Riot – First Ever Riot Tribute Album To Be Released 24 April 2015

First Ever Riot Tribute Album To Be Released 24 April 2015

Thunder and Steel Down Under – A Tribute to Riot

‘Thunder And Steel Down Under’ – first ever Riot tribute album, will be released on 24 April 2015, via Skol Records. Compilation has been produced by Bart Gabriel (Sacred Steel, Crystal Viper, Jack Starr’s Burning Starr), and will include Riot classics peformed by bands and artists such as: Axel Rudi Pell, Crystal Viper, Attacker, Alpha Tiger, October 31, Savage Master, Night Demon, Dexter Ward and others. The CD will be limited to only 1000 copies worldwide. Income from the album will be given to Sir Tony Reale – father of the late Riot guitarist and founding member, Mark Reale.

As it was mentioned on VH1’s “That Metal Show”, Riot are one of the innovators of Metal music in America and beyond. Their albums such as ‘Fire Down Under’, ‘Rock City’, ‘Narita’, ‘Restless Breed’ or ‘Born In America’ are the classics of Heavy Metal, and their ’88 LP ‘Thundersteel’ helped to shape a genre which we know as Power Metal. Band’s history has been marked by bunch of tragic events: Rhett Forrester who fronted Riot between 1981 and 1986 was killed in 1994, the original vocalist Guy Speranza (in Riot between 1975 and 1981) lost his battle with cancer in 2003, and band’s founding member and leader Mark Reale (who was also the only one constant Riot member since the beginning of the band) left us in 2012, after suffering Crohn’s disease.

The band left 14 studio albums, and after Mark’s Reale death, remaining Riot members decided to continue his legacy and after changing the name to Riot V, returned with phenomenal album titled ‘Unleash The Fire’. ‘Thunder And Steel Down Under’ is not a usual compilation with bunch of cover songs. It’s a celebration of the Riot and Mark Reale legacy, and a homage paid by both American and European bands and musicians, who were influenced by this premier act.

More information: www.facebook.com/skolrecords

About Louise Swift

I first went to a gig in 1981, Gillan at Leeds University. I've been a regular gig goer ever since. I haven't kept count of how many gigs I've been to over the intervening years, but it's a lot! My favourite bands are AC/DC then, in no particular order, Anti-Nowhere League, Slaughter and the Dogs, Towers of London and Dirt Box Disco. I tend to like Glam/Punk and rude offensive lyrics, not sure what that says about me but as Animal would say 'So What!' The question was recently put to me - did I write for any online publications? My reply - No, but I'd like to! Planetmosh was suggested and I found myself offering to review Aces High Festival. Easy peasy I thought! Well not quite, if a jobs worth doing it's worth doing well! I had sixteen bands to research. I found I actually enjoyed that and it kept me too busy to be making lunatic comments on Facebook! ;) Then I felt a bit inadequately qualified. I mean, who am I to comment on others, when my musical expertise extends to being able to play a mean Greensleeves on the recorder and a passable Annie's song on the flute! Haven't picked up either instrument for years! What I do have, however, is over 30 years of experience as a gig goer, so I can comment on what I like and what I don't! It's only my opinion and, if I don't like a band it doesn't mean they are bad, just not to my own liking. I admire anyone who has the guts to get up on that stage and have a go!