RIOT: Mean Streets (HEAVY METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Six years have passed since Riot - or Riot V, but it's all the same - brought us their disappointing "Armor Of Light". This old friend from the mid-'70s, who will celebrate his fiftieth birthday next year, has decided to take his mascot already present on the cover of "Rock City", his first opus released in 1977. Now, on the artwork for "Mean Streets", it appears as a biker leading a warlike pack of fellow creatures. Will they be able to redress the balance and return to the level of 2014's "Unleash The Fire", or even recapture the qualities of 1981's indestructible "Fire Down Under"?

Let's face it, if this ancestral album blessed by fans is to remain perched at the pinnacle of the New Yorkers' discography, this 17th misdeed by the combo deserves to be in the top 5 of their productions. The band's previous successes are to be found in this work: atmospheric melodies, driving riffs and cascades of twin guitar solos. However, unlike in the '80s, today's double pedals are more explosive, with much stronger rhythms. Nevertheless, this work is strongly reminiscent of the 80's ('Lost Dreams' and its hint of the famous 'Road Racin' on 'Narita'). It's also amusing to note the nods to 'Sword And Tequila', a twenty-year-old hit from "Fire Down Under", on the cover of "Mean Streets".

Alternating between melodic, often speedy metal and radio-friendly hard rock ('Before The Time' and 'Open Road'), the power and energy of this album make a lasting impression. Riot leaves no respite for its audience, offering neither ballads nor even mid-tempo. It buries it under mounds of riffs worthy of Judas Priest, as on 'Feel The Fire' and its tempo a carbon copy of that of 'Grinder', or on 'Hail To The Warriors' which evokes Manowar. And let's not forget the avalanche of guitar duels, sometimes reminiscent of Iron Maiden ('Mortal Eyes' in particular). Stunned by frenetic, but not overpowering, drums, and intoxicated by anthems delivered by a frontman who really holds his own, the listener, caught up in this veritable maelstrom, will emerge aural haggard. Surfing on a retro charm and sensibility, the twelve tracks have few weaknesses. At the very most, there are a few less striking themes, most of which are made up for by thunderous six-string playing.

Riot fulfils its contract with this exciting "Mean Streets". By respecting the heritage of the band and its past members, while muscling its playing to avoid sounding outdated, the current team deserves a round of applause. By keeping the ancestral flame alight, they do honor to this survivor of the olden days, half a century after its birth. - Official website

RIOT

MEAN STREETS

ATOMIC FIRE RECORDS

HEAVY METAL