Review by Shezma for Riot - Fire Down Under (1981)

I don't like this, and I'm having a hard time explaining why This has a very sing-a-long vibe to me with this album. Swords and Tequila has a catchy chorus, but I don't find wanting to listen to it again. Outlaw is the stand out especially after listening again because it has some killer underlying rhythm guitar and solo at the end but there's too much extra noise going on that takes away from the really interesting and fun riffs. I don't feel like it knows what it wants to be. The guitars and drums are a bit too heavy for the pop vibes it gives off. Like a Van Halen trying to be metal which feels disjointed. Don't Bring Me Down is where I really got a heavy Van Halen, and then on Don't Hold Back I get an odd Jerry Was A Race Car Driver by Primus sound. Please tell me it's not just me, but I just can't this album more serious because I keep hearing derivatives too other things in a more "metal" package. Don't Hold Back reminds me of Ace of Spades structurally? Run For Your Life is like a Run To The Hills demo . Every one of these songs just makes me hear something else and I just can't get into them.  Also what is Flashbacks, an unnecessary flash back snippets of their tour? It's like a bad advertisement to come see their show which doesn't work for me. Maybe if I actually came to a show and felt a bit nostalgic but this is just extra fluff. 

All of this is to say that maybe if I heard this first in the 80's on release I could like it more but I feel like my music memory really kills any listening enjoyment of this album. I don't feel like this is a bad album by any means, but I can't give it more than 2 stars because this is a really tough listen for me since I'm constantly just hearing other songs in a less enjoyable manner.