RIOT — The Privilege of Power (review)

RIOT — The Privilege of Power album cover

Album · 1990 · US Power Metal

4/5 · 2016-01-12
adg211288

The Privilege of Power (1990) is the seventh full-length album by US power/heavy metal act Riot. It was the second album to feature the vocals of Tony Moore; the next would not be until Immortal Soul (2011). As the follow-up to ThunderSteel (1988), an album that is widely considered a classic of the USPM genre, The Privilege of Power had big shoes to fill. 25 years later and history tells us that The Privilege of Power never quite made it out of ThunderSteel's shadow - and I think there's a good reason for that - but you know what? I think this is a great album worthy of a place in any metalhead's collection. And it also has something quite unusual going for it.

First though, the problem. The Privilege of Power makes use of a rather excessive amount of sampling between the actual songs which actually proves to be a hindrance to the flow of the album. Right from the get-go you have to sit though the sound effect of someone flicking through TV channels (which includes a quick bar of the A-Team theme) before you even start to get a semblance of a band playing and even then it takes a while for the opener On Your Knees to really get going into the storming USPM track that it is. This is a common occurrence for the album. The strength of the songs saves it, but I think that The Privilege of Power would be a more immediately enjoyable experience without it or at the very least a lot less of this sort of thing. It makes the album need time to grow on the listener which it may not otherwise have required.

Now for the unusual. On this album Riot decided to feature as guests...a horn section. Yep, a horn section on a traditional/USPM record. I can't say that I know of any other band that has done that. The effect is distinctly different from the symphonic metal style that has since become prevalent. This is one of those things that, on paper, I think I'd be a bit sceptical about, but it actually works, quite well even.

At its heart though, The Privilege of Power is an excellent collection of power and heavy metal tracks. Personally speaking I find that the faster USPM stuff like Storming the Gates of Hell hits the spot much more, but this is well crafted no matter the direction it takes, though Metal Soldiers sounds a little too like a long lost Judas Priest song for comfort while with Maryanne the band moves quite close to commercial territory. Joe Lynn Turner also pops up during Killer for a duet with Tony Moore.

I really like The Privilege of Power but it's definitely the sort of album one needs to approach with some patience, and give it at least three listens to sink in too. Do that and I'm sure you'll find the same highly recommendable album that I did.

more than 2 years ago
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TheHeavyMetalCat wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Nice well reasoned review. It's a 4.5 for me as I've got used to the sampled bits. ThunderSteel is of course their classic, but this is a very close second place.

adg211288 wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Appreciate the comment, I always try to weigh up both positives and negatives, no matter how much I might personally enjoy the release.

voila_la_scorie wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I enjoyed your review,especially since I have a Riot album on standby at Amazon. I used to have Thundersteel but only remember liking one song at the time. Your review here made good considerations about the album's potential weak points, that is possible turn-offs to some.