The first three Riot albums are all killer records, and Fire Down Under is their best. They were just beginning to gain some traction with the release of Fire Down Under when vocalist Guy Speranza decided to leave the music biz altogether and become a rat catcher. His replacement Rhett Forrester first record for the band is this album. He’s a completely different style of vocalist to Speranza. Forrester has a much more gravelly tone to his voice and the music changed to fit his style. Consequently this record sounds like a completely different band.
If, like me, you loved the Speranza sound then this album was initially a disappointment, as it felt like a backward step and has a very 70’s sound. I have come to accept it more over the years and it does have some great songs, the best of which and my favourite is Loanshark. It has that classic Riot sound, as does the final track Violent Crimes. A very apt title as Forrester would be shot dead in an attempted carjacking.
7.5/10 from The Grooveman.
