Riot - Narita

\r\nRIOT. A name heavy as history. A history of 31 whole years, full of raw, pure, qualitive Heavy Metal. The youngers met them in 1988 with the amazing "Thundersteel", but before this they had already a long way, thus it is bettter to take things from the beggining. \r\n

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\r\nRiot were founded in 1976 in New York from the quitarist and leader of the group Mark Reale, Guy Speranza in vocals, LA Kouvaris in guitar, Jimmy Iommi in bass and Peter Bitelli in drums. Very soon the producer and owner of the small and independent company Fire Sign Records discovered them. They immediately sign a contract and so the 20-year cooperation between Loeb and Riot has begun. In 1977 they release their first album titled "Rock City", a ver good album, whith a more Hard Rock style, except "Overdrive" and the excellent "Warrior", a fast and heavy song, which was meant to be one of the hymns of the group. Early Speed Metal in the year 1977 and if you search to find the influences of some groups, like Helloween, just hear this album. The one who really distimquish is the talented Guy Speranza, whose great voice and performance gives the group another style.\r\n

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\r\nRIOT (1979) \r\n

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\r\nThe album has very good results, Riot sign a contract with the multinational company Capitol and they start the recording of their second album. Mark Reale, realizing the great sensation which "Warior" album in Europe and especially in Great Britain made, wants the group to obtain a more heavy style and so he replaces the guitarist LA Kouvaris with Rick Ventura. This movement strikes oil for Riot, as Ventura changes the style of the group to a great extent and helps also in the compositions. The album is released in 1979 under the title "Narita", the name of the well-known airport of Tokyo. \r\n

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\r\nThe first song of the album "Waiting For The Talking" would be easily found in "Rock City". A mawkish hard rock song in the style of KISS, nothing special. Afterwards, things change. The great "49er" which follows gibes you a little taste, raw metal, amazing refrain and solo, while the voice and the performance of Guy Speranza can "take you off". The spanish front man is one of the best singers of the era and he proves this. Very good the next song "Kick Down The Wall", while the arrangement of "Born To Be Wild" is amazing and then you simply rave... \r\n

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\r\nThe gorgeous instrumental "Narita" shows the stuff and the great quality of Riot. When the term Sped Metal was nowhere to be found, Riot simply palyed it...guitar-firing from Reale and Ventura, Bitelli from behind was "scooping out" and that’s all...All the rest "fast gyus" came several years later, second and in a sweat... \r\n

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\r\nMark Reale (1979) \r\n

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\r\nVery good but softer are the songs "Here We Come Again", "Do It Up", "Hot For Love", "White Rock", while the album ends with one of their best songs, the favourite and classic "Road Racin’". \r\n

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\r\n"Narita" is a diamond album. Riot having a line up, which has nothing to be jealous of the monsters of this era and making their sound harder, begin to show their real potentials. The best is on the way... \r\n

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\r\nAntonis Alexandropoulos \r\n

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\r\nTranslation in English: Aliki Maxoutoglou \r\n

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