Like
Queensrÿche's 1988 prog metal masterpiece
Operation: Mindcrime,
Riot's
Privilege of Power works off of fear, paranoia, and conspiracy, employing ten complex tracks that work as a single unit. Where
Mindcrime stuck to a straight narrative, working every
Pink Floyd-ism it could into its disillusioned protagonist,
Power takes a broader, less specific approach to its subject. The atmospheric snippets that tuck-point each song into place help maintain a general air of unease, eventually giving way to an ambiguous but entertaining revolution that lacks
Queensrÿche's self-importance. Lyrically, the group does little to deviate from obvious metaphor and "Viking" simplicity -- in "metalspeak" something as mundane as an airplane ride ("Metal Soldiers") is described by shouting "We climb aboard the eagle made of steel" followed by a four-octave scream -- but "true blue" fans of heavy metal know the genre's scholarly limitations, and revel in its face-value descriptions of rebellion and honor. The bizarre use of a horn section (keyboards?) on tracks like "On Your Knees" and "Killer" actually works, adding a swaggering charm to the already hook-laden tunes. The ferocious "Dance of Death" brings to mind classic
Judas Priest and features brutal guitar work by guitarist/songwriter
Mark Reale -- he really is remarkable -- and elements of
Iron Maiden run rampant throughout the rousing "Storming the Gates of Hell." The record loses its flow -- not its focus, as it never really has any -- with the dreadful "Little Miss Death" -- a study in "horned-hand" mediocrity -- and the obvious single "Maryanne," which -- although the vocals are outstanding and the slight melodic variation (mixed with car horns and other sonic oddities) is infectious -- is virtually a carbon copy of
Boston's "More Than a Feeling."