Frankie Banali says that James Durbin "has proved to be the best singer" QUIET RIOT has had since the band was resurrected eight years ago. Durbin, who became known as the "metal guy" on 2011's season of "American Idol" after performing "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking The Law" with JUDAS PRIEST, hooked up with QUIET RIOT after the dismissal of Seann Nicols (a.k.a. Sheldon Tarsha; formerly of ADLER'S APPETITE). Nicols was with QUIET RIOT for just a few months, but long enough to record the vocals for an early version of the band's latest album, 2017's "Road Rage". In a brand new interview with The Tribune-Democrat, Banali praised QUIET RIOT's latest addition, saying: "When I decided to restart QUIET RIOT in 2010, I knew it was going to be very difficult — both professionally and personally — because Kevin [DuBrow, original QUIET RIOT singer] and I were best friends for 27 years. "There was never a thought to replace the late, great Kevin DuBrow. That is impossible. Kevin was an amazing singer with a vocal range second to none. And as a performer, no one comes even close. "My thought was to try to preserve the music and sound of QUIET RIOT as best I could. We went through four different singers over roughly a six-year period. "In 2017, we brought on James Durbin, who — without a doubt — has proved to be the best singer we've had since revving up the engines in 2010. He's a really great vocalist, performer and — equally as important — a very nice person. "I'm used to change in QUIET RIOT, not just the trials and tribulations with singers since Kevin's passing, but during the entire 35-plus year history. I'm very happy to have James involved with us as long as he wants to be with QUIET RIOT." Banali also offered an update on QUIET RIOT's upcoming live album and DVD, which was filmed this past April appearance at the Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan, Italy. "I just finished approving the final audio mixes as well as the live footage and I'm really happy with the final results," he said. "I'm waiting for the label, Frontiers Music, to advise when they think will be a good release date. "I opted not to do any fixes, overdubs or studio trickery that prevails in many so-called 'live' music CDs and videos. What you get is a very honest representation of a night with QUIET RIOT live. "I put together a set that covers the majority of the 'Metal Health' songs, a number from our second release, 'Condition Critical', as well as representing songs from 'QR III'. We also went deep in the QR catalog with a song from 1993's 'Terrified' record and the 1995 'Down To The Bone' record. Of course, we also performed two songs from the 2017 'Road Rage' record." "Road Rage" was released last August via Frontiers Music Srl. In addition to Banali and Durbin, QUIET RIOT's current lineup included bassist Chuck Wright (who has been in and out of the group since 1982) and guitarist Alex Grossi. Banali revived QUIET RIOT in 2010, three years after DuBrow's death, along with Grossi and Wright. The group went through two vocalists — Mark Huff and Scott Vokoun — before settling on Jizzy Pearl in 2013. Pearl announced his exit from QUIET RIOT in October 2016.
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