I’ve gone on record to label Riot “the greatest American metal band of all time”. I still believe this. There are bands who come close in terms of influence and impact (i.e. Y&T, Queensrÿche, Slayer), but at the end of the day, nothing better represents this country’s contribution to the evolution of metal than that trifecta of Rock City (1977), Narita (1979), and Fire Down Under (1981). So when word got out that two of this era’s members, guitarists Louie Kouvaris and Rick Ventura, were joining forces in a band that paid tribute to this era named Riot Act, I was all aboard.
Unfortunately, Riot Act’s efforts to get off the ground were not without its setbacks. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the arrival of new music from these legends. Worse yet, it claimed the life of Kouvaris at the tragic age of 65. Riot was a band plagued by professional and personal tragedy from day one, yet in the face of adversity, they always managed to carry on. It comes as no surprise that Ventura has applied this same “Warrior” mindset to Riot Act, who have now finally bestowed upon us their debut offering, Closer to the Flame.
If you dig the early metallic stylings of the aforementioned trifecta, and perhaps even the more hard rock leanings of Rock City and Narita, Closer to the Flame is right up your alley. Granted, these songs aren’t of the same caliber as those classic anthems from roughly 45 years ago, but they faithfully execute the style and approach. The opening title track is a full speed headbanger boasting riffs, vocals, production, and an overall delivery in line with the albums I just mentioned. As the album progresses, there’s no shortage of rowdy, anthemic, power chord driven hard rockers like “Straight for Your Heart”, “Stand or Fall”, and “Love Come Round”, yet also an emphasis on blues and melody on cuts like “Smoking Gun” and “Almost There”.
The band Ventura has assembled to deliver this old school hard and heavy sound is one tight knit unit. The rhythm section of bassist Paul Ranieri and drummer Claudio Galinski hold down the fort adequately, while vocalist Don Chaffin never attempts to sound blatantly like classic Riot singers Guy Speranza and Rhett Forrester. Instead, he uses his own voice, a fine tuned balance of grit and power reminiscent of Ronnie Romero. It really comes in handy and balances the guitar work of Ventura on the album’s heavier closing cuts, “Angelina”, “Right Between the Eyes”, and “Rock Love and Roll”.
If the 10 new songs that make up Closer to the Flame aren’t enough to feed your Riot fix (although they sure should be), there’s an additional bonus disc of 12 rerecorded Riot staples. Among these are “49er”, “Outlaw”, and “Swords and Tequila”, just to name a few. While I’ll always prefer the original versions, I appreciate these current renditions for their attention to detail, as well as their being the last recorded music of Kouvaris. Overall, Closer to the Flame is a fitting tribute to Kouvaris, Speranza, Forrester, Mark Reale, and all the other fallen brothers who have been in and out of the Riot ranks over the years. While Riot V serve as fitting successors to the Thundersteel era power metal throne, you can rely on Riot Act for no frills, hot, hard, and heavy rockin’.
7 out of 10
Label: Global Rock Records
Genre: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
For fans of: Riot, AC/DC, The Rods