Fire Down Under

Sealed with a seal, New York City’s Riot rode the ripples from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal on their third album and found their closest brush with success. Founding guitarist Mark Reale brought his A-game to the songwriting, if not the lyrics: “Swords and Tequila” may not make much sense as a rallying cry, but the riff explains it all. “Fire Down Under” flies to Australia at the speed of Van Halen, “Altar of the King” seeks gold at the end of the rainbow, “Feel the Same” hitches a ride on a leaden zeppelin. Don’t let the mimickry dissuade you; this is still top-shelf stuff. The mascot remains baffling, though.