Riot bandleader/guitarist Mark Reale's frequent lineup shifts finally caught up with him on 1982's Restless Breed.
Longtime vocalist Guy Speranza's exit after the group's seminal release, Fire Down Under, wasn't just another member change.
Replacement Rhett Forrester demonstrates nice range and intensity on Restless Breed, but Speranza's performances and writing abilities are sorely missed.
While Riot always suffered from a faceless quality, with Speranza, they managed to somehow stay ahead of their time.
The New York outfit was one of the first American metal acts to adopt a melodic, speedy approach that approximated thrash and the about-to-crest New Wave of British Heavy Metal many years before each would emerge from the underground.
Times finally caught up with Reale and company on Restless Breed.
Forrester isn't exactly mimicking David Coverdale on "When We Were Young," and the rest of the guys never exactly rip off Thin Lizzy, Bad Company, Whitesnake, or a list of younger melodic metal bands throughout Restless Breed, but without Speranza, Riot miss their edge and their individuality.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hard Lovin' Man | Riot | Play | 02:53 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 2 | C.I.A. | Riot | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 3 | Restless Breed | Riot | Play | 05:13 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 4 | When I Was YoungVictor Briggs, Eric Burdon | Riot | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 5 | Loanshark | Riot | Play | 04:10 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 6 | Loved by You | Riot | Play | 05:37 | 12 MB | 34 MB |
| 7 | Over to You | Riot | Play | 03:46 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 8 | Showdown | Riot | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 9 | Dream Away | Riot | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 10 | Violent Crimes | Riot | Play | 02:31 | 5 MB | 17 MB |
| 39 mins | 89 MB | |||||
| 38 mins | 236 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victor Briggs | Composer |
| 2 | Eric Burdon | Composer |
| 3 | Rhett Forrester | Harmonica, Vocals |
| 4 | Rod Hui | Engineer |
| 5 | Kip Leming | Bass |
| 6 | Mark Reale | Guitar |
| 7 | Riot | Primary Artist |
| 8 | Mick Rock | Photography |
| 9 | Sandy Slavin | Drums |
| 10 | Rick Ventura | Guitar |
| 11 | Howie Weinberg | Mastering |
| 12 | Steve Weiss | Original Concept |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |