Riot - Immortal Soul

This is a dream come true… this is indeed a huge “reunion”… metalheads from all over the world were praying for something like this for years. Thankfully, our prayers were answered and the “classic” Riot line-up of all time is together again. It doesn’t matter that there’s only a member left from the original band, this line-up will always be the best and will be also considered a classic one. I do not know why it took them so long to get back together. Why Tony Moore was away all these years… if they had tried to catch up with him earlier or whatever. Some things are meant to be done… when the time is right… so now in 2011 the time was right for this great comeback.

 

“Immortal Soul” is not “Thundersteel”, neither “The Privilege of Power”… it’s a pure heavy/power metal album with lots of 80s-90s influences recorded by a band in the 21st century. It has a great heavy production, fantastic arrangements, excellent vocals by Tony Moore (he still sounds wonderful after all these years), great riffs and (double) solos by Mark Reale and Mike Flyntz and a heavy/steady rhythm section by Don Van Stavern (bass) and Bobby Jarzombek (drums). This is what I call creative heavy metal music in our time. So many heavy/power metal albums are being released every single day but none of them has the originality that Riot’s music has. Only few heavy metal bands around the world can achieve such a result nowadays.

 

The characteristic blend of US & Euro heavy/power metal songs of the band is here again, so is the change of moods and tempos… songs like “Riot”, “Still Your Man”, “Crawling”, “Fall Before Me”, “Immortal Soul”, “Insanity”, “Whiskey Man”, “Believe” and “Echoes” will satisfy any metalhead out there… both the old and the new ones. This is a very tasteful album… it brings memories from the golden era of the band without becoming retro at any point… it’s fresh and well arranged. This is a punch on the face to those who say that the old heavy metal bands cannot make good music anymore.

 

The band is back for good… they will start touring all over the world and gratefully, they are here to stay for a long time. This is beyond doubt the best line-up in the history of the band and to be straight with you… the best albums of Riot were recorded with this line-up… so this album is no exception… when it comes to the top works of the band. If you are a fan of Riot then you already have this album… if you are a metal fan then you should definitely get “Immortal Soul” and if you do not know them at all (‘cause you’re very young) then thank God for having the chance to see and listen to a legendary band in your time… in any way you must get this album in no time. Johnny’s back… with a vengeance…