Heavy metal warriors of the mid-eighties stranded in the oil province - A review of Riot City's Burn the Night

Just a look at the great cover artwork recalls the works of Judas Priest three and a half decades ago and this is also exactly the sound Riot City is going for on its debut full length effort Burn the Night. The young quartet from Calgary offers eight tunes with a total running time of thirty-seven minutes on a concise nostalgic heavy metal record.

The band sounds as if it had boarded a time machine thirty-five years ago and resurfaced yesterday. The melodic guitar play convinces with strong riffs and numerous melodic solos. The rhythm section is steady and powerful. The high-pitched lead vocals sound juvenile and energizing. The occasional backing vocals provide some additional oomph. The few effects in form of scarcely used keyboard sounds and spoken word samples also have a vintage touch. Everything blends in perfectly and proves that this band knows what it wants to sound like.

The opener ''Warrior of Time'' summarizes all these strengths with a short atmospheric overture, followed by mid-paced stomping heavy metal and skilled high-pitched vocals supported by rawer gang shouts. Epic power ballad ''In the Dark'' is even more atmospheric and melodic as it convinces with a few smooth acoustic guitar passages and soothing vocals. ''Halloween at Midnight'' flirts with horror movie atmosphere in form of an opening sample and overall somewhat gloomy and mysterious vibe. Drums on this track are performed by late Ty Gogal, a former member of the band.

Not every single song on here is a killer but Riot City offers high-quality traditional heavy metal inspired by Accept, Judas Priest and Mercyful Fate. Especially the high-pitched lead vocals and the more atmospheric passages are very convincing. Among numerous heavy metal revival bands, Riot City manages to stand out positively and genre fans should give them a chance and keep an eye on them.

Final rating: 79%