Riot
Unleash the Fire

Strange band, the Riot. Formed in 1976 by guitarist Mark Reale, who would later be rightly recognized by fans as the true soul of the band, the American group never really received what they deserved. There are, of course, many bands that fall into this category, perhaps too many, but the story of Riot is arguably the strangest. They were among the very first American bands to introduce heavy metal in the U.S.A. with releases like "Narita" (1979) first, and the more well-known "Fire Down Under" (1981) later, and they were always one of the first American bands to introduce speed metal, with "Thundersteel" (1988) and "The Privilege Of Power" (1990), a genre that by those years had already formed and spawned what will later be described as the pillars, thanks to bands like Accept, Rage, Running Wild in Germany, and Exciter in Canada.

Year after year, release after release, Riot never backed down, never took a misstep, and instead, they consistently reinforced their passion for music and their genre. After the album "Immortal Soul" (2011), the New York band suffered a grave loss, as barely three months after the album's release, and during the supporting tour, guitarist Mark Reale passed away on January 25, 2012, due to a cerebral hemorrhage caused by Crohn's disease, which Reale had suffered from since birth. Many pronounced Riot as finished, incapable of continuing without their founder and guiding member. However, the remaining members decided to reform Riot by calling back the musicians who had contributed to the creation of the acclaimed "Thundersteel", with the addition of new singer Todd Michael.

In 2014, "Unleash The Fire" finally saw the light of day under the SPV/Steelhammer label, with a title and cover that already hinted at everything, with the former featuring the group's mascot, Johnny, in half-human, half-animal form. Thus, references to the past are not lacking, and beware, this does not mean a lack of ideas, but simply having respect and keeping the memory of past moments alive, something many bands today should learn.

All the tracks fall into the classic style that Riot has delivered for the past 30 years. True hits are surely the opener "Ride Hard, Live Free", powerful and direct, with Michael's voice in great shape, "Immortal", more melodic and paced, featuring an excellent guitar solo and representing the true essence of Riot in its lyrics, that is immortality; hopefully, it will always be so with bands of this kind. "Bring The Hammer Down" and "Fig, Fight, Fight" are tracks that will leave you no escape, from which it will be impossible not to keep pace, and especially the chorus will stick with you for days. "Fall From The Sky" nods to power, with catchy melodies and an impressive groove, also thanks to Frank Glichriest who behind the drums, plays relentlessly. The real surprise of the album, as a whole, is the freshness and sincerity with which it is played, two factors that will inevitably bring listeners back to the more direct and heavy classics of the group like "Sons Of Society" (1999), and "Inishmore" (1988).

As mentioned, after the passing of Mark Reale many thought Riot was done, and that every subsequent release would be made only to capitalize on the band’s name and Reale's name. But with "Unleash The Fire", Riot demonstrates not only that they haven't run out of ideas, but that they perform while respecting their past, and most importantly, they succeed in a way that few expected. There are few bands like Riot, and this release today, represents a small gem that every genre lover will surely adore, and I recommend buying it sight unseen.