Band:	Riot V
Album:	Unleash The Fire
Style:	Hard rock, Heavy metal
Release date:	August 2014

01. Ride Hard Live Free
02. Metal Warrior
03. Fall From The Sky
04. Bring The Hammer Down
05. Unleash The Fire
06. Land Of The Rising Sun
07. Kill To Survive
08. Return Of The Outlaw
09. Immortal
10. Take Me Back
11. Fight Fight Fight
12. Until We Meet Again
13. Thundersteel [live] [bonus]

With the passing of Mark Reale in 2012, the band now known as Riot V lost their last original member. Surely a crushing blow to the band, and in a way the end of an era. Regardless, they carry on with Unleash The Fire, the newest addition to a discography spanning well over 30 years.

Before even listening to this album, the song titles concerned me. Obviously, an album can't be judged on those alone, but when you've got a good chunk of the metal-stereotype repertoire on display (we've got METAL, warriors, fire, fighting, riding hard and living free, hammers, fire and more here) hopes for an extraordinary work tend to go down.

However, another part of me can be okay with that stuff in the context of Riot V. Unleash The Fire is really just a good old-fashioned metal album by a good old-fashioned metal band (that has been around in some form since the 1970s). As such, at the same time that my ears are telling me I've heard this type of album before, my taste for metal like this done the right way is telling me I like it.

What does this album sound like? It's got a traditional sound structurally speaking, with the kind of satisfying melodic touches expected in old-school heavy metal riffs, soaring choruses, and spirited guitar solos. There are some deviations from the expected formula though, with an occasional thrash-like aggression and pinch harmonics like in "Fight Fight Fight". Unfortunately, the modern production can dull the edge of the sound at some point, but overall, it's a fun album to listen to.

It's hard to really make a final encompassing statement about Unleash The Fire. It's one of those albums that isn't particularly exciting to listen to as a whole, but has great moments and overall is formed around a solid enough foundation to avoid dipping into badness. I doubt this one will be blowing many minds, but for fans of the genre or band, it's worth a listen.