The late 1970s and early 80s produced a wealth of bands that we associate with classic heavy metal, and brought us a lot of the big names that stand as the giants of our musical world. Any metalhead can effortlessly rattle off the names Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, and so on. But as the story of bands like Anvil show, there are many bands that didn’t achieve the same level of fame, leaving them to be less recognized and under-appreciated. Of course, this is how these things go. To bastardize the Pareto Principle, 20% of the bands in any era or movement will garner 80% of the attention, while the remaining 80% of bands will be left to fight over what’s left. Still, many of those bands will gain fiercely loyal fans in the process. New York City’s Riot is one of those bands.
Dedicated Decibel readers will be familiar with the band, as we included 1981’s Fire Down Under in our special issue on old-school metal. But for those of you who want to dive deeper and learn all about the band, their history, and how the current incarnation of Riot V keeps the fire burning today, there’s a new documentary series coming in January. Damian Kolodiy, an accomplished documentary filmmaker, has crafted “Immortal Soul: A Riot Tribute & Concert Film.”
According to the documentary website:
“This four-part documentary mini-series will explore the history and archives of the different eras of the band, spotlighting specific live performances from each era. The film centers around the Keep It True festival in Germany, where interviews with Riot fans young and old illustrate this passion for the band.”
The documentary will be released via the NYC ROCKS TV YouTube channel in four installments throughout January 2024. Check out the trailer below to learn more!
