Riot City (Burn The Night)
Crank this to 8.4 of 11
Released: 2019
Genre: Heavy Metal
Sounds Like: Judas Priest, Helstar, White Wizzard
Break out your denim jackets, start growing back your mullets and prepare for a headbangers delight. Burn The Night from Calgary natives Riot City will awaken your heavy metal soul. What a killer debut from the new power hungry heavy metal foursome. So what lured us to this album, well for starters, the cover. At first glance it resembles one of our favorite classic rock bands, Triumph’s 1987 album Surveillance. Upon listening to the opening cut “Warrior of Time” we were very intrigued with the galloping metal pace, than moments later, we hear the battle cry from singer Cale Savy and man this guy has pipes built for heavy metal, very impressive.
Riot City do not hide their influences, in fact they embrace the late 80s heavy metal sound. You’ll hear moments of Helloween speed to Judas Priest power and a bit of modern White Wizzerd. Singer Cale Savy can effortlessly reach King Diamond-like power vocals that will shatter glass when cranked up. The music flows of speed and power metal and when combined with the vocals, its a trip back to the glory days of heavy metal.
Tracklist:
1. Warrior Of Time 05:49
2. Burn The Night 03:36
3. In The Dark 05:14
4. Livin' Fast 02:55
5. The Hunter 05:53
6. Steel Rider 04:37
7. 329 03:41
8. Halloween at Midnight (feat. Ty Gogal) 05:16
Standout Track(s)
This album is a freewheeling batch of metal fun. “Livin’ Fast” has an early Motley Crew feel while “329” has a great speed rhythm that doesn't waiver at all, great road trip tunes. Be sure to check out “Burn The Night” and ”Warrior Of Time ” for some killer shedding.
Adult Beverage Pairing
We need to go with Breakin’ The Law by New Level Brewing in Alberta, Canada. This 5% ABV German Pilsner just screams metal with the art work that resembles Rob Halford.
ROTATION RECAP:
Vocal Performance
9.2 of 11
Risk of Subwoofer Damage
8.3 of 11
Captivation and Variety
8.3 of 11
Weight of the Heavy
8.4 of 11
Originality
8.3 of 11
Lyrics and Song Structure
8.2 of 11
Fretwork Prowess
9 of 11
Overall Album Flow
8.5 of 11
Album Cover Aesthetics
8.3 of 11
Production Value
8.5 of 11
Final Thoughts
Burn The Night has pumped life into the heavy metal genre. It has a genuine modern feel while holding true to the mainframe of classic heavy metal. If you fancy this style of heavy, do yourself a favor and forgo the previewing and just just get the album.
Line-up:
Cale Savy : Guitars & Vocals
Roldan Reimer : Guitars
Dustin Smith : Bass
Chad Vallier : Drums
Follow Riot City: Bandcamp / Facebook
