Quiet Riot III-Review

       Released in 1986, "III" is not the third album by Quiet Riot despite the title. It is actually the fifth proper album (but "I" and "II" were only released in Japan and are now ultra-rare collector's items). Does this album live up to the much more famous "Metal Health"? Let's find out shall we!

    First up is "Main Attraction". Somewhere between Van Halen and Twisted Sister(all of their songs?), the song oozes with cheesy 80s synths. Basically, the song concerns the band's mission to "rock". Not a bad song, but lyrics are about as deep as a puddle and the instrumentation is incredibly dated. Yawn. Next up is my favorite Quiet Riot song of all time. "The Wild and the Young" was a fairly successful single (check the awesome video on youtube!). Another hair metal song of teenage rebellion and lament, it was up hearing this song that my opinion of the band changed from curiosity to genuine interest. A classic anthem. Another stone cold classic is up next, "Twilight Hotel" basically tells sordid tales of forbidden lusting and lost sexual morality. Obviously about infidelity, the song shows that the band could tackle "serious" topics when they wanted. Great song, and great guitar work by Carlos Cavazo. "Down and Dirty" is next. The song replaces lead guitars during verses with synthesizers. The terrible sounding keyboards ruin the verses, and I can't even listen to the song. Awful.

     "Rise or Fall" instantly reminds on of Judas Priest. The main verse riff is nice and driving, but keyboards again drown out the other instruments on the track. Not bad, but the cheap samples and keys kill any chance the song had of rocking. Mediocre. Next is "Put Up Or Shut Up". 80s metal by numbers, the song is so full of cliches I don't know where to begin. A fairly generic song, it fails to make any impressions. "Still Of The Night" bears no relation to the Whitesnake hit. Another song filled with keyboards, at this point I start to realize why the album failed to make a commercial impact. Never a ballads band, too many of them bog down the album. "Still Of The Night" is positively sleep inducing. "Bass Case" is a short bass solo that shows off the chops of bassist Chuck Wright. Fun while it lasts, but certainly not "Anesthesia" by Metallica. "The Pump" is next. A fairly dunderheaded  lament about banging, the song fails to do anything different from any other hair metal band of the day. Keyboards are limited mostly to Tom Sawyer-like swaths, not really up front. Not bad, but nothing special. Next is another ballad, the obligatory ballad with an acoustic intro, that was present what seemed to be all hair metal albums post 1983. I actual find the song's choruses quite catchy, and it is easily one of the strongest songs on the album. The album ends with the socially conscious "Helping Hands". In the wake of Live Aid in 1985, most rock bands began to take a more active role in promoting welfare. However, I find the song extremely dull and trite. ZzZz.

   "III" represents the start of a long and steady decline for the band. Not a terrible album, but very average in most respects. Skip the album, and get the greatest hits or "Metal Health" instead.

Rating-5/10