90's+ riot lineup.

I've heard that none of it was worth noting. Maybe they'll pull a Saxon or Kreator and come back full fucking force. :kickass: Maybe someday.

Fire Down Under :rock:

EDIT: I also heard from many that their newer album is the absolute lowest point of their career...It's too bad really. :zzz:
 
I agree with WC, Riot's 90s era is overlooked solely because it's not as furious and heavy as "Thundersteel" or "Fire Down Under".

They're a lot more influenced by 70s Metal since Tony Moore left, true, but it's still good music to my ears, Inishmore and Nightbreaker are enjoyable if you're into old Rainbow and Dio, Axel Rudi Pell, things like that.

The latest one is the weakest of their new period though, I have to agree on that...
 
I will have to drag my sword and mace to this battlefield because I have all Riot albums since "Thundersteel" (plus a "Rock City" and "Fire Down Under"), so I guess I can talk about one of the most respected American metal bands, and true pioneers of the prower metal movement.

When Mark Reale established the post quartet Riot with Mike Dimeo (vocals), Mike Flyntz (guitar), Pete Perez (bass) and Bobby Jarzombek (from the "Thundersteel" and on days), the band became one of the best melodic power bands around. All albums are really good being the higher points (IMO) "Nightbreaker", "Sons Of Society" and the lowest (but not bad) the last one "Through The Storm" (now Bobby Rondinelli on drums). "Inishmore", "The Brethen Of The Long House" and "Shine On" (live) all have great moments and not so great (let's call them "fillers"). The band had cover other people's music since "Nightbreaker", but all of them 'Burn', 'Whiter Shade Of Pale', 'Out In The Fields', 'Only You Can Rock Me' and the instrumental version of 'Here Comes The Sun' (tribute to George Harrison) are all played with respect, passion and quality.

When it comes to Riot I'll defend them a lot, so far they hadn't sell out, screw up or going lame. Maybe is not "Thundersteel" time anymore, but they retain all the quality they have showed since 1977.
 
Riot never sold out or anything but have always been evolving through their long carreer, always being true to their wishes and their passion, whatever the trends of the day may be.

Maybe that could explain why they're so underrated....
 
The saYer said:
so, can I get a little more description of what to expect?
http://www.riotsweb.com/

Go to sounds and check some of the songs from the albums mentioned.

I'll say melodic metal with a certain dose of power. Not really neo-classic like Malmsteen or Time Requiem. A bit maybe like Dio or Astral Doors but with a mellower voice.
To me is difficult I guess I don't have any band that sounds like Riot, I have them on their own.
 
Yes, now they're a kinda faster Dio/Rainbow with Coverdale-like vocals at times, but you can't really describe them accurately since they have their own sound.
 
The saYer said:
havent heard anything after thundersteel, any 90's riot good? or their new album?

Any good?! The only way I could possibly describe those albums is :worship:
But bear in mind that here's a total Riot maniac speaking here... :)

Seriously, their work from famous Thundersteel until now is IMO the best, especially with Mike DiMeo.
I see lots of folks heavily hooked on Fire Down Under and talking about almost none of their albums, except for Thundersteel. Restless Breed is IMO even better than FDU, for what it's worth...

If you like T'Steel, you could very likely dig "Privilege of Power".
The album contains some of their hardest stuff (Storming The Gates Of Hell, Dance Of Death), as well a ballad and totally wacked out brass section courtesy of Tower Of Power. Many "true" folks dislike them, however I feel they bring a sort of good humor (Killer) or simply unusual breaks for heavy metal. It's also their most progressive effort to date, especially in case of drummer, all hells break loose. :D

DiMeo phase is the best IMO, his big strong voice definitely adds to this opinion of mine. They're lean slightly more on the hard rock side of theirs than before, but don't worry, there's more than enough heavy metal.
Nightbreaker is awesome, except for horrible sound, boring A Whiter Shade Of Pale cover and needless Burn cover. But the guitars on Destiny, Silent Scream, Babylon, arghhhh.... Ingenious!
Brethren is also killer, except for the sound (again awful), they've experimented with latino (!!!) sound on beautiful ballad Santa Maria. Nothing cheesy, though, it just fits the song perfectly.
Inishmore is plain perfect! Find the Danny Boy cover, Reale's guitar is unearthly there... It just weeps!
Sons Of Society is very strong album and I don't consider it a fall in any way.
Great sound and musicianship, along with very melodic songs can't make a miss.
Through The Storm is the most hard rock oriented album to date, with a few little weaker (but still very good) songs as To My Head and so-so UFO cover.
The first five songs can easily enter Riot's anthology IMO, superb stuff!

