February 2021 Feature Release – The Guardians Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month’s feature release for The Guardians is 1988’s classic “ThunderSteel” album from New York heavy metal legends Riot. I’ve chosen this one predominantly because I want to review my position after finding very little appeal in it back in the day. Since that time I’ve spent quite a bit of time with Riot’s earlier material though &, despite never understanding the popularity of the band’s well regarded 70’s material, I’ve found a fair bit of enjoyment in their more metal-oriented early 80’s albums. “ThunderSteel” came off the back of a 5 year break & features an almost an entirely new line-up though so it’ll be interesting to see how it compares with Riot’s past glories.

https://metal.academy/releases/2188

I did not like this. Having never gotten into the US strain of Power Metal as it is, I found this very repetitive and devoid of character. It reminds me of a hybrid of European and American Power Metal, but without anything that forces Riot to stand out in comparison to their contemporaries. The best songs on this record are reworkings of other songs and with this being the bands first album in five years, and first in a power metal vein, this is trend-hopping of the worst kind.

5/10

Riot have popped up on my radar as one of the slightly more underground classic Heavy Metal bands, and I was never a big enough fan of what I heard to really take the plunge into their material. Thankfully it looks like the band turned over a bit of a new leaf at the end of the 80's and released ThunderSteel, which is way more up my alley in terms of early, proto-Power Metal. I always have had a soft spot for the higher pitched, androgynous vocals that have become a staple for the more traditional, classic style of Heavy and Speed Metal even for modern bands, so ThunderSteel wins out in that regard. 

The album is still pretty hit or miss though, with the front side being quite a bit stronger than the back. "Johnny's Back" and "Blood Streets" are noticably weak and "Buried Alive" goes on for a bit too long, plus "Run For Your Life" teeters right on the edge of being irredeemably cheesy with its robotic backing vocals. The first few songs are great though, with "Thundersteel", "Sign of the Crimson Storm", and "On Wings of Eagles" really showcasing what Riot can do with their lineup. I also really like the Rock and NWOBHM influences with all of the crazy guitar solos and flourishes, even though I might be misplacing those genre comparisons. 

Overall I'm just happy that I found a Riot release that I liked, considering how highly acclaimed they seem to be. They still don't stack up to any of the other older Power Metal bands I enjoy, but I enjoyed my time with this record, even though the B side really wore on me enough to bump my score down by half a star. 

3.5/5

I'm really glad I gave "ThunderSteel" another chance because time has seen me finding it to be not only a much more enjoyable experience but also to be comfortably the best Riot album I've heard to date. It really doesn't sound anything like the Riot I'm so used to from their first five albums & that's not only because of the new front man. It's a much more metal sounding prospect than anything they'd undertaken previously. The Rhett Forrester period was highlighted by a bluesier edge but that's been completely tossed aside in favour of a metal-for-metal's-sake approach that draws heavily on the greats of the heavy metal genre for inspiration whilst upping the ante in terms of energy a lot of the time.

Musically, "ThunderSteel" is a combination of heavy metal, power metal & speed metal so it fits very comfortably under the US power metal tag that's intended to cover bands that blur the lines between those subgenres. The album kicks off with two straight-down-the-line speed metal numbers, takes a more epic turn towards power metal with a trio of tracks in the middle & closes out with three more traditional heavy metal songs in the back end. It's really interesting to see just how opposing my views are from that of Xephyr who seems to favour power metal over the more traditional heavy metal sound. To my ears the B side is the stronger of the two sides with the super anthemic "Bloodstreets" & lengthy closer "Buried Alive (Tell Tale Heart)" being the clear standout tracks. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that "Bloodstreets" is one of the best examples of 80's heavy metal I've heard in a long time. It's chorus is absolutely spectacular! It's no surprise that the Dio-era Black Sabbath inspired "Sign of the Crimson Storm" is another favourite either as I simply feel much more at ease with the classic metal sound. Don't get me wrong. With the exception of the fairly flat "On Wings of Eagles", I still quite like the speed & power metal material. It's just that I don't find it to have the depth of the slower, heavier material. 

Riot's influences are plain for all to see here. Sure, you can hear plenty of early Iron Maiden scattered across the tracklisting but the more obvious influence is Judas Priest, so much so that there's a strong case for claims that "ThunderSteel" runs a little too close to the plagiarism line at times, particularly as new front man Tony Moore is a dead ringer for Rob Halford only with a little more politeness in his delivery. Tony’s certainly got a set of pipes on him & is one of the major drawcards for the album in my opinion. The other is band leading axe-slinger Mark Reale who really goes to town on the exciting, ultra-shredding guitar solos. The drumming is a little light-weight in comparison & reminds me very much of former Judas Priest drummer Les Binks in that regard. In fact, most of the speed & power metal material seems to be heavily inspired by the classic opener from Priest's 1978 album "Stained Class". Does anyone else hear "Exciter" throughout this record?

Regardless, I don't want anyone to think of any of those observations as being particularly negative because I really dig "ThunderSteel". My affection for it is driven fairly heavily by its highlights but also by its class & consistency. I'd honestly be very surprised if fans of bands like Judas Priest, Running Wild & Helstar don't wet themselves over it to be honest.

4/5

I did my review, here's its summary:

Riot (V) has always powered up their riff machinery, with its velocity inspiring the development of speed metal. It is quite common to view Thundersteel as the older brother of Judas Priest's Painkiller in the kick-A aggression family. It brings complexity to their own genre that would inspire thrash's development. Thundersteel is the half-tank half-robot warrior standing tall to face enemy ground, while Painkiller is the aluminum knight riding a flying dragon motorcycle and taking to enemy skies. Tony Moore's high banshee-like vocals is what keeps the tank-robot warrior at berserk aggression with a gun powerful enough to blast off heads of enemies, leaving the survivors frightened. Mark Reale, the longest-standing member of the band until his 2012 passing (RIP), uses his guitar to power up the weapon to be used like a boss. Bobby Jarzombek's drumming charges up the robot's life power. Don Van Stavern keeps the tank wheels turning with his wicked bass. Together they power up the warrior to battle on through fast melodic songs, along with a heavy power ballad and a progressive epic. This turning point of metal history deserves to be listened to by fans of melodic speed/power metal, classic heavy metal, thrash metal and, more specifically, bands like Judas Priest, Manowar, and Iron Maiden. The power of heavy metal is alive, thanks to the fully-charged tank-robot warrior whose name is.... THUNDERSTEEL!!

5/5

Decidedly entertaining album if not at risk of death by repetition in the main.  Sterling lead work and a solid, driving percussion section.  Tony's vocals I find a bit hit and miss overall but decent enough.

3/5

https://metal.academy/reviews/16837/2188