Sons of Society

Sons of Society is a record on which Riot, around hard riffs and a sure melodic sense, powerfully sounds the appeal of traditional heavy metal in a more modern picture. Shifting its footing back from the experimental folk color of the previous Inishmore toward straight, powerful metal again, it deftly uses the rich melodic sense cultivated there. The compatibility of Mark Reale’s guitar and the soaring vocals is superb. The aggressive drive of the opener “Snake Charmer” and the power of the title track “Sons of Society” clearly show the band’s back-to-origin stance, while the dashing “Dragonfire,” the catchy “Twist of Fate” and a cut like “On the Wings of Life” convey the songs’ fullness. Its appeal is uniting the drive of powerful traditional metal and refined, lyrical melody at a high level. Even in the late 1990s, a harsh era for metal, Riot did not lower its high musical quality in the least. Showing sure ability even as veterans, it is a powerful, fulfilling melodic-metal work.