RIOT

Welcome to RIOT V (5)
The continuation of the legendary band RIOT!

Founding member guitarist Mark Reale hired bassist Don Van Stavern to join the band in 1984 during the end of the Born in America tour. The renewed formation featuring Mark, Don, Rhett Forrester and Sandy Slavin, then based in LA, played and label shopped to no avail so upon Rhett and Sandy’s departure Mark and Don headed to New York to regroup, write music and search for musicians!

With the Eighties developing into a metal-fest, a new-look new-sound RIOT bounced back transforming from an edgy hard rock band into a power metal assault and released the widely-acclaimed release ‘THUNDERSTEEL’ (Sony) and RIOT was reborn!

‘THUNDERSTEEL was followed by with the jaw-dropping conceptual album ‘THE PRIVILEGE OF POWER’ (Sony) featuring an elite list of guest performers (Rainbow’s Joe Lynn Turner, Tower of Power horns and Saturday Night Live band leader G.E Smith. Mark and Don’s idea was to capture the intensity of “FIRE DOWN UNDER” but on steroids! Ace drummer Bobby Jarzombek (Halford, Sebastian Bach, Fates Warning), vocalist Tony Moore and newly added axe man Mike Flyntz rounded out this power fury line up!
This line up went on to record on more album together “IMMORTAL SOUL” right before long time guitarist Mark Reale’s unfortunate passing.     

Taking a couple years off regrouping and soul searching, Don Van Stavern and long time RIOT partner Mike Flyntz decide to “UNLEASH” chapter V (5) on the masses! Joining this dynamic duo are vocalist extraordinaire Todd Michael Hall, madman skin basher Franky Gilchriest and guitar whiz kid and former Mike Flyntz guitar student Nick “The Stick” Lee.

RIOT V (5) releases “UNLEASH THE FIRE” which entered the Hard Rock 100 Billboard charts at 75 and Rolling Stone Magazine gives it a 4 out of 5 and most media including Burrn! Rock Hard and Aardshock calling it album of the year!

The band hits the ground running with a full head of steam and appear at all the prestigious Festivals world wide and headline sold out shows in Germany, Greece, Spain and Italy including Keep It True, Metal Assault, Headbangers Open Air (Germany), Skulls of Metal Festival (Spain), Blast from the Past Festival (Belgium) and melted faces at Sweden Rock Festival (Sweden), Rock Fest Barcelona (Spain), Loud Park (Japan), , Fall of Summer (Paris), Metal Apocalypse, Bang Your Head with Twisted Sister/ Anthrax, Metal Days with Megadeth/ Volbeat, two appearances on board 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise ship Festival and top it off with appearances with with Judas Priest, Motley Crue and Def Leppard, Journey to name a few! RIOT V’s amazing stage show and thunderous performance have most promoters praising the band in there top 3 picks of most fests!

RIOT are consistently on radio and metal charts worldwide and part of New York City’s Top 20 Most Influential Metal Bands, 100 Best Metal Albums of All Time, 100 Best Metal Bands of All Time and numerous mentions on VH1’s That Metal Show with Eddie Trunk and staff sighting RIOT as one of the innovators of Metal music in America and beyond, RIOT V truly are Metal Warriors and will keep marching and fighting the good fight to bring you the music you’ve come to know, love and expect from RIOT V (5).....Shine On!