Riot is reborn as Riot V

Mark Reale encouraged band to carry on after his death
By Peter Lindblad

Riot V is bassist Don Van Stavern,
guitarists Mike Flyntz and Nick Lee,
vocalist Todd Michael Hall and
drummer Frank Gilchriest

Mark Reale's health problems were far more serious than he let on.

In 2012, the founding guitarist of heavy-metal cult favorites Riot died after an almost lifelong battle with Crohn's Disease, only months after the reunited Thundersteel-era lineup released the power-metal tour de force Immortal Soul. 

His passing shocked and saddened the metal community, and many figured Riot, having been through so much in its 30-odd years of existence, was not long for this world either. Reale wasn't having any of it.

Having formed Riot in 1975 with drummer Peter Bitelli as a powerhouse, straightforward metal outfit capable of produced such blazing classics as Narita and Fire Down Under, Reale was the one constant in Riot's existence, reviving and reshaping the band after devastating personnel losses and orchestrating Riot's transformation as a storming power-metal beast on 1988's Thundersteel with new partner Don Van Stavern.

It was Reale who urged his comrades to forge ahead in his absence, as Van Stavern and guitarist Mike Flyntz conspired to write the compelling material for Unleash The Fire, the electrifying new album from a unit rechristened Riot V that includes drummer Frank Gilchriest, guitarist Nick Lee and Todd Michael Hall, a vocalist of extraordinary power and expression.

Flyntz talked in this interview about Riot V's new adventures, Reale's final days and how Riot V carried on after the death of their leader to bring Unleash The Fire to life.

Riot - Unleash The Fire 2014

What was the hardest part about making this record without Mark?

Mike Flyntz: Besides the obvious musical and emotional difficulties the hardest part was not having Mark there for the final everyday decisions. Mark was very generous with letting everyone involved contribute ideas. He let everyone shine. In the end he would decide on different arrangements and tempo changes etc.  Don and I had to make all the final decisions for this record.

They say that tragedy that can sometimes unite and strengthen the bonds between survivors. In that respect, did the writing and recording of Unleash the Fire bring the remaining members of the band closer together, or was it a difficult process?

MF: We were on a mission to make the best record possible since it was written for Mark. We had big shoes to fill and most people didn’t think we could do it or if it was even possible without Mark. We were very close and Mark’s spirit was with us the entire time.

In what ways does the new album seem reminiscent of Thundersteel? That album was such a classic, and a lot of the elements that it made it so special are here as well.

MF: Todd’s voice mixed with the songwriting I think are the main components. Also Don Van Stavern wrote eight of the songs on the new record. He was also a main writer of Thundersteel along with Mark.

“Bring the Hammer Down” and "Return of the Outlaw" are such phenomenal tracks. The singing makes the hair on your arms stand up, and so do the guitar riffs. Was there a real sense of excitement in the air when those songs in particular were being recorded?

MF: The music was done first. Although we heard the demos we really didn’t realize how much Todd was going to step up to the plate until the music was recorded. We were blown away when he added his vocals.

As much as anything, Unleash the Fire is great guitar album, with really strong, tight riffs, fiery solos and really interesting, melodic dual leads. What did you hope to do instrumentally on this record in tribute to Mark?

MF: Our main focus was to stay true to traditional Riot and to honor Mark. I just wrote all the guitar parts the same way Mark and I would over the past 25 years. Mark always liked to combine melodic parts with bluesy elements.

Mark encouraged the band to continue on after his death. Why did he feel that it was important to do so, and how much pressure was there in trying to make a record that would make him proud?

MF: During the recording of Immortal Soul Mark was having trouble recording his parts. He told me to record the parts, and he would come in when he was better. I wound up doing all the solos and 90 percent of the rhythm guitars. He heard the recordings and approved them. He was very proud of us and said to keep going. We didn’t realize how sick he was.

What inspired the words to “Land of the Rising Sun” and was there a sense that you wanted to make a more hopeful statement with the lyrics here?

MF: Don wrote this about our first trip to Japan in 1989. We were shocked at the reception at the airport and the hotel. There were hundreds of people awaiting our arrival. We felt like the Beatles. We will never forget this and chose to write a song for them to say thanks.

Going back to Thundersteel, just before that Riot was trying to rebuild and re-establish itself after some problems with record labels and some lineup shuffling. Even though you weren't in the band then, what are your thoughts about that record?

