QUIET RIOT Drummer Discusses 'Rehab' Album, 'Butchering The Beatles' Tribute

MetalEpicenter.com recently conducted an interview with QUIET RIOT drummer Frankie Banali. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

MetalEpicenter.com: We'll start out by asking you to talk about your current project which would be the new album "Rehab" and your recent appearance on "Butchering The Beatles - A Headbashing Tribute". So, tell us a little something about both, if you could.

Frankie: For the new recordings Kevin DuBrow and I were joined by Tony Franklin on bass (ex-THE FIRM and BLUE MURDER),top session guitarist Neil Citron, and the voice of rock, Glenn Hughes (ex-DEEP PURPLE and BLACK SABBATH) who performed a vocal duet with Kevin on the 1969 SPOOKY TOOTH song "Evil Woman" and also contributed the bass track for that song.

"Rehab" is available throughout the United States and issued through the independent label Chavis Records and a worldwide release of "Rehab" will be available and issued by U.K.-based Demolition Records internationally with a Japanese release date is soon to be announced. The U.S. release has 11 songs, while the European/South American, etc., release will have the same track listing but will also include a additional bonus track. The Japanese release will include a bonus track that is different from the other international releases.

For the "Butchering The Beatles" CD, I played drums on the track "Magical Mystery Tour" along with Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SOUL SIRKUS),vox; Yngwie Malmsteen (RISING FORCE, ALCATRAZZ),lead guitar; Bob Kulick (MEAT LOAF, PAUL STANLEY BAND),rhythm guitar; Jeff Pilson (DOKKEN, FOREIGNER),bass.

MetalEpicenter.com: We've been listening to some of the ["Rehab"] tracks that you have posted on your site and it sounds like you guys made a conscious effort to be have a diverse sound on the disc. Are we accurate in that assumption?

Frankie: "Rehab" is the best QUIET RIOT material that we have released in nearly two decades. It is the best musical and lyrical material we've ever attempted. You have songs here that differ from anything we've done in the past. Songs like "Free" and "Blind Faith" which are both "modern" and heavier than anything we recorded in the past. There are also songs that showcase both Kevin's incredibly powerful vocal abilities such as in "Old Habits Die Hard" and my own love of steady and heavy grooves as in "South of Heaven" and "Evil Woman" which features the amazing vocal and bass talents of Glenn Hughes formerly with DEEP PURPLE and BLACK SABBATH. It is a solid group of songs.

There is one song that is similar in style and approach to songs of the older style in the Kevin DuBrow-penned track "It Sucks To Be You" which is just a fun song. When Kevin played me the demo for that song we agreed to record it to see how it turned out. When we mixed the songs and were deciding what would be on the U.S. release and what would be "bonus" tracks for international releases I wanted to have the song "Wired To The Moon" which seemed stylistically a better fit as part of the U.S. release and have "Sucks" as a international bonus track, but Kevin disagreed. It's a fun album track.

Having the pleasure to record with Tony Franklin on bass who is my favorite bass player, and the incredibly talented guitarist Neil Citron made it possible to make this record. No other combination of musicians that Kevin and I have worked with in the past could have achieved what we achieved on "Rehab" due to the variety of the material and styles.

Read the entire interview at MetalEpicenter.com.