Riot: Inishmore/Shine On/Sons of Society/Through the Storm/Army of One (reissues)

Many of our readers will already be familiar with Riot, a popular heavy metal band best known for their output in the late 70s and early 80s. Although albums like Narita and Fire Down Under remain two of the band's best known and most acclaimed works, there's no denying the band's consistent energy and output. Since the early 80s, the band experienced significant twists and turns, including multiple lineup changes. Readers interested in these constant ups and downs may want to consult the internet for more of that history. It's much too long to do it any justice here. What I will note is that after founding member Mark Reale passed away in 2012, the surviving members of the band changed the band's name from Riot to Riot V.

With these five reissues, fans can discover (or rediscover) Riot's late 90s and early 2000s releases. As I listened to each of them over the last few weeks, I rediscovered a band I left behind years ago, not for any particularly strong reason, just that my tastes changed and I didn't feel like keeping up. Listening to these albums was fun. I heard a band committed to creating solid rock music marked by good songwriting and expert performances. Sure, most fans will measure these albums strictly against the band's earlier work, but the music here is pretty good—and mostly worth checking out. Although Riot is probably best described as power metal these days, the music should have a relatively broad appeal to fans of heavy music generally. Every album has multiple tracks that are worth checking out. The bonus tracks are also generally interesting though I suspect some fans would have wanted more of one and less of another. For me, the biggest surprise was Shine On, a terrific live album that captures the late material really well. I assumed Riot was good live, but I was pleased to hear such consistent energy and passion. Of all the albums available here, Inishmore and Shine On were my favorites, Through the Storm and Army of One were my least favorite and Sons of Society was right down the middle. I do recommend the covers of "Only You Can Rock Me" and "Here Comes the Sun" on Through the Storm. I thought for sure I would hate them but they were both solid and respectful. I'll always prefer the originals but it was cool to hear these guys tackling UFO and The Beatles.

The bonus materials include unreleased tracks and studio instrumentals or demos. On the whole, this is a nice set of reissues that fans should enjoy.

Track Listing:

Inishmore

1. Black Water
2. Angel Eyes v3. Liberty
4. Kings are Falling
5. The Man
6. Watching the Signs
7. Should I Run
8. Cry for the Dying
9. Turning the Hands of Time
10. 15 Rivers (Bonus Track)
11. Red Reign (Bonus Track)
12. Inishmore (Forsaken Heart)
13. Inishmore
14. Danny Boy
15. 15 Rivers (Acoustic Writing Demo)
16. Gypsy

Shine On

1. Black Water
2. Angel Eyes
3. Soldier
4. The Man
5. Kings are Falling
6. Bloodstreets
7. Watching the Signs (Bonus Track)
8. Swords and Tequila
9. Cry for the Dying
10. Inishmore (Forsaken Heart)
11. Inishmore
12. Danny Boy
13. Liberty
14. Gypsy
15. The Last of the Mohicans (Intro)
16. Glory Calling
17. Thunder steel
18. Nightbreaker (Bonus Track)
19. Outlaw
20. Warrior

Sons of Society

1. Snake Charmer
2. On the Wings of Life
3. Sons of Society
4. Twist of Fate
5. Bad Machine
6. Cover Me
7. Dragonfire
8. The Law
9. Time to Bleed
10. Queen (Bonus Track)
11. Somewhere
12. Promises
13. Sons of Society (Instrumental Rough Mix)
14. The Law (Instrumental Rough Mix)
15. Time to Bleed (Instrumental Rough Mix)
16. Somewhere (Instrumental Rough Mix)
17. Promises (Instrumental Rough Mix)

Through the Storm

1. Turn the Tables
2. Lost Inside This World
3. Chains (Revolving)
4. Through the Storm
5. Let it Show
6. Burn the Sun
7. To My Head
8. Essential Enemies
9. Somebody
10. Only You Can Rock Me
11. Isle of Shadows
12. Here Comes the Sun
13. Follow You (Demo)
14. Army of One (Instrumental)
15. Shine (Instrumental)
16. Blinded (Instrumental)

Army of One

1. Army of One
2. Knockin' at My Door
3. Blinded
4. One More Alibi
5. It All Falls Down
6. Helpin' Hand
7. The Mystic
8. Still Alive
9. Alive in the City
10. Shine
11. Stained Mirror
12. Darker Side of Light
13. Road Racin' (live)
14. Still Alive (Instrumental Rough Mix)

Added: October 28th 2017
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 1650
Language: english

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