Riot Act was Rick Ray's band from 1990 to 1996. It was reunited in 1999 for the sake of recording and Maniacal Disastrophe Tour is one of the fruits so far. Compared to his solo work, Riot Act is, generally spoken, a heavier outlet for mister Ray. This doesn't mean that most songs are heavy. She Could Win An Award makes me think of The Police while Thinking About You is in the vein of bluesrock. Yet there are songs that have powerfully driven riffs like the heavy rock opening track Red Tape with its blistering solo guitar work. There are a couple of these and they are heavier than the heaviest stuff I've heard on the solo albums. So, Riot Act has a format that seems to allow a bit heavier tracks amidst all the gentle progressive rock. Speaking of gentle songs, one of my favorites is They're Only Words which is a nice, modest song. Maniacal Disastrophe Tour contains fourteen songs. The playing is definitely good though the quality of the recording is not exactly top notch.
