Riot | Artist

Riot is an American heavy Metal band formed in New York City in 1975 by guitarist Mark Reale, Guy Speranza (vocals), Peter Bitelli (drums), Phil Feit (bass), and Lou Kouvaris (guitar). Having undergone many lineup changes, the current day band is renamed Riot V and has none of the original members. The Riot V lineup is Mike Flyntz (guitar), Frank Gilchriest (drums), Todd Michael Hall (vocals), Nick Lee (guitar), and Don Van Stavern (bass). Reaching peak in popularity in the early 1980s, the band has continued a long-running successful career despite the untimely death of founder Mark Reale. Riot's sound initially started out as straightforward heavy metal, inspired by the likes of Montrose, Derringer, and Ted Nugent, but since their excellent 1988 release Thundersteel, their musical style shifted more towards Power metal. In the studio, the band laid down sixteen albums, all but the last under the name Riot, and their final album, 2018's Armor of Light, under the name Riot V. Standout albums include Rock City (1977), Narita (1979), Fire down Under (1981), Thundersteel (1988) and Immortal Soul (2011). Also recommended are Riot Live (1982) and the series of Archive Volumes 1-5 released between 2018-2020. In tribute to their album Thundersteel, one reviewer proclaimed "This album is a pure Heavy Metal / Speed masterpiece and one of the finest moments of American Heavy Metal." Completely unrelated to their music, Riot were often derided for the somewhat amateurish artwork of their album covers. For some unknown reason the band chose to use a bizarre baby seal-headed logo dubbed "Mighty Tior" on their first five albums.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Riot_V

Featured Albums: Riot

Related Artists: Riot V, Mark Reale, Todd Michael Hall, The Lizards

Video Clips: Fire Down Under, Live Long Island 1981, Restless Breed