Quiet Riot is of course one of the classic names in hard rock, but nothing here gives any indication of the music that earned them the status held prior to the death of frontman Kevin DuBrow.
Since that time, drummer Frankie Banali has taken a number of lineups out on the road under the QR moniker, but this is his first foray into new material.
One thinks he should have kept to performing the band’s hits live for this is horrible. I’d suggest that its actually one of the worst albums released by a name band in many years.
The fact that the label agreed to the band dumping Seann Nicols and hastily re-recording the vocals with newly recruited James Durbin shows how much faith they had in the original. I bet they didn’t expect something even worse to be delivered.
The production is demo quality at best; the songs (same music, new titles, new lyrics) are instantly forgettable and the new vocals of Durbin are simply horrid. He’s normally a great singer, but how long did they take to get this done, as he sounds out of tune in places, ultra-whiney throughout and in the opening track for example, the vocals are bordering on chipmunk territory.
The second track is even worse. There is a clear disconnect between the vocals and the music. The chorus is among the worst I have ever heard.
Even Banali’s drumming sounds rigid and straight forward. The constant thump thump thump of the mid-tempo songs is irritating.
It’s a huge disappointment and when you consider the guys had two attempts to get it right, even more surprising. If this was an album delivered by a no-name artist, it would have been swiftly disposed of. I really don’t enjoy being negative, but there is no way a record of this quality should have been released. I’d place bets on this being the last QR album.
