Quiet Riot's finest hour. After years of struggle, ups and downs, successes and failures, Quiet Riot finally made a truly great, cohesive, and complete album. Even in their breakthrough smash hit album Metal Health (1983), which contained such radio favorites "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)" and "Cum on Feel the Noize", they never managed to make a strong record from beginning to end. Inevitably it seems you'll run into a mediocre track or just some other filler. They would continue to decline in their subsequent recordings, Condition Critical and QR III respectively. While they were solid overall, they too contained great songs mixed in with forgettable ones. They hit rock bottom with a self-titled record in 1988 featuring Paul Shortino on vocals - and Quiet Riot without Kevin DuBrow is just not appealing.

     They surged back in the early 90s though - amidst a radically different music scene. The rock world, by 1993, was dominated by the grunge movement. Bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, and Soundgarden were changing the landscape and setting new precedents. Quiet Riot was a dinosaur by then, and instead of catering to the times, they rocked harder and made their best record yet. With Kevin DuBrow back in the fold, Terrified made for a thunderous return. It easily surpasses Metal Health as their finest work, and is a legitimately strong heavy metal album.

     From the opening confident thud of Frankie Banali's drums on "Cold Day In Hell", to the closing thrilling finale of "Resurrection", this is the closest thing to a masterpiece they have made. The album is full of catchy hooks, clever lyrics, biting melodies, a tremendous rythym section throughout, and terrific guitar work. Kevin DuBrow anchors the album with his charismatic delievery and really sells each song. There essentially are not weak points, as it roars all the way through and never lets up.

     Terrified can stand toe to toe with some of the more popular rock albums of the past few decades. I feel that by that point in their career, they needed to put their best foot forward because it was probably a now-or-never situation. For this album, they were signed by Moonstone Records (huh?), who are now apparently a defunct label. According to the liner notes, Quiet Riot was the first actual band to be signed to Moonstone, as they had only done soundtrack albums previously. So it seems someone finally gave them a shot and they certainly made the most of it.

     They finally matured here, but at the same time still exuding the rock and roll excess. It's the best of both worlds, treading the line between vulnerability and attitude. I highly recommend it to any rock fan out there. As far as I know, the album is no longer in print, but can still be found on eBay or half.com for a relatively low price. Additionally, I believe in 2002, Terrified was reissued with a new album cover and new moniker, called Cold Day In Hell. It was re-released in an attempt to jump on the band wagon as the original band lineup reunited at the beginning of the new millenium. Think about why it was reissued? Quiet Riot themselves must believe that this was their best work - they thought it was worth a second listen. Their finest hour.

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS:

"Cold Day In Hell"

"Loaded Gun"

"Terrified"

"Little Angel"

"Rude, Crude Mood"

"Dirty Lover"

"Psycho City"

-Kurt L.

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