Dropped Up The Mini Metal, RIOT - Music Review, History and Story RIOT
Another thing that makes their name less sticky is too often mutually replace personnel, in addition to their songs early in the career does not have certain characteristics that deserve to make them as a solid band.
Formed in New York 1975, RIOT is synonymous with guitarist and founder, Mark Reale who died in 2012 due to colon cancer. At the beginning of the era of the 1970s RIOT is like the other hard rock / heavy metal group that wara-wiri in the world of music Black Sabbath, AC / DC, Deep Purple, Kiss, Aerosmith or Led Zeppelin so that his position just fill "carriage" bandwagon rock is overcrowded with supergroups mostly from mainland England.
Because in the era of rock music is rocked by golden group of British origin (The Beatles / Rolling Stones / Deep Purple / Zeppelin / Yes / Genesis), RIOT as prepared Capitol record label plus the help of observers / music journalists in America to rival the popularity of rock universe kala it was dominated by the British group. RIOT was born with the mainstay of US classic rock bands: Aerosmith, Montrose (band Sammy Hagar before a solo career and joined Van Halen), Starcastle (epigon Yes), and Kiss. And as we all know together until the 21st century Capitol predictions to boost RIOT is quite reasonable. Aerosmith, Sammy Hagar, and Kiss managed to become British rivals in the rock music industry. Not yet their own efforts to boost the Kangaroo country band, AC / DC in heavy metal scene, also the Americans slowly make a new scena called "Southern Rock" and just there with musicians like Bruce Sprinsteen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc. in addition to successfully boosted the era of "hair band / glam metal" a la Motley Crue, Poison, GN'R and AOR (Adult Oriented Rock) a la Boston, Reo Speedwagon, Toto, and Survivor.
The result is not disappointing; the album released a large label (Capitol, Elektra, CBS / Sony Music) and often sepangung with AC / DC, Sammy Hagar, Survivor, Black Sabbath, Kiss, and Rush, though not exactly spectacular because it is still crushed with prestige British group .
Mark Reale early in his career before forming the RIOT had joined as an additional player in Montrose, Rick Derringer and Edgar Winter. With Peter Bitelli's (dram) early formation, Phil Feit (bass) vocalist Guy Speranza, Reale pursued his career as a rockstar. The risk of substitution of personnel is inevitable. For the vocalist alone recorded seven times changed!
Building Career Back
RIOT began stealing attention when releasing the album "Thundersteel" (1988). Here their music turned into speed / power metal. There is no real reason why Reale who in his beloved years admire Ritchie Blackmore and Eric Clapton is changing the format of his music becomes harder. What is clear after the album "Born in America" released 1983, tension between personnel no longer cool until RIOT decided to break up. This is exacerbated by the involvement of criminal problems experienced by the second RIOT vocalist, Rhett Forrester, who killed him shot by a stranger in 1994!
It took a long time RIOT build a career again (5 years) let alone frustrated Reale had thought to change the name RIOT be Narita in 1986 which happened to be the same name with the second album RIOT. Starting from the Narita music concept, along with Don Van Stavern bass rip, Reale did not change the name of RIOT. The influx of highly respected producer Steve Loeb on CBS's big label managed to convince Reale and Stavern to continue the 6th album RIOT "Thundersteel" as a speed metal band.
The album "Thundersteel" (1988) is quite nutritious in the United States finally managed to master the market share of the rock world with the birth of speed trends and thrash metal. Yes, for hard rock and heavy metal may be the British "King" until the term "The New Wave of British Heavy Metal" which became the mainstream era 1970-1980s. But for speed and thrash metal, the area is more dominated by American bands such as Metallica, Megadeth, Testament, Anthrax, and Slayer, having started with Manowar spurt!
Flashback to "Thundersteel", this album contains 9 tracks with jumpstart hits that now become anthems in every RIOT concert: "Fight or Fall", "Flight of the Warrior", "Bloodstreets", "Johhny's Back" and "Thundersteel". The theme of the song that originally only fight over lover and life berandalan-characteristic that is synonymous with hard rock-heavy metal era 1970-1980's turned into a theme of war and the dark side of the world of moving-one of the themes that have begun the group who ever won a degree Manowar as the Guinness Book of Records 1986 Guinness Book of Records.
