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For those familiar with Riot V (or simply Riot) and their album Thundersteel from 1988, the band's 2018 release Armor of Light will sound both welcome and familiar. Even though founding guitarist Mark Reale is no longer with us, guitarists Mike Flyntz and Nick Lee have captured both the band's signature sound and riff expertise. Everything that made Thundersteel a classic of U.S. power metal is here; double-kick drumming, sharp guitar work and high-pitched vocals belting out catchy choruses. If anything, Armor of Light is consistently faster than Thundersteel, so if speedy tempos get your heart pumping, the album will leave you breathless. I love this kind of music as much as the next power metal fan and have always maintained that speed, speed and more speed is a good thing, but I actually find it a little repetitive. There's not a bad song in the bunch but by the end of the album, I'm frankly overloaded. Not that I'm shutting it off, mind you... A solid and thoroughly enjoyable album from this long-standing band.