Old-school metal fans, rejoice! One of your overlooked heroes is finally getting the recognition they deserve! Riot formed as a rock band back in the 1970s and progressed to become one of the most promising heavy metal bands of the 1980s, culminating in the release of Fire Down Under in 1981. But a series of mishaps and management letdowns left the band relegated to cult status as many of their peers saw greater success. However, that cult became a dedicated one, and a new documentary series seeks to tell the whole world about it!
Filmmaker Damian Kolodiy has assembled a four-part series called Immortal Soul: A Riot Tribute and Concert Film. Released through NYC Rocks, the most recent installment, Chapter II: The Crimson Storm, focuses on "the second era of Riot with singer Rhett Forrester. The film showcases music from that time and tells how the band disintegrated following the Born In America tour in 1984. The documentary then examines in detail how Riot came to be reborn several years later as a power metal band with their seminal comeback album Thundersteel and comments on the challenges the band faced in the late 1980s."
For anyone who hasn't checked out Thundersteel, by the way, you owe it to yourself to dive into this energetic storm of heavy metal power! If you dig the kind of stuff Dying Victims Productions and other retro outlets put out nowadays, you need to study up on the lost classics like this!
Check out Episode Two of the documentary below and become a disciple of the crimson storm! And learn more about the series here!
