...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI


..::OPIS::..

Sigh. Another worthwhile Riot (V) release, another one with zero reviews so far on the Archives. What does this legendary band have to do to finally get the recognition they deserve? Their nearly flawless discography certainly cannot be the reason they continue to be overlooked by large parts of the metal community. Even their less stellar albums, such as Through the Storm or Army of One, are still pretty solid and their best material is good enough to rival that of metal’s biggest names. In a better world, Riot would be mentioned in the same breath as legendary acts like Priest or Maiden. Well, maybe not Maiden, but when comparing Riot’s output to that of most of the metal greats, it can definitely hold its own.

It is, however, nice to see that Riot are finally backed by a big enough record company that would provide the resources to make a release like Live in Japan 2018 even possible. After all, it’s been high time the band finally got to put out their first official, full-fledged double live album. Of course there’s some older, more obscure stuff such as Riot Live (1989), Riot in Japan – Live!! (1992) or Shine On (1998), but Live in Japan considerably ups the ante, featuring roughly 112 minutes of music on two discs, a concert film of the entire set on Blu-ray and a decent booklet with photos and liner notes.

As always, evaluating the quality of a live release comes down to three main factors: (a) the set list or songs featured, (b) the band’s on-stage performance and (c) the sound or production values. Live in Japan is a winner in all three categories.

As to the sound quality, it’s a lot better than your average bootleg yet still raw enough to give it that authentic live feel. You can tell there wasn’t a lot of subsequent overdubbing being done in the studio, so this clearly isn’t one of those “Unleashed in the Studio” affairs. (Priest’s Unleashed in the East is of course an undisputed live classic, it just isn’t as much of a true live recording as the name suggests.) That being said, Live in Japan has easily enough oomph to seriously annoy the neighbors, so there really isn’t much to complain.

The band’s performance is excellent and very energetic. You can tell the guys are having a splendid time playing in front of some of their most dedicated fans, as Riot have always been very popular in the land of the rising sun. The absolute star of the show is singer Todd Michael Hall, who pulls out all the stops and delivers Riot’s demanding material almost flawlessly. His voice is soaring to amazing heights as he nails even the most difficult passages, of which there are plenty, especially during the Thundersteel part of the set. Riot have had a couple of different vocalists over the course of their long career and all of them were fantastic in their own right, but Hall may well be the best of them all. At the very least he’s right up there with the amazing Tony Moore, who graced the band’s groundbreaking Thundersteel album.

Another reason why Live in Japan is a great success is that it comprises an entire live set recorded in one single location. The song selection is brilliant, with disc one dedicated chiefly to the band’s more recent output. There’s a lot of stuff taken from their latest studio full-lengths, Unleash the Fire and Armor of Light, with the band’s heartfelt ode to their loyal Japanese fans, “Land of the Rising Sun,” as an inevitable inclusion. Moreover, there are great live versions of two tracks taken from The Privilege of Power, namely “On Your Knees” and “Metal Soldiers.” The former sounds noticeably different from the studio version as that one was among the Privilege of Power cuts to feature a horn section, which is omitted on the live version.

Since the band’s 2018 tour commemorated the 30-year anniversary of the release of Thundersteel (1988), disc two features a live rendition of the entire (!) Thundersteel record, as well as a few classic encores: the high-octane “Road Racin',” “Swords and Tequila” and “Warrior,” which traditionally concludes Riot’s live sets. It really is a treat to hear live versions of Thundersteel tracks that have seldom or maybe never been played in concert before, such as the scorching “Run for Your Life,” the epic “Buried Alive (Tell Tale Heart)” or power ballad extraordinaire “Bloodstreets.” Now, with a catalog as voluminous as Riot’s, there are bound to be some regrettable omissions. For instance, it would have been nice to hear a song from the Rhett Forrester period (“Born in America,” perhaps?) and maybe a couple more tunes from the Mike DiMeo period, even if the speedy “Angel Eyes” made it onto the album. And where in blazes is “Heart of a Lion,” perhaps the best track on Armor of Light? Alas, you simply cannot have it all.

On a side note, it’s pretty neat there are no drum or guitar solos and interaction with the audience is reduced to a minimum; other than Hall briefly announcing the ensuing track and politely saying “dōmo arigatō” after the track is finished, Riot let the music do the talking. They also refrain from interrupting any of the songs to exchange a few “whoa-oh-ohs” with the audience, which might be fun for concert goers but is always rather annoying when listening to a live record. No complaints there.

Live in Japan 2018 is the definitive Riot live album and a must-have for any Riot fan. On top of that, it would also be a great opportunity and starting point for the uninitiated to finally discover one of the very best power/speed/heavy metal bands of all time.

Lonerider



..::TRACK-LIST::..

1. Victory
2. Flight Of The Warrior
3. On Your Knees
4. Ride Hard Live Free
5. Johnny's Back
6. ROutlaw
7. Road Racin'
8. Caught In The Witche's Eye
9. Angel Eyes
10. Tokyo Rose
11. Rock City
12. Angel's Thunder, Devil's Reign
13. Bloodstreets
14. Take Me Back
15. Heart Of A Lion
16. Swords And Tequila
17. Land Of The Rising Sun
18. Warrior
19. Thundersteel



..::OBSADA::..

Don Van Stavern - Bass
Mike Flyntz - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Frank Gilchriest - Drums
Nick Lee - Rhythm Guitar
Todd Michael Hall - Lead Vocals




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P0X5sgHgGs



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