Riot V

Riot V, formerly known as Riot until 2012, is an American hard rock band founded in New York City in 1975 by guitarist Mark Reale. Reaching a peak in popularity in the early 80s, the band has continued a long-running successful career. Riot has toured with AC/DC, Molly Hatchet, Sammy Hagar, Kiss, Vandenberg, Black Sabbath and Rush among others. Riot's sound initially started out as straightforward heavy metal, but since their 1988 release Thundersteel their musical direction has been more along the lines of power metal. In 2013, Riot V, a new iteration of the band, was launched by the surviving members, after the death of founding member and band leader Mark Reale. The group usually uses a baby seal face as a logo on its album covers.