After several years' absence,
Riot have returned with something rather special.
Following the John Sykes' example, '
Army Of One' is carefully designed and tailored to fit Japanese melodic hard rock tastes, but it has the distinct advantage of sounding pretty damn good in either hemisphere.
Mark Reale's busy, inventive and heavy metallised guitar work is the perfect foil for Mike (The Lizards) DiMeo's outstanding vocals. This guy's voice, a blend of Kip Winger, Tommy
Heart and David Coverdale, would give any rock band a competitive edge.
As it is, the songs here are strong and supple, whipping back and forth across a battery of thudding, bass heavy rhythms, with DiMeo's howling vocals and Reale's guitar anchoring them all to solid ground.
On '
Helping Hand', DiMeo outdoes
Jorn Lande in cloning the
Whitesnake sound. A tenuous claim to fame perhaps, but DiMeo emotes effectively, one moment tough, next moment tender, and never less than passionate.
The neo classical '
Mystic' lets the side down a little, teetering on the edge of cliché and mediocrity. Malmsteen and Impelliteri do this so much more imaginatively.
The bluesy swagger of
'Still Alive' and the steamy sensuality of '
Alive In The City' recover lost ground, but it's the opening trio of tracks that make this album so compelling.
The title track, '
Army Of One' opens the album in welter of rapidfire beats and fret melting guitar work, mutating from speed metal to Fair Warning-esque melodic hard rock in the blink of an eye.
Second track, '
Knocking At My Door' is unarguably the album's standout. Medium paced, densely textured, it benefits from a more restrained performance from Reale. The reward is the creation of adequate space for a set of powerful harmonies and an inviting hook.
'
Blinded' runs '
Knocking At My Door' a close second. Recalling Winger's underrated 'Pull' album, this time a pulse quickening axe motif provides the framework for the song, with DiMeo's battle hardened vocals delivering on another sturdy, appealing melody.
It's good to see
Riot back and in such pulsating form. It's like they've never really been away.
Written by
Brian Monday, October 2, 2006
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