With six platinum certifications under its belt, Metal Health turned Quiet Riot into one of the biggest acts in rock almost overnight. As I stated on my review of that album, the biggest problem for this band was its utter lack of songwriting talent in a genre that was driven by catchy singles. Knowing this, the boys just tried to replicate Metal Health's sound to a tee, even re recording a second Slade cover, Mama, Weer All Crazee Now, and making it the flagship single of the record. With Party All Night they tried really hard on delivering a memorable raucous metal anthem like Metal Health for the second time, but sadly it fell kind of short, and again, the rest of the songs are just mediocre filler.
Despite its major shortcomings, Condition Critical managed to reach platinum level sales, but considering its predecessor's success it was declared an utter failure by the band, the label and everyone in the music business. Sadly, since the band had signed a record contract that handed the band's first two albums royalties to the record label's owner, its members weren't really enjoying the success they deserved. This situation created a lot of resentment, especially on vocalist Kevin Du Brow, who spent most of the mid eighties badmouthing everyone in the industry, from label executives to record producers to other bands he considered were unjustly riding on his coattails. Eventually, this attitude would make him the most hated man in heavy metal (predating Lars Ulrich for more than a decade and a half!) causing a press backlash that brought a lot of band tensions which resulted in Rudy Sarzo's exit from the group in 1985. Another consequence of Kevin Du Brow's constant badmouthing of other metal bands was the loss of a sizable portion of Quiet Riot's fan base that also supported those groups. By the end of this album's support tour, the band's condition was indeed critical, and only a miracle would stop its downward spiral. Since this album has only two good songs, I strongly recommend buying any Quiet Riot compilation instead.
With six platinum certifications under its belt, Metal Health turned Quiet Riot into one of the biggest acts in rock almost overnight. As I stated on my review of that album, the biggest problem for this band was its utter lack of songwriting talent in a genre that was driven by catchy singles. Knowing this, the boys just tried to replicate Metal Health's sound to a tee, even re recording a second Slade cover, Mama, Weer All Crazee Now, and making it the flagship single of the record. With Party All Night they tried really hard on delivering a memorable raucous metal anthem like Metal Health for the second time, but sadly it fell kind of short, and again, the rest of the songs are just mediocre filler. Despite its major shortcomings, Condition Critical managed to reach platinum level sales, but considering its predecessor's success it was declared an utter failure by the band, the label and everyone in the music business. Sadly, since the band had signed a record contract that handed the band's first two albums royalties to the record label's owner, its members weren't really enjoying the success they deserved. This situation created a lot of resentment, especially on vocalist Kevin Du Brow, who spent most of the mid eighties badmouthing everyone in the industry, from label executives to record producers to other bands he considered were unjustly riding on his coattails. Eventually, this attitude would make him the most hated man in heavy metal (predating Lars Ulrich for more than a decade and a half! ) causing a press backlash that brought a lot of band tensions which resulted in Rudy Sarzo's exit from the group in 1985. Another consequence of Kevin Du Brow's constant badmouthing of other metal bands was the loss of a sizable portion of Quiet Riot's fan base that also supported those groups. By the end of this album's support tour, the band's condition was indeed critical, and only a miracle would stop its downward spiral. Since this album has only two good songs, I strongly recommend buying any Quiet Riot compilation instead.