RIOT ACT - Closer to the Flame 2xCD
Global Rock Records
I got to see this band with RAVEN back in late October. RIOT ACT was billed as former members of RIOT playing classic favorites as well as new original material. They came out as a four piece act (more on that later) and started off their set with a couple of originals. Then the band kicked into one of the oldies "Swords And Tequila". I swear their singer was channeling the spirit of past vocalist Guy Speranza. Hell I almost dropped my beer. From that point on I was in awe of this band.
RIOT ACT is basically guitarist Rick Ventura's return to rock. Ventura was in the original RIOT from 1978 to 1984. Those are considered the glory years for RIOT with studio releases like 1979's Narita, 1981's Fire Down Under, 1982's Restless Breed and Born in America from 1983. Just for the record I saw RIOT play with the SCORPIONS and RAINBOW back in 1982.
RIOT ACT was originally supposed to be a five piece act with Ventura plus fellow former RIOT guitarist Lou Kouvaris. Sadly Kouvaris passed away due to the Coronavirus in 2020. But Ventura decided to keep the band going with the other three members.
Now as far they go well you've got vocalist Don Chaffin. Now like I said earlier sure he can channel the spirit of former vocalist Guy Speranza on the oldies. But in his own right Chaffin is an amazing singer (and front man if you get to see em). I mean he does hard rock as well as blues rock to perfection. At times he reminds me of a young David Coverdale with a one octave higher range.
Then there's bassist Paul Ranieri, where the hell did this guy come from? Not only does he hold down bass duties well, actually better than that. But he adds in leads to a point where he's their second lead guitarist. Finally there's drummer Claudio Galinski. Where did he come from? My guess is from a time machine since this guy is pure late 70's/early 80's drum style. Like Charlie Watts with a spiked wrist band.
So this is a double CD release with the first disc being the band's debut album and the second disc is the original five piece doing old RIOT songs. As far as the originals go they're damm good. Sound wise it's sort of reminiscent of early RIOT but it's more like an unearthed classic from the late 70's. I mean it's got some great fuckin rockin songs which should be radio hits, some bluesy tracks which rip and maybe one track which could be considered a ballad. All in all it's classic sounding, cool as fuck and with a modern touch.
Standout tracks for me are the opening title track. To me Ventura is showing his Blackmore influence on here. And it ain't his only one. This song rocks and should be a hit. Add to that "Wanted" has a more modern groove touch with respect to the old ways. Once again this could've been a hit in any of the past couple of decades.
"Smoking Gun" is another cut where Ventura lets his inner Blackmore rain supreme on the bluesy leads. "Stand or Fall" could've been one of the biggest hits of 1980. And it should be for 2022. "Angelina" is what I'd consider a ballad but what a great song. The interplay between bass and guitar almost gives it a prog feel to an obvious pop rock oriented cut. Finally "Rock Love and Roll" is a final showcase of early 80's Metal in yer face.
As far as the second disc goes this one features the original RIOT ACT five piece doing twelve old RIOT songs. Of course many of these songs were played at the show I was at. And they're also my favorite RIOT songs. I'm talking about "Rock City" and "Swords And Tequila" of course. But hey you get a new version of "No Lies" which once again I'm in awe of Don Chaffin's vocals. Of course there's a bunch more.
The bottom line here is that RIOT ACT are the embodiment of past greatness meets modern day acceptance. Sure I'm old and wanna hear the old stuff. But hey their new stuff is killer and they make "Outlaw" sound new and fresh. This might be my favorite album of 2022.
http://www.globalrockrecords.com/index.html
LISTEN HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0rzUgEm5Co&list=OLAK5uy_mgr948fQXZqbEIHREOfaxY5uQChF7DRAE&index=1
