Customer Reviews

Through the Storm

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After another excellent release I continue to wonder the reason Riot does not receive more attention from the world of hard rock. Mark Reale's musicianship has been, and continues to be, on par with the most respected guitarists of the genre. Mark's compositions on "Through the Storm" are no exception; each song is an amalgam of expert timing, arrangement, and harmony, and if you are a fan of rock songs with soloing guitar this album will certainly delight. My picks are tracks 1,2,4,7, and the tribute instramental to George Harrison.

I thought that this was the best Riot album yet!... Lead singer Mike DiMeo's voice is unlike anything I've ever heard before!... Everyone should check it out!... Trust me, you won't be disappointed!

So, some say it sounds like Rainbow - it doesn't! The guitar playing has nothing in common with Blackmoore's, it's a totally different style. It doesn't sound like UFO either without the exception that Riot has included a UFO cover. Regarding the singer some claim that he sounds like Joe Lynn Turner, but I don't think the comparison is striking. Think of Iron Maiden when the first song begins - it's very similar to the guitar riffs Maiden usually play. Sometimes during the listening I also get to think of Black Sabbath with Tony Martin...

I believe this album has 3 really great heavy metal tunes with good arrangement and harmony: "Turn the Tables", "Through the storm" and "Burn the sun" - all top quality! Then there is 2 decent ones: "Lost inside this world" and "Chains"; 1 rather good cover: "Only you can rock me", and 1 boring semi-ballad called "Let it show". I don't know what Riot try to do with a song like "Essential enemies" - a modern approach? Well, it doesn't work, and the same goes for "To my head". We also get 2 instrumental tracks at the end, and although it's good guitar playing it doesn't get me excited.

If you got lots of money to spend on records and you're a fan of more traditional heavy metal I think this one would please you - the 3 best songs are really great! A few more songs of this calibre, and I would give this one 5 stars... And by the way, if you like this one I advise you to buy Pretty Maids "Red, hot and heavy" - you won't be disappointed!

RIOT releases here a very good RAINBOW album.Is it because of Bobby Rondinelli's presence on the drums or did he join the band because the compositions remimded him of his glory days with Ritchie Blackmore...I don't know but still we can't deny that this album is a good collection of HARD ROCK-HEAVY(?)songs with Blackmorian riffs, solid drumming and (this is why only four stars) a Joe Lynn Turner type of voice...(Ok not that annoying!).
The comparaison might be easy, but -for me anyway- if you take all the good ingredients from the late rainbow albums, speed them up a bit and throw the ballads away, that makes a pretty good album.
And this is what RIOT did with this one.
Glad to hear good classic Hard Rock in 2002!

This is similar to other latter-day Riot albums, a good album of metal with a mature attitude, superior musicianship, and interesting songwriting. The composing is much more complex and detailed than simple riff-based metal, although not in a showoffy kind of way. As is typical with Riot, it takes time for the songs to sink in. It's lacking in true standout material, but is very consistent. The Beatles cover is nice, while the UFO cover is a nice gesture, but ill-advised. The comparison to Rainbow by the one reviewer is quite unfair: this is much harder than latter-day Rainbow. Mike DiMeo might be similar to Joe Lynn Turner in vocal quality, but doesn't have his deal-killing soullessness. It actually sounds eerily similar to Michael Schenker's "Written in the Sand" album, especially vocally. Possibly not the best introduction to the band, but by no means a disappointment.

This album starts off with a bang called "Turn the Tables". Introduced with a rapid-fire chromatic-style riff, the tune begs your attention and doesn't give in until the last bar. The next few tunes are solid rockers that highlight the musical prowess of the band members, particuarly DiMeo's voice, throwback that it may be. The title track has a bit of a progressive-feel, with the leader majestically declaring "It's time to meet my end!", resulting in an overall solid tune that feels just a tad overdone.

The album reaches an "autopilot" stage after this track, where the tunes are not really inspiring but remain solid rockers in their own right. This portion of the album fits well into your early 80's rock collection, and its a great listen for fans of the era. You won't hit skip, but you might forget a song or two before tomorrow.

The album dies for me on track eight. Essential Enemies is a step in the wrong direction. The guy has a great voice and they throw it through a noise box? Stupid. I was also disappointed that a band that has released fifteen albums had to cover a UFO tune to fill out tracks. The cover doesn't ..., but it fits like an old patch on this new garment. They don't add anything noticable to the cover.

The Isle of Shadows instrumental track is built on a nifty riff with Celtic feel. The phrasing and feel of the tune fit with the album and I enjoy the track. The guitar work is nowhere near virtuoso level, however, and the song feels like its there to stroke an ego somewhere. The George Harrison instrumental track at the end really left me feeling abused. Its great that they loved his work. Its sad that they relegated the 11th track of the album to an instrumental remake to a Beatles song not fit for Muzak. They could have left the track off and used it on a tribute album. Instead they wasted production time putting it somewhere where it can't possibly be appreciated the way they meant it.

Overall the album deserves 3.5 marks (4 here because the half cannot be implied). Solid hard rock with competent professionals performing the tunes. The musicians are capable of a little more than eight original tracks, however, holding this rating back. This album was the first that turned me onto the band, which is ironic given their long life in the business, and I recommend it to fans of the genre (early 80's hard rock) and of RIOT.