• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

February 2025

• Craig Brooks: Desolation Freeway
• Mantric Momentum: Alienized
• Pattern-Seeking Animals: Friend Of All Creatures
• Crazy Lixx: Thrill Of The Bite
• Ginger Evil: The Way It Burns
• Dream Theater: Parasomnia
• Tyran: Tyran's Oath
• Saber: Lost In Flames

January 2025

• Wildness: Avenger
• The Ferrymen: Iron Will
• Labyrinth: In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye
• Bonfire: Higher Ground
• The Big Deal: Electrified
• Landfall: Wide Open Sky

December 2024

• After Lapse: Pathways
• Illusion Force: Halfana
• Powell-Payne: Voilá

November 2024

• Sunstorm: Restless Fight
• Storace: Crossfire
• Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
• Lionville: Supernatural
• Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
• Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
• Lonerider: Down In The Dust
• Seventh Crystal: Entity
• Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
• Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
• Impellitteri: War Machine
• Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter

October 2024

• Casandra's Crossing: Garden Of Earthly Delights
• DGM: Endless
• Daytona: Garder la Flamme
• Fate: Reconnect 'N Ignite
• Frost*: Life In The Wires
• Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
• Fans Of The Dark: Video
• Radioactive: Reset
• House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
• Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire

[ More Music Reviews ]

Riot V: Armor Of Light

Heavy/Power Metal

4.5/5.0

Website Facebook
Nuclear Blast Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 18.04.2018

In the early Eighties, one of the first American metal bands that caught my interest was New York's Riot, founded by guitarist Mark Reale (1955-2012). Albums like Narita and Fire Down Under were classics of American heavy metal for me. The band has had many incarnations since then, always with Reale at the helm. After his passing, the band would continue on as Riot V and release 2014's Unleash The Fire. Now the band is back with their sixteenth album, Armor Of Light.

Riot V

And it's a smoker, pure Riot delivering their classic American power metal that began with 1988's Thundersteel. All their signature trademarks remain: twin guitar harmony in riffage and solos, a strong rhythm section for gallop and groove, and Todd Michael Hall's powerful vocal presence, singing melodic and clean.

For the album and songs, Armor Of Light, with a few exceptions, is essentially a horse race from start to finish. Fast, furious, and heavy, the songs roar with riffage and rise with thrilling solos, all the while maintaining an abundance of harmony and melody. While a song such as Victory or Burn The Daylight may start with a moderate entrance, don't be fooled, the pedal hits the metal quickly. Then there's Angel's Thunder, Devil's Reign that begins with bluster of bass, before ripping into galloping power metal. Alternatively, within Heart Of A Lion, there's an ever so slight down shift in speed about three quarters in. But Riot can dial things back for more traditional, moderately paced, heavy metal with Set The World Alight, the thumping Caught In The Witches Eye, or the rock groove of Ready To Share. All in all, as said earlier, Armor Of Light is unmistakably Riot, delivering their twin guitar charged and galloping classic American power metal. Easily recommended.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

All in all, Armor Of Light is unmistakably Riot, delivering their twin guitar charged and galloping classic American power metal. Easily recommended.

Alphabetical Index

By now it's old news. Everybody in the prog universe knows: Dream Theater got the band back together. Drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy returned to his Dream Theater family to celebrate their 40th ... [ Read More ]