Hard Riot – Living On A Fastlane (2012)

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Listening to the opening song, Get Ready, or even the second, Hellfire Rock, it may be easy to dismiss Germany's Hard Riot as another AC/DC clone. But you would be wrong. Their debut LP, Living On A Fast Lane is more melodic heavier rock, without necessarily dismissing the AC/DC influences.

I'm not sure what we're to infer from the band name; it's rather strange. What's a 'hard riot'? And the proper English language idiom would be, 'Living In The Fast Lane.' I suppose if you're living on a fast lane, you could get run over. Okay, so they can't get their English right, what about the music?

Excepting Michael Gildner's uneven, sometimes unsteady, vocals, Hard Riot delivers some good, even interesting, melodic hard rock. In other words, I like the music and could pass on Gildner. That's not to say he totally succumbs to mediocrity. He shines on the more mellow Nothing But You. And, if don't you care for clarity, he rocks out everywhere else.

But the music is key: Hard Riot can rock, and that's why the album deserves a better than average score. There's promise here. Best head banging numbers include Don't Need You, No Surrender (very catchy), Take Me Down, and Rock 'n Roll Outlaw. Check out Hard Riot.

German hard rockers Hard Riot are the latest addition to Pitch Black Records' roster and will be releasing the band's debut album, 'Living On A Fast Lane', on April 10th.
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Hard Riot were formed in 2006 in the city of Heilbronn, Germany and the band consists of four young friends who share the same passion -- hard rockin' music.

Their powerful stage presence and performance has landed them with numerous live shows over the past few years and many devoted fans. In 2009 Hard Riot released a self-financed 5-track EP ('The Hidden Truth') and in 2011 they entered Maranis Studios in Backnang, Germany, relying on the excellent skills of producer Vagelis Maranis who oversaw the entire recording and production of their debut album.

Hard Riot is Michael Gildner on vocals, Andreas Rockrohr on guitars, Mario Kleindienst on bass and Carmine Jaucci on drums. Their influences include AC/DC, Metallica and the Scorpions among others but their influences don't stop here. These and many more are clearly evident throughout their music. The band's main style is hard rock but one can also find a good dose of heavy/speed metal in their music. One thing is certain when listening to Hard Riot perform, they are enjoying every moment of their music and that's something that is undisputedly conveyed to the listener.

01. Get Ready
02. Hellfire Rock
03. Don't Need You
04. No Surrender
05. Tears In The Rain
06. Turn On The Lights
07. Nothing But You
08. Take Me Down
09. Hard Way Down
10. Black Widow
11. Rock 'N' Roll Outlaw

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