RIOT (V)
“Mean Streets”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

Riot (V) are a heavy metal band from the USA formed in 1975 as Riot by guitarist Mark Reale (RIP) – the band reforming after Reale’s death (in 2012) as Riot (V). To date, the band have released seventeen studio albums, numerous E.P.’s, live and compilation albums, and still tour – even after nearly fifty years!

Across the course of the bands illustrious career, there’s been a number of line-up changes (with the death of founding member Reale the most devastating), spectacular album releases that etched in stone the benchmark for American heavy metal – ‘Fire Down Under’ (1981) and ‘Thundersteel’ (1988) just two of the bands early albums that set the world on fire and brought Riot to a worldwide audience. The band have supported some of the greatest bands on the planet – AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Rush and Rainbow just to name a few, and performed at the biggest metal festivals in the world – Donington Monsters Of Rock and Wacken Open Air to name just two! Riot (V) have kept a stable line-up for over a decade now – vocalist Todd Michael Hall (ex Reverence), bassist Donnie Van Stavern, guitarists Mike Flyntz and Nick Lee, and drummer Frank Gilchriest (ex Virgin Steele, ex Feanor) maintaining the bands incredible legacy for high energy, power driven heavy metal!

The bands new album ‘Mean Streets’, takes no prisoners and pulls no punches across a fabulous fifty two foot to the floor minutes and twelve songs – ‘Hail To The Warriors’ opening with a short, highly anticipative passage that gives way at forty seconds to storm forth with immense power and pace! And I mean immense! The urgency here is phenomenal, Riot (V) planting their feet firmly on the monitor to adopt the iconic pose synonymous with heavy metal! ‘Hail To The Warriors’ gallops hard, banging heads everywhere – and very hard too! What a sensational opening gambit – ‘Feel The Fire’ making it a sensational opening one-two! The classic sound of muscular American heavy metal rises high in the air, the band pounding the ground hard as ‘Feel The Fire’ stomps forth at a mid tempo pace with a tonne of thunder! And with a superb old school guitar tone, ‘Love Beyond The Grave’ strides in with shoulders back and head held high, the mighty anthemic style of metal lighting up the airways. Shuddering the ground as it marches on by, ‘Love Beyond The Grave’ pushes into the shade every anthem the likes of Manowar and Saxon have ever released – Riot (V) calling every metalhead to arms with a fantastic fire and brimstone swagger.

The intensity of ‘Mean Streets’ since it began has been incredible, the band rocketing forth with the high speed ‘High Noon’ – and a level of head bang ability that’s just shot through the fucking roof! Riot (V) have their feet firmly pressing the pedal to the metal, roaring down the freeway at full throttle with frantic urgency! Now I don’t know if they’re trying to evade the local authorities, but I reckon even the police force couldn’t catch up with the band when they’re in this mood! Boy are the streets mean – ‘Mean Streets’ storming on with more hustle and bustle than heard so far, ‘Before This Time’ a mid tempo hugely melodious march of hard hitting heavy metal with an AOR inspired chorus break! Yes readers, you read that right – AOR! Talk about sing a long ability – ‘Before This Time’ has it in abundance! And hitting the hardest of any song heard so far, ‘Higher’ is a ground shuddering, building wobbling cacophony of devastation – especially when after just a minute the band ignite the afterburners to rocket off at an incredible speed! And the sensational melodious intent across the chorus break is simply outstanding, Riot (V) giving it their all to push themselves into contention for this years Album Of The Year.

Title song ‘Mean Streets’ returns the hustle and bustle nature heard earlier, but with a much higher infectious level – a level that’s risen higher than the fucking sky, Riot (V) pushing boundaries, horizons and borders further than ever before! What a fucking great album ‘Mean Streets’ (the album) is turning out to be, every song so far has been immensely attractive and a hundred percent head bang-able! Not to mention oozing a massive traditional feel, pleasing old and new schoolers alike – every metalhead in the world hooked on everything the New Yorkers are delivering. And the band don’t let up with the infectious nature either, ‘Open Road’ pounding the ground hard, melding anthemic with a thundering mid tempo march to shake walls and buildings to their foundations! And the chorus break too – fuck me! Riot (V) are masters of the melodic, sing a long chorus, every song on offer featuring one! I bet a live performance is fucking electric, everyone in the crowd all singing along at the tops of their voices – ‘Mortal Eyes’ picking up the pace once again to storm forth like a jet fighter roaring off to war! And with just as much purpose too, the band keeping the pedal firmly pressed to the metal.

And as the album marches into its final quarter, the level of majesty oozing from ‘Mean Streets’ (the album) has been second to none, the American five piece a formidable force in the heavy metal arena – ‘Lost Dreams’ entering the fray as possibly the fastest song on offer! I say possibly, only because there’s still two more songs to go – the first of which ‘Lean Into It’ displays a phenomenal Southern rock swagger and just a slight hint of the blues! That is until thirty seconds when the full force of heavy metal takes over – Riot (V) continuing their multi-genre assault as ‘Lean Into It’ trots on. And bringing a stunning album of metal to a close, ‘No More’ restores pace and power to the fore – taking the honour of the fastest song on ‘Mean Streets’ (the album). The band are in pace changing, tempo changing mood here, keeping the infectious level sky high as ‘No More’ rounds off a terrific album of barnstorming heavy metal.

Overall, an exhilarating album of all out foot to the floor heavy metal with immense head bang ability and an infectious level second to none.

TRACKLIST

Hail To The Warriors
Feel The Fire
Love Beyond The Grave
High Noon
Before This Time
Higher
Mean Streets
Open Road
Mortal Eyes
Lost Dreams
Lean Into It
No More

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