Album Review: Riot City - Electric Elite
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Riot City absolutely exploded onto the scene with their debut full length release in 2019: Burn The Night. However, its necessary to note where these guys began in the first place. While the band are making waves right now, Riot City started up back in 2011 out of Alberta, Canada where things slowly got underway. Notably, the band released their first Demo in 2014, followed suit by their first EP in 2016 yet it wouldn’t be until 2019’s aforementioned Burn The Night record where the ball finally seemed to get rolling for these guys, where Riot City now find themselves once again releasing their record through No Remorse Records. I remember finally seeing what all the fuss was about; that album ended up being amongst my favourites for that year and Riot City a name to watch out for. Now bringing in additional member, Jordan Jacobs, to the position of Lead Vocalist, fellow guitarist Cale Savy has been able to step down from his prior vocalist role and focus his full efforts towards providing one crunching riff after another. Now sporting a quintet, what impact will this shake up in the band’s chemistry have upon Electric Elite? How will the new vocals do? Let’s fine out.
It’s as if the band are picking up precisely where Burn The Night left off from. From the opening notes of this record the band are bringing the speed and power to us without fail, what’s more though is how they’re doing so whilst still ensuring their songwriting has plenty of twists and turns to keep us engaged. That’s what has made Riot City stand out in my opinion; they’ve absolutely got the vocal work, aesthetic and riff chops to rival any strong speed metal outing these days, yet it’s their songwriting that manages to really give them the necessary push towards stardom. Their sound may be fast and full of old school energies, but they still know their songwriting needs to relax in places to help infuse a sense of diversity into what fans will be hearing. It’s good to hear the bass when the riffs relax somewhat and pleasant to know their vocalist also understands when to pull back his mighty performance in order for the music to speak for itself. Riot City get the balance between power and process down just right.
Riot City’s vocals have often been a major point for why I believe their debut studio record was such a success to begin with. Not only does their frontman manage to get the vocal aesthetic pitch perfect for what kind of vibe Riot City are vying for, but he also manages to balance the intensity of his vocals just right too. Naturally, his vocals possess more high-pitched variations to his performance which is what you’d come to expect from such a record but it’s the fact that he doesn’t always go for the wailing squeals all the time; there are periods where the vocals do just drop away and allow the instrumentation their time in the sun. The vocals are not always grating on your senses which is great because it allows the riffs and songwriting to be experienced all the more without unnecessary obstacle. There are also periods where the vocals take on a darker, deeper tone too which is great to hear, alleviating us from a higher pitched vocal tone all the time.
One facet of their songwriting that continued to show up here, and certainly appears to be a mainstay of Riot City’s successes, is how their songwriting appeals to the storytelling element we can pick up on as we’re listening. In this respect, it’s easy to see what can draw us into their sound, and why we end up staying. It’s not simply speed or ferocity for its own sake, it goes hand in hand with the story that Riot City are weaving throughout their time here. It’s not storytelling literally, but by how their songwriting comes off with a structured and thought out means. Each track has phases and sections that you can mentally tick off, after a time you know what may be coming next but because the band have instilled this notion of storytelling into you it becomes exciting whereby you only want to see a track go on and on. The songwriting possesses genuine merit, absolutely reminding us why we adore old school metal so much.
That’s not to say Riot City sport a paper thin guitar sound either. Another reason why I took to this band in the first place comes down to how their guitar sound has a legitimate kick to it. It’s likely down to how their guitar work sounds more full-bodied than other classic sounding records but then you’ve got a slight infusion of bass running through the record too. You can hear this slight bass implementation when the drums are going at faster and more aggressive periods, the bass drums may not be striking you head on, but they certainly surround you, empowering and giving you a much firmer idea on what their riffs sound and feel like. Due to this, the band’s sound is a lot more realised than many other speed metal outings. It isn’t just sheer speed and intensity for its own means, it’s nice to hear some real grit to a classic sounding album.
In conclusion, Riot City offer up yet another slab of classic metal that is not only prominent in its songwriting but exudes every bit of power and aesthetic you’d want such a record to possess. Closing out Electric Elite with a 10 minute epic, Riot City demonstrate their growing capabilities as a band to expand not only their sound but also what they’re able to do in terms of track structure. That ending piece never left me wanting or hoping it would end sooner. The longest track Riot City have yet ever conceived, and it played as easily as any 3/4 minute piece. Riot City burst out of the gates with Burn The Night, but I think it’s Electric Elite that showcases these guys are here to stay; they’re not going anywhere. If it does end up being another three years before their third full length release, I already believe it’ll be worth the wait. A record that enthrals and entertains, provides the expected and unleashes a genuine bite to its sound, Electric Elite is a blast to be had.