Whew, kudos to those who made it to the end. :wave:
 
Cool SB! To me "Sons Of Society"is their heaviest album since "Thundersteel", and I agree that Dimeo era is albeit not classic the best of times. I enjoyed a lot your passionate description of the songs ;)
 
SickBoy said:
Any good?! The only way I could possibly describe those albums is :worship:

Seriously, their work from famous Thundersteel until now is IMO the best, especially with Mike DiMeo...
I'll add another voice to the post-Moore praise.. Riot has kicked some *MAJOR* ass since 1988, indeed (though I'm completely familiar with the mixed reviews they've gotten). I cannot stress strongly enough how unbe-(expletive deleted)-lievable is Bobby Jarzombek on the skins (look no further than the cover of "Burn" from NIGHTBREAKER for evidence), and I do personally prefer DiMeo's voice to the other post-Speranza singers (and probably to Speranza as well, but I'm not going to go there). The songwriting has endured in a catchy, unique fashion. I'd -label-(?) them melodic metal with occasional forays into powermetal. Unlike many, I probably prefer the concept album, BRETHREN OF THE LONG HOUSE, followed by NIGHTBREAKER as my top picks, but every album, including THROUGH THE STORM, has some great stuff. I was sorry to see Jarzombek leave for Halford (though how can you blame him?) only to have his amazing skinsmanship sunken into a muddy, crappy production courtesy of Roy Z (why do people still let him produce?), but I was pleasantly surprised that Rondinelli performed admirably on the last disc.

Definitely give them a listen if you can. For starters, I'd recommend any of the following tracks to provide you more incentive:

PRIVILEGE OF POWER (1990): "Killer," "Metal Soldiers," "Racing with the Devil on a Spanish Highway" (Al DiMeola cover)
NIGHTBREAKER (1993?): "On the Run" (Euro & US pressings), "Outlaw" (re-recorded), "Destiny," "Burn," "In Your Eyes"
BRETHREN.. (1996): "Blood of the English" (gives me chills just imagining the riff/lyric), "Rain," "Holy Land"
INISHMORE (1998): "the Man," "Kings Are Falling," "Angel Eyes," "Liberty," "Cry for the Dying"
THROUGH THE STORM (2002): "Turn the Tables," "Chains Revolving"

I wasn't grabbed too strongly by SONS OF SOCIETY, but it may have been a "too much new music at one time" situation..
 
SickBoy said:
..Nightbreaker is awesome, except for horrible sound, boring A Whiter Shade Of Pale cover and needless Burn cover. But the guitars on Destiny, Silent Scream, Babylon, arghhhh.... Ingenious!
Brethren is also killer, except for the sound (again awful),...
Woah now.. NIGHTBREAKER has bad sound? We must be listening to different things.. I'd say it's the band's most balanced, punchy & crisp sound up until SONS OF SOCIETY (only in "Burn," when Bobby plays so many drums at one time that things can't hope to be contained is there anything to comment on IMO)..

Now, though I still think BRETHREN sounds fine, I can at least understand what it is that many people seem to dislike about it.. I just don't agree.. *heh heh*
 
SickBoy said:
Well, I'd still give that title to "The Privilege of Power"... :)
I agree being from the same line-up, but also those brass sections they used, kill a bit the metal spirit. I don't like brass instruments (my thing).
 
MRNot said:
I wasn't grabbed too strongly by SONS OF SOCIETY, but it may have been a "too much new music at one time" situation..

It has definitely been that situation!
Sons... is a killer CD, every single second is IMO perfect, including the jap. bonus track 'Queen'. When I finally got to download this song, I said "That's it, I'm getting the jap. edition!". And I already had the normal CD... :tickled:

MRNot said:
Woah now.. NIGHTBREAKER has bad sound?

Definitely, to my ears.

We must be listening to different things..

Ummm...nope. :)

I'd say it's the band's most balanced, punchy & crisp sound up until SONS OF SOCIETY (only in "Burn," when Bobby plays so many drums at one time that things can't hope to be contained is there anything to comment on IMO)..

Nightbreaker is awfully drowned in reverb and the guitars aren't as meaty as they're supposed to be. The same would apply to Brethren's sound as well and there's even more reverb on that CD!
Inishmore sounds much better IMO...

Anyway, who cares for the sound, as long as there's so many terrific songs going on! If they've been recorded with the sound of a beginner punk band, I wouldn't mind... :)
That lineup would blast thru any sound!
 
SickBoy said:
Nightbreaker is awfully drowned in reverb and the guitars aren't as meaty as they're supposed to be. The same would apply to Brethren's sound as well and there's even more reverb on that CD!
Inishmore sounds much better IMO...
It always scare me when people mention those facts. Because all those albums sound fine to me, evidently I'm more a simple metalhead than an audiophile. :blush: