Quiet Riot chooses singer John Torra as new vocalist — Rolling Stone

American hard rock band Quiet Riot has chosen 23-year-old John Torra as its new vocalist. The musician auditioned at a rehearsal studio in Burbank, California, where he performed a full concert set with bassist Rudy Sarzo, guitarist Alex Grossi, and drummer Johnny Kelly, Rolling Stone reports.

Video drew attention

Torra submitted a video in which he performed Quiet Riot hits Metal Health (Bang Your Head) and Cum on Feel the Noize, as well as the song Run for Cover. After posting the clip on Instagram, he received thousands of views and new followers overnight. Torra's performances also drew the attention of musicians Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns, Michael Sweet of Stryper, Jeff Scott Soto, and Britt Lightning of Vixen.

Quiet Riot manager Regina Banali, the widow of the band's late drummer Frankie Banali, initially wanted to make sure that the video featured Torra's real voice rather than a recording created with artificial intelligence. Torra invited her to his concert at the Whisky a Go Go club in Los Angeles and promised to end the performance with a live rendition of Metal Health (Bang Your Head).

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First concert in Oklahoma

During the audition, Quiet Riot members performed the entire concert set four times over two days. After that, Banali told Torra that he was being accepted into the band. The musician's first performance as a member of Quiet Riot is scheduled for October 1 at the Cherokee Event Center in West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma.

Torra became interested in 1980s music at age 11, when his father let him listen to Van Halen. In high school, he listened to cassettes by Quiet Riot, Cinderella, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, and Rainbow on a Sony Walkman, and also played in bands on Long Island. After school, he founded his own band, Fire ‘N Ice, which, according to the musician, will continue performing during periods when Quiet Riot is not on tour.

Change of frontman

Quiet Riot was looking for a replacement for frontman Jizzy Pearl. The band's original vocalist Kevin DuBrow died in 2007, while Frankie Banali died in 2020. Rudy Sarzo is the last member of the group's classic lineup.