RIOT Guitarist Discusses 'Thundersteel' Lineup Reunion, Upcoming Album

Marko Syrjälä and Jarno Huovila of Metal-Rules.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist Mark Reale of the reunited "Thundersteel"-era lineup of RIOT. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metal-Rules.com: What were the reasons to reunite with this lineup specifically?

Reale: Because it's the most original lineup possible... It was a very popular, but very brief period with Tony [Moore, vocals]. We were doing well, we were like on a roll and then he left and then he disappeared. Tony has been out of the industry basically for twenty years, so really it's difficult for him; he's accomplished a lot because to come from twenty years of not singing and performing, is something you have to build up again. The thing is this is an original lineup. The two records that we made at that period in time were popular and this is the oldest living RIOT lineup, basically. The original "Fire Down Under" lineup is still around except for [late RIOT singer] Guy [Speranza, who passed away from cancer in 2003]. I have been speaking to his wife actually recently about a company that wants to use some of the original RIOT songs for a video game. So being that everyone of the "Thundersteel" lineup is still around and able to do it, we decided it was the right time to do it.

Metal-Rules.com: You recorded six albums with Mike DiMeo [vocals]. Why did you end things with him?

Reale: Mike's cool; he still comes around my house. He's great, just a totally different kind of singer, I love the way he sings, he's more of the David Coverdale kind of thing, which I personally love a lot. But he's fine with it. It's hard to survive in this industry now. Again, it's nostalgia for us to get together again, it's not just trying to make it a financial thing, it's just a lot of fun to work with these guys again. I think that's what happens a lot — many bands are reuniting now and it's partially maybe a financial thing, but I think everybody also wants to capture their youth again and that [reunion] kind of brings it back again.

Metal-Rules.com: Are there any plans to record and release new material with this reunited "Thundersteel" lineup?

Reale: Oh, yeah. We absolutely have. We actually played one song earlier today [at the Sweden Rock festival in early June] that is new; we have tons of songs. I have been going back and forth to Texas working with Don [Van Stavern, bass] and Bobby [Jarzombek, drums]. We're gonna do a festival in Spain on June 20th and then we're going to start recording after that. We are supposed to go to Japan in October, so we're going to try to have something out before that. There are a lot of good ideas, it doesn't feel like there's been twenty years in between. The creative process with this originally was because we came from certain backgrounds and when you stick those things together and mix it up, it's not just hardcore metal or pop or anything. I like a lot of hard music, but I also like pop music a lot, and then you take somebody like Don, who comes from a more hardcore metal thing, you put those elements together and that's kind of what I think created music that had a lot of energy to it but also had a song in all of that. So we have a lot of stuff and so far it's pretty reminiscent of those two records ["Thundersteel" and "The Privilege of Power"]; maybe a little bit more sophisticated, but along those lines.

Read the entire interview from Metal-Rules.com.

Metal Express Radio conducted an interview with the entire reunited "Thundersteel"/"The Privilege of Power"-era lineup of RIOT — Mark Reale (guitar),Tony Moore (vocals),Don Van Stavern (bass),Bobby Jarzombek (drums),and Mike Flyntz (guitars) — at the Sweden Rock festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden on June 6, 2009. The 18-minute chat is now available for streaming at this location.

RIOT performing "Johnny's Back" live at Sweden Rock on June 6, 2009: