Quiet Riot
Condition Critical

THE REVIEW

After the great success of the album ‘Metal Health’, the Quiet Riot, led by the euphoric singer Kevin DuBrow (sadly recently passed away at the age of 52), faithfully followed by the excellent guitarist Carlos Cavazo, bassist Rudy Sarzo, and the wild drummer Frankie Banali, try to ride the wave of success by releasing just a year later this ‘Condition Critical’.

The album opens with "Sign Of The Times", an excellent track full of energy and with a cheerful rhythm complete with a chorus shouted in unison by DuBrow and company, which sticks in your mind upon first listen.
This album also had to include a cover of Slade; with the catchy "Mama Weer All Crazee Now", they attempt to repeat the commercial strategy of the previous album, releasing the track as the first single and trying to climb the charts: an operation half successful. 

This is followed by "Party All Night", the second single chosen by the band, which continues the joyful and happy hard rock melodies, suitable for partying all night without stopping.
"Stomp Your Hands, Clap Your Feet" exudes great energy, thanks to Cavazo's riffs and DuBrow's screams, which halfway through the song almost seem to incite and direct a crowd ready to revel.
The energetic rhythms at the beginning of the album are interrupted by the ballad "Winners Take All" (already played in the '70s with Randy Rhoads), a track that proceeds slowly and offers us melodic riffs and almost melancholic choruses. Then comes the turn of the title track "Condition Critical", which does not resume the initial speed but presents a slowed-down, fascinating, and rather pleasant hard rock.

The typical unrestrained energy of the American combo is then resumed by the following "Scream And Shout", where Frankie Banali hits quite hard, Cavazo proves inspired, and DuBrow makes it clear that he certainly does not want to lower his voice, but continue to scream at the top of his lungs.
"Red Alert" continues to bring electrifying and cheerful rhythms, as does the subsequent "Bad Boy": two tracks that, although not among the best pieces in the batch, are easy and enjoyable to listen to.
The closure is entrusted to "(We Were) Born To Rock", once again in the sign of fast rhythms and shouted choruses, complete with a schizoid laugh by DuBrow at the end.

Obviously, repeating the commercial success of "Metal Health" was a difficult, if not prohibitive, feat, and indeed "Condition Critical" managed to sell only 3 million copies against the previous 6.
But, despite this, the album is still a pleasure to listen to today and turns out to be composed of interesting episodes like the already mentioned "Sign Of The Times", "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" and "Stomp Your Hands, Clap Your Feet", confirming itself, after the acclaimed platter published in 1983, as the quartet's most successful album under the Stars and Stripes.

Tracklist:

01. Sign Of The Times
02. Mama Weer All Crazee Now
03. Party All Night
04. Stomp Your Hands, Clap Your Feet
05. Winners Take All
06. Condition Critical
07. Scream And Shout
08. Red Alert
09. Bad Boy
10. (We Were) Born To Rock

Line Up:

Kevin DuBrow - Vocals
Carlos Cavazo - Guitar
Rudy Sarzo - Bass
Frankie Banali - Drums