RIOT CITY – Burn the Night (Album Review)

Traditional metal fans rejoice! Old school Accept and Judas Priest lovers sit up and take note! I present Riot City and their May 2019 release Burn the Night. Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, Canada these rippers have been around since about 2011. With a DEMO (Livin’ Fast in 2014) behind it, Burn the Night is a throwback in every sense of the phrase. The music harkens to early 80s Priest and ilk as does the assumably Screaming for Vengeance inspired cover artwork. And housing only eight tracks for a less than 40-minute ride also falls right into place. Fast, in your face, Heavy Metal is on the menu and Riot City serves it up famously!

The original compositions aboard feature high-pitched “grabbed by the nuts” screams piercing the recording. They’re over the top in a good way. Delicious, song-fitting melodic guitar solos provide the texture above the charging, rampaging, retro-inspired riffs. The sort of metal that stuck it to the man with a big middle finger raised high in their faces. The sort you sat on the floor watching the vinyl spin around and around, flipping after four tracks. Repeating the process over and over as you learned every lyric as it pressed indelibly into your brain. Reading every word on the album cover and inlay. The days of youth, exuberant, stress-free, joyous youth. That’s exactly where this ride with Riot City as they Burn the Night takes me back to. And listening to it made me void my bowels with excitement for retro 80s Metal this awesome!

BUY: Amazon.ca / Amazon.com