members: drummer Frank Gilchriest (who
drummed on 2006’s Army of One),
singer Todd Michael Hall and guitarist Nick Lee (who is also one of Flyntz’s
guitar students).
The band gets down to business on
the head-banging “Ride Hard Live Free.” Right from the start, Flyntz and Lee
are at it with their twin lead guitar melodies. As for Hall, he is a remarkable
singer. Listening to this song, Hall could be mistaken for former singer Tony
Moore. I highly recommend watching a video of the band performing live with
Hall: the man has a range that gives him the ability to tackle all of the Riot
material. The guitar heavy “Metal Warrior” is lyrically filled with references
to other Riot songs. The cries of “shine on” are heard throughout, which
references to the chorus of the Riot classic “Warrior.” There are also mentions
of Johnny, the name of the band’s seal mascot (other fans will argue his name
is the Mighty Tior, but I like to think of him as Johnny- the Mighty Tior): “Raise
your fists up to our brother man” sings Hall. “Johnny lead us to your promised
land.” The songs is filled with so many references to Riot songs, one might
find it hard to keep track of all of them!
Riot sure know how to deliver heavy
metal songs and this album is no exception. “Bring the Hammer Down” certainly
lives up to its title while Gilchriest shows off his rapid-fire drumming skills
on the thunderous “Fall From the Sky.” The title track is even badass, with
Hall shining again on lead vocals. There’s also the anthem-driven “Fight Fight
Fight” and the melodic “Land of the Rising Sun,” a Stavern-penned tune written
for Riot’s rabid fanbase in Japan. Believe it or not, there are a few songs on
here that are a throwback to the old school hard rock Riot. “Return of the
Outlaw” is exactly what it sounds like: it is lyrically and musically a sequel
to the Riot classic, “Outlaw.” Musically, the song captures the sound of the
original while Hall channels his inner Guy Speranza. Hall channels his inner
Speranza once again on the nostalgic “Take Me Back.”
Overall, Unleash the Fire is an impressive album. After listening to this album,
I feel that Riot can indeed go on without Mark Reale. Somebody has to play these
songs, and that is what this new band is exactly doing. I think it’s safe to
say that Mark would be proud.
