Metal School - Riot

Riot was formed in 1975 in New York City by childhood friends Mark Reale and Peter Bitelli. They would find bassist Phil Feit and vocalist Guy Speranza, and record a handful of demo tracks that eventually caught the attention of independent label Fire Sign Records, whose owners would also become the band's managers. We'll call them Billy and Steve. Billy and Steve would apparently convince the band to sign a contract that several members had reservations about, including recently added second guitarist Lou Kouvaris and bassist Phil Feit. In fact, Phil would leave at that time and be replaced by Jimmy Iommi.

Eager to start making an album, the rest of the band signed anyway and began recording their first album, Rock City. We made that album so quickly it was ridiculous. It took maybe two or three months to make and it actually came out in '76. It says 1977 but it actually came out in 1976. Thanks! This one is called Overdrive. The album cover features the first appearance of Riot's mascot, Tior. A type of centaur seal. A seal taurus? I don't know. Anyway, he seeks revenge for being chased by humans. Believe. Rock City is just great. It really marries the classic 70's rock sound with heavier riffs.

It's packed with aggressive, energetic tracks alongside more melodic, "radio-friendly" songs, and Guy's unique voice handles both with ease. This is our attempt at a hit single. It was the end of the album, they just left it there. That sound you hear is called a reverse echo. That was an echo in reverse. So this was our attempt to get a hit single because they were trying to get it. Unfortunately, the United States was not yet ready for it. They were a very brave band, ahead of their time. That phrase gets repeated, but this is a band that was truly ahead of their time.

The album didn't attract much attention until it found its way into the hands of Joe Anthony, a radio DJ in San Antonio, Texas, known for introducing new rock bands. This led to more exposure for the band and some southern tour dates. However, in the middle of the tour, Billy and Steve, or Mark, or all three of them, would make the decision to kick Lou out of the band, without any explanation. Lou: I woke up in the morning and there was no one there. Like I said, I was left in the lurch a bit. So that was it.

The next day I received a phone call saying that my services were no longer needed. He was replaced by one of the roadies, Rick Ventura, when Riot began recording their second album, Narita. This time, the Mighty Tior will make you Sumo. Look how many people he's already eliminated! I can only assume that the plane behind him is humanity's last attempt to prevent global domination. The first album was a little raw but it was good. And the second, you know, people get better, you know, and you feel more relaxed. Narita is as good, if not better, than Rock City.

This album goes even further for a harder sound with extended solos and phenomenal musical arrangements, such as the instrumental title track. And Guy also goes a step further with some outstanding vocal performances. Still managed by Billy and Steve, Riot was now on Capitol Records because Capitol needed an opening act for Sammy Hagar's UK tour. However, as soon as the tour ended, Capitol abandoned them. And at some point around that time, Billy and Steve, or Mark, or all three of them, would make the decision to kick Peter out of the band without any explanation. Peter would be replaced by Sandy Slavin and bassist Jimmy Iommi would also be replaced by Kip Leming.

I think Mark was a quiet guy, not exactly a people person. I think essentially what happened there was that he just went along with whatever management told him. It could be multiple managers, they had some kind of strange network of managers over time. It could be label people. It could be anyone's influence. So, I have a feeling that this idea of ​​just leaving people is that he didn't know how to handle it that well. I think he's more of a puppet figure in the whole thing and he just goes along with what everyone tells him to do.

Meanwhile, Billy and Steve were working to get Riot as much airplay as possible. The plan worked and Capitol re-signed Riot for their third album, the epic Fire Down Under. It seems like Tior finally won the battle against humanity because on the cover he says, “Hey, what's up? Look at all the destruction in my path.” As for the album itself, it's Riot's best album yet and one of the best heavy

metal

albums ever. It's aggressive, the production is great, and both the songwriting and vocals are incredibly incredible. By 1981, he might have been too aggressive. In fact, Capitol didn't even want to release the album until a fan petition forced them to do so.

Capitol deemed Fire Down Under too heavy, despite massive fan support. Rick Ventura: We came up in the punk era, so we were kind of out of place. The whole focus was on punk so there weren't many bands like us, you know? That's probably why we were a little underground. But we just stuck to our roots. With the

metal

explosion in Los Angeles still two years away, it seems that 1981's Fire Down Under came too soon, despite breaking into the Billboard 200. While Riot definitely had its loyal fans, the lack of support from the seals was beginning. to get to the band.

This would be one of several factors contributing to Guy's decision to part ways with Riot while he supported Rush on their Moving Pictures tour. We were on tour with Rush at the time and then you know... Guy just uh... had enough. It was always a constant struggle, always a struggle. With the management, with the record company... There was always a problem and he got even more frustrated. We all get frustrated. Everyone in the band was very angry with the grind and not getting anywhere, not getting paid and not making much money. So, all these factors come in and, yes, you lose your lead singer, that is, of course, one of the most important things in the world.

