Riot V – "Mean Streets"

Yes, still with that weird seal thingy mascot

Riot V (henceforth, just fucking Riot) is one of those bands that, while having gone relatively steady throughout almost fifty gaddayum years, has still had several critical line-up changes, and never really made any definite impression in the world of hard rock with any of their many incarnations. They were always just kinda... there. And seriously, that weird-ass seal thingy on their album covers has been a major factor in deterring me from listening to the albums underneath. I mean, what is up with that thing??

However, having softened up upon recommendations from less conceited people than myself and gotten into some of their earlier stuff in later years (specifically, 1981's masterful "Fire Down Under" album), maybe I shoulda paid better attention. Hell, I even saw the band at The Elbo Room in San Francisco in 2015, and I was impressed by the group's energy and the technical level of the current line-up – which, to my understanding, is the same one as today.

And upon having just heard that current group's latest effort for only the second time, that impression's only solidified. See, what we're dealing with here is some of the purest heavy metal I've ever heard. And having been way into the damn thing for more than 30 years, that's saying something, right there.

The wonderfully frantic riffing and the energetically pounding drums aside, the immediate stand-out here is the singing. Crystal clear, theatrical, and packing a punch like few others, this is quintessential heavy metal vocals. Given the melodic elements, then, some people would be justified in simply mentioning the term "power metal" when discussing music like this.

But this is too fierce to be considered merely power metal. And if you'd need any further proof of this, check out that borderline-thrash and -riffing of songs like "Higher", throwbacking to the title track chorus from aforementioned "Fire Down Under", and "High Noon", ending up in a maniacal solo-run that just keeps on going and going, much like on this little classic tune called "Painkiller".

The synergy between this album's youthfully relentless punch and that nothing-to-lose song-crafting of some of the purest steel I've heard in fucking years is nothing short of impressive in all its downright blindsiding quality.

Yes, sometimes Riot's 17th LP sounds like the band has just invented all of heavy metal itself, and that they're eager to share its equal parts simple and awesome message with the world. But this doesn't mean that "Mean Streets" is one big, homogenous slab of Judas Priest spinoff. For example, check out that unmistakably AC/DC-esque staccato riff in "Feel the Fire", or the melodic, uptempo waltz of "Before This Time", its Major-key chorus with descending bass notes and a Minor subdominant chord almost channeling fucking ABBA. But hey, it damn well works.

Stand-out elements like these, while sprinkled somewhat generously throughout the album and making a decisive difference, still don't mean that we're dealing with anything more than heavy metal here, though. And while this is close to being one of those coveted cases of "all killer, no filler", what makes this album killer isn't interesting compositions rather than the combination of vicious riffing, no-holds-barred energy, razor-sharp delivery, and a resounding production.

So when I'm granting a 5/6 rating to an album like this that doesn't necessarily have a lot of replays in it, it's because the synergy between its youthfully relentless punch and that nothing-to-lose song-crafting of some of the purest steel I've heard in fucking years is nothing short of impressive in all its downright blindsiding quality. I did not see this one coming, you guys – and I'm betting neither did a lot of y'all.

In fact, maybe it's only a good thing that Riot never relied on any truly stand-out personas, line-up-wise. Because as long as that's the case, the band could, in theory, keep on releasing solid heavy metal albums and touring indefinitely while changing its members on an ongoing basis as the current ones start to get too old or just lose interest. We'd have an infinite heavy metal institution right here. In fact, this is a brilliant fucking idea.

Rating: 5 out of 6

Genre: Heavy metal
Release date: 10/5/2024
Label: Atomic Fire
Producer: Bruno Ravel et al.