Review RIOT V “Mean Streets”

I don’t think Riot needs much of an introduction. The band, founded in 1975 by Mark Reale, has delivered great albums. “Fire Down Under” and “Thundersteel” are some of the best US metal ever brought to the plate. At the same time, Riot was one of the really underrated bands, even though they played the big festivals and supported bands like Black Sabbath on their tours.

2012 was a tragic year for Riot. Mark Reale passed away in January 2012 which was a shock for many metalheads and the future of the band all of a sudden became unclear. After some time the decision was made to continue with Riot, also out of deep respect for the band founder. A wise move by Don Van Stavern and his bandmates was to add a ‘V’ to Riot, sending a clear signal to everyone that we were still with Riot, but entering a new era.

Riot V has released two full-lengths, with “Armor of Light” being the most recent, released in 2018. Now Riot V returns with a new strike called “Mean Streets”. The album features eleven powerful metal anthems with blasting rock power and a curcial factor is the stable line-up which we haven’t seen with Riot in the earlier days.

It is a fine line for the band to continue with the Riot trademarks without becoming some kind of Riot tribute band. I think the five-piece manages this challenge quite well. Every song on “Mean Streets” is a good reflection of the Riot sound – from the more rock-oriented title track to the anthemic “Feel the Fire” and the blistering “High Noon”. At the same time, the quintet adds its own spice to the dish, and what needs to be mentioned is the great vocal performance of Todd Michael Hall. His way of singing fits very well to the sound of Riot V.

“Mean Streets” is a very well done metal record with songs that reflect the exciting aspect of hard rock music. Blazing speed, pounding anthems and great melodies are all an essential part of “Mean Streets”. I think it is impossible to look at this album without having Riot with Mark Reale in mind. At the same time, it helps to see “Mean Streets” as a very solid metal album that entertains from the first spin through passionate metal anthems.