Some bands recover, others don't. Guy would be replaced by Rhett Forrester, a very different singer with a very different personality. Rhett would record two albums with Riot, 1982's Restless Breed and 1983's Born in America. On the cover of Restless Breed, Tior stands in front of the Tromaville skyline and appears to be... disguising himself as a human child or transforming into one. But he's also over the moon, so I guess anything is possible. On the cover of Born in America we see two Tiors. Perhaps these are Tior's children and continue to infiltrate the American population. Sumo style.

Rhett said there was new blood in the band, new emotion, a different sound, a different singer… Rhett is really interesting. He is a versatile singer but at the same time he sounds to me like a mix of many other singers. At times I listen to Sebastian Bach, Dick Manitoba, Vince Neil… even Geddy Lee. Rick Ventura: Look at it, man, you know? His presence says it all. The leather chaps, the hair… But he was a very sweet guy. He's a... yeah, a very, very nice guy. Musically, both albums range from '70s-influenced hard rock to flashy, rebellious metal.

Born in America leans more towards the '80s sound and we finally get a Riot music video for the title track that fully illustrates the band's new "reject authority" attitude. In the video, a boy smokes a cigarette and watches television in his room. But his dad catches him. The father pushes his son into the kitchen and pulls a knife on her! The father slaps his son and the son slaps him back, then he leaves because he is late for

school

! Already having a difficult day, the boy tells a very funny joke in class, but the teacher drags him out and the rest of the class does not tolerate it.

The boy is taken, I suppose, to the principal, but all the other boys in his class come to back him up. Especially the one with the white scarf, he is really fed up. The kids tie up the teachers, apparently there are only two at this particular

school

, then run off to smoke cigarettes and listen to heavy metal. But first they raise a flag of Tior. Finally, just to make things a little more confusing, Rhett rips off his face to reveal Tior underneath. I really like these two albums. A lot. Not as much as Riot's first three.

I think these sound a little less focused than others, but they are still both very listenable albums. Capitol again released Riot between these albums and Born in America was independently released and self-financed by Steve, who at the time was not on good terms with Billy. And those weren't the only problems the band faced. Without a label or income, Riot would decide to separate shortly after. Mark would move to San Antonio for a while, where he would hang out with his friend and Riot fan, Don Van Stavern. After a few failed attempts to get Riot back up and running, they would end up back in New York with Steve.

They would hire drummer Mark Edwards and singer Tony Moore to record a few songs before other commitments caused Edwards to leave. They brought in Bobby Jarzombek and signed to CBS Records for their 1988 release, the even more epic Thundersteel. The cover features some kind of awesome sci-fi comic book cover without Tior. Civilization probably crumbled under their power. I mean, how effective could a ruler be? He is a seal. Anyway, I love this album. It sounds exactly like the cover looks and every track is memorable. Including Bloodstreets, which got a music video. Here we see Tony Moore leaving through red smoke.

The gang stands behind him, I guess to give him more muscle, while Tony tells us a little about himself. Once things really get going, we go back and forth between a rooftop and a black box theater as the band continues to rock. With a much more European power metal sound than previous albums, Thundersteel is full of interesting compositions and musical passages to accompany the soaring vocals. I mean, Riot… I think they changed radically and that's what a lot of people think. A lot of people also rely on those two albums, the albums from the CBS years, Thundrsteel and Privilege of Power. 1990's The Privilege of Power largely follows the same vein as Thundersteel, although it is a bit more experimental.

Also, we see Tior once again on TVs on the album cover, so that's cool. This album has a more '90s feel than Thundersteel, partly due to the incorporation of Tower of Power, a trumpet-driven r&b band, on some songs. There are also plenty of sound effects and some social commentary before many of the tracks, but The Privilege of Power still has room for the European power metal influences that were front and center on Thundersteel. I should also point out that Bobby Jarzombek's drumming is insane. Rick Ventura: Mark kept it up, you know? He just kept going.

He always wanted to play, he just got new members along the way and tried different things, you know? There would be another lineup shakeup after this album, mainly due to issues with management and lack of label support. We were being managed by the wrong people. The circumstances of the guy who was our manager on paper...uh, that wasn't healthy. This guy didn't know what he was doing. Once those guys got down to business and I got on stage, you know, everything was fine. But everything else sucked! And I thought, “Honestly, fuck this.” Bassist Don Van Stavern would leave to be replaced by Pete Perez and singer Tony Moore would be replaced by Michael DiMeo.

They would also hire a second guitarist at this time, Mike Flyntz. Riot would record six albums with essentially this lineup, although Bobby Jarzombek came and went. They would begin the DiMeo years with 1993's Nightbreaker, a fairly straightforward hard rock/metal album with excellent guitar work. Also, frankly, a pretty boring album cover. I'm not sure what that bird is doing, but it's probably not too safe on that sign. I like this German cover better. Powerful tracks with high quality guitar solos would be the sound of upcoming albums with varying degrees of quality. Drummer John Macaluso would join Riot to record 1995's The Brethren of the Long House, which is a surprisingly good album.

