RIOT V Releases 'Angel's Thunder, Devil's Reign' Lyric Video

The official lyric video for the song "Angel's Thunder, Devil's Reign" from RIOT V, the band featuring members of legendary metal pioneers RIOT, can be seen below. The track is taken from RIOT V's new album, "Armor Of Light", which is being released today (Friday, April 27) via Nuclear Blast. The disc was produced by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (METAL CHURCH, FLOTSAM & JETSAM, SLIPKNOT, KORN),while the cover artwork was created by Mariusz Gandzel (CRYSTAL VIPER).

The new songs promise to please fans of the "Thundersteel" era of RIOT, as longtime Mark Reale music collaborator Donnie Van Stavern undertakes a lot of the writing as he did on "Thundersteel", "The Privilege Of Power" and the latest offering, "Unleash The Fire".

Said Donnie Van Stavern: "When I decided to keep RIOT going, it was a very emotional time for Mike [Flyntz, guitar] and I. Mark Reale was not only a founding member, a great musician and a mentor but a best friend to me and I vowed to him and his family that I would keep the legacy moving forward. RIOT's 16th record drops [today] and I am beyond proud to move forward in this legacy of a band that I once listened to on the way to high school and was once a fan of and now I'm a member of.

"Some people follow, some don't. I grew up listening to Joe Anthony in San Antonio and vowed top keep the music alive. This is my fifth and Mike's ninth record with RIOT!

"Thank you for all the believers, including Markus Wosgien at Nuclear Blast! We do this with the utmost respect for the legacy of the band. Thank you again and shine on!"

Hardly any other metal act has such a long and absorbing history behind it. Since the quintet formed in 1975, they have been hit by several severe strokes of fate during their long career. Three deceased members — Rhett Forester (R.I.P. 1994),Guy Speranza (R.I.P. 2003) and Mark Reale (R.I.P. 2012) — have left their mark on the four decades of RIOT's band history.

Since their legendary debut album, "Rock City" (1977),RIOT has released numerous heavy metal classics, including "Fire Down Under" (with classics like "Swords And Tequila"),their masterpiece "Thundersteel" (1988) and the unforgotten "The Privilege Of Power" (1990).

After the death of Mark Reale and the departure of Tony Moore, Todd Michael Hall (from Michigan),completed the lineup of RIOT, which changed its name to RIOT V and moved forward under the auspices of the two long-term members and main songwriters Donnie Van Stavern (bass) and Mike Flyntz (guitar). With the critically acclaimed "Unleash The Fire" (2014),a pure power metal jewel once again underlined the musical importance and influence of the quintet.

Many artists name-check RIOT as an important influence of their musical career and have paid tribute to the power metal godfathers on multiple occasions. The list is long and includes several well-known acts such as HAMMERFALL ("Flight Of The Warrior"),Luca Turilli's RHAPSODY ("Thundersteel"),AXEL RUDI PELL ("Warrior") and newcomers such as NIGHT DEMON ("Road Racin'"),ALPHA TIGER ("Flight Of The Warrior"),SAVAGE MASTER ("Swords And Tequila") and STALLION ("Rock City").

"Armor Of Light" track listing:

01. Victory
02. End Of The World
03. Messiah
04. Angel's Thunder, Devil's Reign
05. Burn The Daylight
06. Heart Of A Lion
07. Armor Of Light
08. Set The World Alight
09. San Antonio
10. Caught In the Witches Eye
11. Ready to Shine
12. Raining Fire