MF: Mark did want to experiment with a new sound and Donnie was real influential in the Thundersteel sound. A lot of older fans didn’t like the change. On the other hand, there was an entire different fan base developed with the new sound.

What are your impressions of that record today? Was it somewhat ahead of its time?

MF: I think  the songs are great. It was ahead of it’s time. When we play live the Thundersteel songs are constantly requested and always go over the best.

With The Privilege of Power, that was such an experimental album, with the use of horns. What did you think of it?

MF: I think it was a great idea. Everything in life is timing. Not sure if the timing was right with the grunge era approaching, but who knew?

It is natural, given all the lineup changes over the years, to wonder how solid this version of Riot is. Is it different this time around? Do you sense that this group could stay around for a while, or are you guys just trying to live in the moment and not think too much about the future?

MF: We are looking towards the future now. At first our idea was to pay tribute to Mark and see how the fans reacted. Due to the blessing and constant support from the Riot fans it is obvious to us that we should continue. As long as Mr. Reale and the fans want it we will continue.

What would be the greatest compliment you could receive with regard to this new record?

MF: Already happened. The fans have spoken. The fans have showed overwhelming support and enthusiasm over this new record. To our surprise the writers and critics have all joined in too. We are so thankful.

Where there moments in the making of Unleash the Fire where you said to yourself or to the others, “Mark would have really liked that,” or, on the other hand, “Mark would have really hated that”?

MF: There wasn’t a day when Mark’s name didn’t come up whether we were asking “how

would he do it” or just joking about things he would have said. We constantly used Mark’s sayings and jokes throughout the entire recording process.

I have to ask about the cover. You used the seal from Fire Down Under, and you’ve utilized it extensively for Riot album art. What is the story behind its use and why was it important to bring it back for this record?

MF: Not sure where it came from. It is referred to as “Mighty Tior” or “Johnny”. Since the album was a dedication to Mark and the entire Riot catalog we wrote music and used themes that combined all the eras of Riot’s history.

What’s next for Riot?

MF: We look forward to touring and then doing another record and DVD.

CD Review: Riot V – Unleash The Fire

CD Review: Riot V – Unleash The Fire
Steamhammer/SPV
All Access Rating: A-

Riot V - Unleash The Fire 2014

There is life after Mark Reale for the rest of Riot. When Reale, the band's driving force, died in 2012, it appeared that was it for the scrappy hard-rock underdogs, Riot having written its final chapter with 2001's critically acclaimed reunion album Immortal Soul.

Urged by Reale himself, as well as his estate, to carry on in his absence, the remaining members have reconvened as Riot V, picking the pieces to roar back to life with the Steamhammer/SPV effort Unleash The Fire. With bassist Don Van Stavern handling much of the songwriting and guitarist Mike Flyntz assisting in the album's creation, Riot V – also featuring Todd Michael Hall belting out vocals, plus drummer Frank Gilchriest and shredder Nick Lee on guitar – has risen from the ashes, molding and shaping a record that's more than just a throwback to Riot's glorious past.

Unleash The Fire has everything a fan of Riot could want, from its electrically charged riffs to its soaring melodies, gripping hooks and distinctively sculpted dual-guitar leads. Intense and gripping, the gnarled "Kill To Survive," a pounding title track and the striking "Bring the Hammer Down" are surprisingly visceral, somehow managing to recapture the raw excitement of Riot's best work. And yet they pale in comparison to the thrilling barrage of riffs that make the action-packed "Return of the Outlaw" an absolute corker of a track.

A touching and emotional ballad that, without resorting to cliched sentimentality, honors Riot V's fallen leader, "Immortal" offers a testament to Reale's enduring artistry, his dedication to his craft and his stubborn refusal to give up on Riot, even when it seemed all was lost. There's little time for mourning, however, as the dazzling hooks and streaming guitars of "Land of the Rising Sun" light up the darkness, betraying the stylized pop-metal sensibilities of the song's creators.

Unleash The Fire is classic Riot, but because it harkens back to the days of Thundersteel and carries the flag for traditional metal, Riot V could be accused of simply retracing their steps. Such criticism is unwarranted. There is a freshness and vitality to this material that's undeniable, and they deliver it with passion and superb execution, the well-coordinated guitar attacks, in particular, mapped out with an ear for melody and a thirst for power. There is plenty of fire left in Riot V's belly.
– Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Riot - Immortal Soul

CD Review: Riot - Immortal Soul
SPV
All Access Review: B+

More an indictment of apathy towards war in foreign lands than a desperate plea for attention, “Riot,” the incendiary opener off Riot’s latest album, Immortal Soul, asks a pertinent question: “What’s it going to take to make you riot?” What, indeed, is it going to take for people to wake up and take notice of a grossly under appreciated cult band that’s been around since 1975 and tossed a few exquisitely explosive heavy metal Molotov cocktails into the fray between 1977 and 1981 with the albums Rock City, Narita and the quintessential Riot classic Fire Down Under?

When the New Wave of British Heavy Metal threatened to drown us all in spiraling twin guitar leads, screaming vocals and stampeding rhythms, Riot, the pet project of guitarist and lone remaining founding member MarkReale, a man who understands the capricious nature of rock and roll all too well, seemed poised to become America’s answer to English cousins Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, the Tygers of Pan Tang and Saxon, among others. Riot was cut from the same cloth, from the blazing guitar duels ignited by Reale’s ambitious fretwork to pulse-pounding rhythms and wailing vocals that could fill up the most spacious of arenas. The pace of their songs was blistering, and they didn’t opt for the clichéd fretwork and grooves so many lesser bands take when confronted with a fork in the road, musically speaking. At the very least, while opening for the likes of Sammy Hagar, Black Sabbath and KISS, Riot’s ballistic live performances should have spurred a groundswell of support that would eventually lead to massive record sales and sold-out stadiums. Alas, it wasn’t to be.

The usual suspects are to blame, of course. Too many lineup changes, record label treachery, seismic shifts in musical trends and the occasional lukewarm effort all conspired to keep a good man like Reale down. Word has it he was even living out of his car in Los Angeles at one point. And yet, through it all, Reale kept Riot alive, tenaciously holding on to the belief that his time was coming. Occasionally, he’s been able to recapture that old magic that made them one of metal’s top title contenders in the late ‘70s, as Riot did near the end of the ‘80s. The faithful always held a special reverence for the lineup that recorded 1988’s Thundersteel and 1990’s The Privilege of Power, and Reale has reassembled the crew of Tony Moore (vocals), Don Van Stavern (bass), and Bobby Jarzombek (drums), along with live collaborator and guitarist Mike Flyntz for another tour of duty.

The band’s rebirth is nothing short of remarkable. After a recent scorched-earth tour of Japan and a triumphant Sweden Rock Festival outing, Riot unleashed Immortal Soul in late 2011, and it is a beast. Out of the gate, the blinding speed and white-hot fury of “Riot” – a ballsy title considering it’s also the name of the band – outraces many of Riot’s thrash-metal brethren, with Moore’s squealing vocals adding urgency and excitement. “Sins of the Father” is just as scintillating, traveling as fast as a bullet from point A to point B and not forgetting to plant a series of hooks that claw flesh. “Crawling” is something altogether different. With an undeniably exotic Middle Eastern feel, courtesy of serpentine, hookah-smoking guitars, the undulating “Crawling” is a seductive and hypnotic siren’s call that listeners must repeatedly heed. Even more melodic is the soaring epic “Fall Before Me,” which artfully contrasts meaty, grinding riffs with angelic harmonies, while the title track is stylish and dark, a not-so-subtle nod to Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime.

Blessed with an impressive vocal range that easily reaches high notes other singers would have to stand on a chair to tough, Moore is impossible to ignore. He can sound tough and tender, as he redeems an otherwise lackluster “Whiskey Man,” or he can fill a room the size of a football field with his volume and high-pitched screams, as he does on “Insanity.” While Reale and Flyntz pound away at dynamic, thundering riffs and construct intricate helixes of notes that amaze and awe, as they do in the high-flying “Believe,” Moore’s presence is just as powerful. And don’t sleep on Jarzombek’s drumming, with its crispness and propulsive momentum, augmented by Van Stavern’s flexible bass work.

Not the edgiest album to ever see the light of day, Immortal Soul is, nevertheless, a classic-sounding heavy metal record, with strong songwriting and interesting diversity that mostly goes for the throat and takes daring risks. At times, it sounds almost reeks of desperation – not a bad thing for a band that’s been around this long – as if Reale and company are willing to try and do anything to catch your attention. More often than not, Immortal Soul does just that.

-        Peter Lindblad

Addendum: Just one day after posting this review Mark Reale was hospitalized due to complications of Crohn's disease, which he had battled most of his life. Sadly, Reale died on January 26th, 2012. He was an amazing musician and the world of hard rock / heavy metal lost another great one. RIP Mark Reale.