Even if the video, uh, isn't. Like the album, the video for Glory Calling has a very loose Native American theme in the opening. Otherwise, it's just Mark and the two Mikes, and I have to assume one of his friends with a camcorder, just rocking out in the woods. This album would also mark the final collaboration with Steve. Bobby Jarzombek would return for 1997's Inishmore, another great entry from this period. This album has a sort of loose Irish theme, but the Angel Eyes music video doesn't mention it. In this video we see an attractive blonde woman who just wants to get on the subway.

She looks around nervously as the gang begins to follow her. Mike DiMeo appears to be fantasizing about riding a badass motorcycle with her, but spends the rest of the video of her walking behind her while Mark and the other Mike ride away from her alone. Sons of Society, from 1999, is also very good.Once again, the songs are pretty standard but the guitar and solos are the stars of the show. If you love good metal guitar work, this album won't disappoint either. Plus, Tior is on the cover again! I'm not really sure what he's doing though. Do you know that the bridge is down?

He's dressed like an evil monk for some reason, but it looks like he's been fixed up since he left. After Bobby Jarzombek left to join Judas Priest, Bobbi Rondinelli would play drums on what is, in my opinion, the most skippable album of the DiMeo years, Through the Storm. Everyone plays well and the production is excellent. But overall it's a pretty mediocre album compared to the others. Finally, 2006's Army of One, with drummer Frank Gilchriest on board, would take things up a notch with some more upbeat tracks and more energy overall. Plus, look who's reflected in the guitar!

Mark and I spent three years working on it. Recording it by ourselves, alone in my little room. We would talk about music for two hours, then we would rehearse for two hours, and then we would talk about music for two hours. After Army of One, Mike DiMeo would leave to focus on another band, The Lizards, and Riot would spend a couple of years touring with singer Mike Tirelli. Then, in 2011, the Thundersteel lineup, plus Mike Flyntz, would reunite to record a new album, Immortal Soul. The album cover is kind of a terrible LSD nightmare, but I love the idea of ​​a skeleton handing an electric guitar to a guy coming out of the grave.

Musically, this is a worthy follow-up to Thundersteel and The Privilege of Power, even if it's not breaking new ground at the moment. Of the three studio albums I made with Riot, Immortal Soul is by far the best sounding of the three albums. Unfortunately, Mark Reale had been dealing with health issues throughout his life and at the time he was physically unable to work on much of the album. He would die from complications of Chron's disease the following year. Without the band's leader and only constant member, it seemed like Riot would be finished for good. But Mike Flyntz, Frank Gilchriest and Don Van Stavern decided to continue Mark's legacy by forming a new era of Riot, with the blessing of Mark's father.

A couple of obstacles there. The first is, shall we continue? I take care of Mark's dad, Mark was an only child. He said, “Mike, please continue. Do it for Mark.” And we had to find the right people. You know, after that we lost a couple of members, plus Mark passed away. And we were lucky enough to get these cats. Together with guitarist Nick Lee and singer Todd Michael Hall, they formed Riot V, as Todd is the band's fifth singer. He wasn't even sure he could do it. I really didn't. I told Donny that when he started liking me, "get me a playlist." I'm going to practice singing this at home and see if I can sing it.

I remember when I was younger, when Thundersteel came out, I thought, "Oh my God, that guy is taking helium!" Who can sing that? Well, Todd Michael Hall definitely can and so far Riot V has released two pretty good albums, starting with 2014's Unleash the Fire. For the cover of this album, we have a new and improved Mighty Tior! He's got a cool new electric ax that he's lifting with some sort of cyborg arm in the center of Reale Way and Blood Street. Unleash the Fire is a solid power metal album and a great tribute to Riot's past with multiple references to previous albums and two songs dedicated to Mark.

Each album really captures the feel and sound of various eras of Riot... but I have to give the edge to Armor of Light, their 2018 album. It has a great balance of European and American power metal vibes throughout. the album. And on the cover, we see a gang of Tiors and the main one is either a new Tior or they fixed his cyborg arm. Either way, he's clearly ready to kick ass and so is Riot V, so check them out in the links below. I also want to say a huge thank you to TheMetalVoice for allowing me to use their interview clips for this video.

If you like metal interviews and reviews, I recommend checking out TheMetalVoice on YouTube. You can find links to the full interviews in the description below, as well as a link to Part 1 of Jimmy Kay's three-part documentary on Riot, Fight or Fall. Delve even deeper into Riot's history, with plenty more interviews and archival footage of the band. Now, your homework for this week. Rock City, Narita and Fire Down Under, of course. I'm also going to put Restless Breed here. I like it a little more than Born in America. And Thundersteel is a must. And Armor of Light by Riot V.

And don't think I'm discounting DiMeo's albums. I would also wholeheartedly recommend The Brethren of the Long House, Inishmore and Sons of Society. And that's Riot! I hope you dig deeper into this criminally underrated band. They go through a couple different phases, but they're all pretty good. Thanks for watching and see you next time!