This is the first of two albums fronted by 'Rhett Forrester' after the departure of 'Guy Speranza' and brings about an uneven period for 'Riot'. 'Restless Breed' and 'Born in America' are well spoken about by fans, but they seem to get overlooked in preference for the earlier 'Guy Speranza' material or the late 80's Power Metal albums. This is a shame as both albums contain some gems, 'Rhett Forrester' in my opinion is an admirable replacement and his slightly bluesy approach gives the group more options. The only down side is the loss of 'Guy Speranza's' excellent song writing abilities which at times is apparent, all said this is still a fine slab of tough early 80's American Metal, albeit not as heavy as the previous album or the follow-up.

'Restless Breed' opens strongly with the pulsating 'Hard Lovin' Man', a quality riff driven rocker fuelled by choice guitar licks, clinical vocals and rugged rhythm work. Not quite on the same level, but still entertaining is the lively 'C.I.A.', lyrically it's all pretty simple, but upheld by some fine 'Mark Reale' and 'Rick Ventura' guitar licks. The title track follows and fails to disappoint as 'Riot' concoct a well penned mid tempo rocker, which highlights some splendid 'Rhett Forrester' bluesy vocals, sweet refined melody and subtle but elegant guitar work. Next up is a cover of 'Eric Burden's' 'When I was Young', not a track I was previously familiar with but 'Riot' make this their own, with a sublime galloping rhythm and 'Rhett Forrester' working the excellent lyrics to perfection, to make this one of the albums top tracks. The tempo is lifted further for the borderline Speed Metal 'Loanshark' a brisk galloper, driven by relentless drum and bass work, while interspersed with tasty axe solos. Less impressive is the lyrically inept 'Loved by You', a pretty tame, carefree sounding cut with Bluesy undertones, the harmonica work doesn't help and overall sounds disjointed and awkward. Marginally better is the slow chugger 'Over to You', as with the previous track the lyrics aren't very inspirational and all told would be a poor effort if it wasn't for 'Rhett's' crisp vocal contribution. Continuing in the mid tempo vein is the relaxed paced 'Showdown', the difference here is the better penmanship and a splendid tuneful melody, which helps make this subtle number quite memorable. Less poignant is the balladsy 'Dream Away', despite 'Rhett's' strong vocal display this repetitive song really leaves no lasting memories. Finally the tempo is restored with the uncompromising stable 'Violent Crimes' a simplistic but effective affair, graced with sharp bristling vocals, relentless driving rhythm and the usual high quality fret work you associate with 'Riot'.

While this album is not up to the majesty of 'Fire Down Under', it's an enjoyable release with a couple of surprises thrown in here and there. If you like this album, but wish it was overall heavier then checkout 'Born in America' which is consistently harder and faster.