The late Kevin DuBrow of Quiet Riot has certainly left his mark on the world of Heavy Metal. In my opinion, just the album “Metal Health” alone is quite the Metal accomplishment. “Metal Health” (released in 1983), will forever have the distinction of being the very first Heavy Metal album to hit #1 on the album charts. Fast forward to October 31, 2006, Quiet Riot “Rehab” was released under the radar, so to speak. “Rehab” is a darn good hard rockin’ album, in my Metal opinion. You no longer hear the Hair Metal thumping of the 1980’s on this album, what I do hear, are quality written songs with quality musicianship. In summary, the music on “Rehab” is Hard Rock meets Heavy Metal.
I am not saying that “Rehab” is the greatest Metal album I have ever listened to, it is just a real decent album of songs that really rock, a well rounded album of songs. This is not what I expected, actually, for I thought that “Rehab” was going to be a Hair Metal trip down memory lane. I did get more than I anticipated, for all the tunes here are relatively longer than your usual straight-up Heavy Metal album. The shortest tune is “Blind Faith”, at 3 minutes and 23 seconds. The longest tune is “Evil Woman” at 8 minutes and 49 seconds. The musicians on “Rehab” are (of course) Kevin DuBrow on vocals and Frankie Banali on drums – with Glenn Hughes on bass and lead vocal duet on the tune “Evil Woman.” (No, this is not a cover song of The Electric Light Orchestra’s Classic Rock hit). Glenn Hughes also provides background vocals throughout “Rehab”, with Neil Citron on guitar and Tony Franklin on bass as well. “It Sucks To Be You”, (written by Kevin DuBrow), is the closest you are probably going to get in hearing the old school Hair Metal swagger vocals coming from Kevin DuBrow. Musically, the song is also the most reminiscent of 1980’s Heavy Metal from Quiet Riot too.
Overall, I find “Rehab” to be a sincere and serious approach in creating and delivering on some very cool Hard Rock/Heavy Metal from Quiet Riot. After each listen to “Rehab”, I cannot help but find myself wishing Kevin DuBrow did not pass away so young. Then again, Kevin DuBrow will live on forever in the music he helped to create, leaving Metal fans like myself enjoying what I consider to be one of the more unique vocals in Heavy Metal’s storied history. In my Metal opinion, “Rehab” is one heavy, mature, quality driven, class act effort for Quiet Riot to end their Metal legacy with.
“If it is old school Thrash Metal you are looking for, you have definitely found it! Over Kill does not disappoint, each song is as heavy as the next, TRUE Thrash Metal. This is as great a start as you can get if you are beginning an Over Kill music collection. Over Kill throughout the years have been steadfast and loyal to the Thrash Metal sound and genre, comparing “The Years Of Decay” to their other albums is non sensical, for I admire the entire catalog of albums from this band. “The Years Of Decay” in my opinion, stands out from the vast Thrash Metal album crowd, since it’s release in 1989. For an album that is now twenty plus years old, this brand of Thrash Metal from Over Kill is still Earth shattering, in my Metal opinion. Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth on vocals and D.D. Verni on bass deserve all the accolades. Bobby Gustafson on guitar and “Sid” Falck on drums are both tremendous players on this album as well. I really recommend “The Years Of Decay” to all Metal and Thrash Metal fans alike. New Over Kill fans cannot pass over this heavy hitter.
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
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