The album got its own place among rock lovers until it re-released its vinyl format in 2003 and 2013. With the formation of Tony Moore - vocals, Mark Reale - guitars, producers, Don Van Stavern - bass and Bobby Jarzombek - drums, RIOT projected producer Steve Loeb to crush a British group of Iron Maiden, Rainbow, Judas Priest (which has changed the tempo since the 1988 and 1982 "Ram It Down" albums to rival the American thrash), and some groups from the European mainland also controlled the universe 'speed / power metal' include Helloween, Accept, Axell Rudi Pell (Germany), Loudness (Japan), and Yngwie Malmsteen (Sweden).
The success of the album "Thundersteel" made Mark confident to play in the speed metal area until the next album "The Previllege of Power" (1990) was named one of the best metal albums of Rock Hard magazine in 2005 in the special edition The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.
For the album "The Previllege of Power" it seems that Mark is increasingly showing his maturity in working on the actual socio-political themes. Not only the themes that become more contained, Mark Reale, Tony Moore, Bobby Jarzombek, and Don Van Stavern try to experiment with brass section in the song "On Your Knees" and "Killer" so that more than just a frenetic speed metal album confusing fast. Especially in the song "Killer" they took guest star Joe Lynn Turner who famous as Rainbow vocalist, Yngwie Malmsteen band and Deep Purple.
Rise and Back Down
The success of the two albums "Thundersteel" and "The Previllege of Power" which seems to be the RIOT masterpiece does not seem to continue. More chaos due to management incompatibility with producer Steve Loeb made the RIOT formation scattered. Many fans regretted the formation of Mark Reale, Tony Moore, Bobby Jarzombek, and Don Van Stavern who seemed to be solid had to change. RIOT which seems almost to become a supergroup was forced back to become an underrated band that is now only known among serious classic rock collectors.
Subsequent albums such as "Nightbreaker" (1993) to "Army of One" (2006) were unable to produce big hits. This condition is not unconscious of Mark Reale the commander. The album "Nightbreaker" even seemed to make it look like it lost control so RIOT returned to the heavy metal track by repeating the music format of the album "Fire Down Under" (1981). In addition to returning to the hard rock track 'bear' with heavy metal, this album also covers RIOT classic rock hits Deep Purple "Burn" and Procol Harum "A Whiter Shade of Pale".
One other thing that became a weak point in addition to too often mutually personnel almost throughout his career to switch to speed metal, Reale does not make ballad punk ballad numbers that usually become the mainstay of rock groups to at least enter the Top Chart or radio friendly hit list which is still a barometer of success of the music industry at that time. Steve Loeb, the producer who once took them to the top of popularity was also finally retreated in 1995 in addition he moved to handle hip-hop and rap groups.
Indeed they are still a line-up in various rock events, especially in Europe and Japan. For Reale's stage there was no denying that some personnel who had become "mini figures" in Tony Moore's metal universe, Bobby Jarzombek and Don Van Stavern went in and out of course played more songs on their two "Magnum Opus" albums rather than the song on the post-recording album "The Previllege of Power"!
In short, getting back and falling back are the two things that RIOT often experience so that Reale decided to vacuum in 2007. Until 2011 almost no news from RIOT and many people think this is the end of the group which is twice projected to run over "The New Wave of British Heavy Metal ".
Unexpected 2011 Reale cs. was able to re-turn the band that hardly formed almost 30 years. They released the album "Immortal of Souls" which in addition back to speed metal as well as restore Thundersteel formation. In particular, this album did not disappoint. Moreover, this album released the German label Steamhammer and Avalon from Japan, two countries are still potential as a market share of classic rock-especially speed metal.
Unfortunately, although the album is expected to be a solid formation, Reale was severely hurt so that his promo tour schedule faltered - until he finally reportedly killed in 2012. Unique indeed if following a group trip that I finally called "mini-metal" because it almost failed twice projected into a supergroup - even though their track record gigs continue to expand to a large scale.
Uniquely though many times ran aground, RIOT still has a place in the hearts of metal lovers-especially in mainland Europe and Japan. Akira Takasaki, Japan's flagship motorcycle speed mainstay group, Loudness-long before the current J-Rock / Nu Metal trend-acknowledging RIOT is the idol band.
In 2013 after the mourning period, again RIOT made a surprise. With new formations plus the old Thundersteel-era formation of Todd Michael Hall - lead vocals, Mike Flyntz - guitar, Nick Lee - guitar, Don Van Stavern - bass and Frank Gilchriest - drums they try to pass on the RIOT-style Thundersteel spirit (speed metal-themed song war and social critics) with the release of the album "Unleash The Fire" released 2014 through the label Steamhammer / Avalon.
Until now there is no news from the latest "mini metal" is in addition busy with concert scheduled density. The V name was added to mark five personnel changes as well as a new round of RIOT minus commander Mark Reale's trip.
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