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Read the Frankie Banali interview
What’s the 4-1-1?
Come on feel the noise with Quiet Riot’s 11th album.
Genre
Hard rock / blues rock
The Good
As the opening verse of “Free” hits, you instantly recognize
it as the voice of Quiet Riot. Vocalist Kevin Dubrow hasn’t wavered
a bit from his heyday, except he may be a little more refined and in key.
The chorus is undeniably catchy and will burn in your subconscious for month.
By the time you get to “South of Heaven,” you start to realize,
this isn’t the Quiet Riot I grew up with. That’s not a bad thing
though. Dubrow’s new found appreciation for blues-based rock really
shines on this track in particular. In addition to the change in music style,
there’s a drastic change in songwriting. No longer does Quiet Riot
come off as cheesy or amateurish with their lyrics.
Okay, so growing up I
didn’t think that way about their music (still don’t really),
because that was the in thing, but compared to the new material, Quiet Riot
have matured. “Black Reign” kicks the drumbeats into overdrive
and the energy level to the top. It still has that metal feel, but adds that
extra element of vocal and guitar melodies. If you you’ve been keeping
tabs on Kevin Dubrow recently, you’d know that he bows to the feel
of ex-Deep Purple bassist Glenn Hughes. He actually can’t shut up about
him. Anyway, if you didn’t know that and just knew who Hughes was,
then you wouldn’t instantly recognize his style on the track “Old
Habits Die Hard.” The track is bluesy, soulful, and full of moving
drum beats and subtle guitar licks.
“In Harms Way” has a nice
bounce to it as the bass work of Tony Franklin and drum work of Frankie Banali
work in tandem to create that pulse. Guitarist Neil Citron lays down some
jarring riffs on “It Sucks to Be You,” as Dubrow does the typical
frontman trash-talking. Getting back to Glenn Hughes, he makes an appearance
on the Spooky Tooth cover “Evil Woman.” Hughes is at his soulful
best and plays well off of Dubrow’s howls.
The Bad
Nothing notable
The Verdict
A lot of listeners or fans tend to pigeon-hole a band by only accepting a
certain sound from them. If it’s not what they remember them for,
then they want nothing to do with it. That’s a shame. In the case
of Quiet Riot, they really don’t sound much like themselves as far
as musical style goes, but the voice is still undeniable. In addition to
that, with their latest album Rehab the group showcases that they have
really grown as musicians. They’re not so much the wild, young, and
crazy guys they were 20 years ago. They’ve become seasoned musicians
that have honed their craft and managed to put out a different style of
music for them that is both well-written and enjoyable to listen to. Hey,
it’s not Metal Health, but you’ll still want
to bang you head here and there.
Did You Know?
Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhodes was an original member of Quiet Riot.
Rating:  out
of 5
Related Reviews:
Kevin Dubrow - In for the Kill
--George Dionne
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QUIET
RIOT
