Down to the Bone

Down to the Bone is a cool work on which Quiet Riot, distancing itself a little further from the flamboyant 1980s image, values bluesy riffs and a rough, raw groove. Kevin DuBrow’s belting, powerful, distinctive singing gives the songs sure immediacy and rich humanity. A record that pushes the more serious direction of the previous Terrified further. The playing, while cutting away needless decoration as much as possible, firmly keeps catchy, memorable phrases at key moments. Content that again powerfully pursues the band’s native, more grounded, raw hard-rock feel, different from flashy party rock. The raw unity of DuBrow’s singing and the band’s playing is its appeal. A record that conveys an earnest stance of seeking to sound its own music as an ongoing, tough, bluesy rock-and-roll band, rather than merely being nostalgic for the huge 1980s success. Letting you savor Quiet Riot’s more essential, cool appeal, it is a plain, powerful fine hard-rock work — a record evoking the band’s origin.