Customer Reviews

In for the Kill

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Kevin DuBrow returns to the Rock & Roll scene with a brand new solo CD entitled, "In For The Kill" available now on Shrapnel Records. What makes this effort such a unique and exciting release is the fact that Kevin has taken a collection of his favorite songs from the past and recorded them in such a way that makes them all sound fresh for today and gives the listener a chance to hear and appreciate Kevin's singing abilities. The CD starts with "Burn on the Flame" a number you can't help but sing along with after your first listen. The CD moves through all of the songs with a kicking/rocking straight ahead in your face type of a beat. There's "Black Sheep of the Family" which really stretches Kevin's musical talents. The highlight of the CD, "Red Light Mama, Red Hot" (Humble Pie) shows Kevin at his best on the CD both vocally and musically. Songs like "Drivin' Sister" & "Modern Times Rock and Roll" while they may be unknown to many in their original form, here Kevin takes them and records them into his own version of good rock songs to hear today. The best thing I can say about this record is that it sounds like a brand new, interesting original release from Kevin DuBrow and not a bunch of old cover tunes that we have heard covered a million times over again. Any Quiet Riot fans and All Rock & Roll fans will not be disappointed with this CD. This is a great Rock and Roll record! It sounds great, was recorded and produced well (thanks to Kevin & Michael Lardie) and the artwork is cool! It's a good CD to put in your car, turn the volume up and cruise around!! Buy it today.

I have followed Dubrow's career since Metal Health (including QR's very unappreciated works from the 90's). I have to admit that an all "covers" record isn't something that I look forward to buying from my favorite bands. But, this was different. KD doesn't just pick the standard hard rock hits from the seventies to cover here. These aren't just a bunch of classic AOR hits. And for once, someone figured out a way to do a covers record that rocks out and still stays true to the spirit of the originals. KD's backing band on this cd sounds great. The guitar player lays down some heavy duty hard rock & blues style guitar all over this cd. Also, for those of you that have heard the Japanes released QR 1 & 2 LP's from the late seventies, I think you will be able to easily detect how similar and influential the songs on In For The Kill are to those early QR recordings.

I never thought I would buy a Kevin Dubrow album, listen to it 5 times in the last few days, and write a review comparing Dubrow's vocal performance to legends like Steve Marriott, Rod Stewart (ie 30 years ago Rod) and Ian Gillan; but that's exactly what I'm gonna do. I was pleasantly suprised by just how good this album is. First and foremost are Dubrow's pipes; he belts out the songs as good if not better than some of the singers on the original versions. Yes, Kevin's singing is on par with the likes of Steve Marriott & Ian Gillan. The real treats here are the mid-tempo rockers like "Black Sheep Of The Family" & "Red Light Mama Red Hot". The band just slays these tunes and Dubrow's puts his own unique vocal stamp on them. Where many tribute albums are "play by numbers", carbon copies (did I just date myself there?) of the originals, "In For The Kill" adjusts and fine tunes the tempos & melodies on each track to give the listener something fresh and new. The band plays very well with some killer guitar work from Kevin Curry. Curry's Hendrix inspired solo on T. Rex's "20th Century Boy" is one of the albums highlights. My only minor beef is with Jeff Martin's drumming. At times his drumming is just to d@mn busy, throwing in fills and beats where they're not needed; just imagine a really off tempo Keith Moon. It throws the timing & flow of the song off just enough to irratate the listener, especially on the tracks "Speed King" & "Stay With Me". Personally, it makes me appreciate just how good Ian Paice & Kenny Jones really are.
With The Scorps & Motorhead, reloaded & charging full steam ahead, it's also nice to see an extremely talented singer turn it around and crank out a good album, dare I say an excellent album. Any fan of Quiet Riot will find this as good as any album they ever did, "Mental Health" included. Any metal fan should add this to cart ASAP, you will not be disappointed.
Play it often and don't forget to forget the neighbors & play it loud!!

"In For The Kill" was not only one of the final recordings released by late Quiet Riot lead singer Kevin DuBrow but it was also one of his best. Released in 2004, "In For The Kill" is a collection of twelve classic rock cover songs that will surprise at least a few of Kevin's critics. DuBrow turns in a lively, energetic performance and the veteran session players who make up the rhythm section on this album provide a very solid base for the vocalist to work with. The artists covered on "In For The Kill" include Deep Purple, Queen, Mott The Hoople, Montrose, T. Rex and Nazareth, among others. The song selection is atypical of most classic rock cover albums, as most of these songs aren't covered on a regular basis. Given the good variety among the tracks, it is obvious that Mr. DuBrow not only had good taste but also appreciated the artists who came before him.

While a release like this, a solo album of classic rock covers, is generally labeled as only being for fans of that particular vocalist's band, Kevin DuBrow's "In For The Kill" is a cd that can be enjoyed by those who don't necessarily listen to Quiet Riot. There are actually a few reasons for this. Frankly, these songs are better than those found on a typical Quiet Riot album, particularly some of their lesser efforts. Secondly, Quiet Riot recorded numerous covers over the course of their recording career. For better or worse, most of those covers had a very specific sound, they sounded a lot like Quiet Riot's original songs. They shared the same 80's rock style and production techniques. "In For The Kill" features a 1970's classic rock sound and production, which you wouldn't mistake for Quiet Riot. Fans will easily recognize the vocalist but he turns in a performance that is better than the majority of his Quiet Riot records, which is probably aided by the superior material. Some might disagree but Kevin DuBrow arguably does a better job singing 70's rock than he does 80's metal.

The other thing that a listener will notice about this particular covers album is a surprising amount of passion by the musicians. Many releases of this nature, particularly on a smaller label like Shrapnel Records, are generally done for the artist or label to make a quick buck and hopefully have a little fun in the process. With "In For The Kill", both the vocalist and the backing musicians are very inspired. All twelve tracks here do justice to the original artists, a rarity for a collection of covers. There isn't an obvious track you'll want to skip over. This reviewer favors the first half of the album, which features 'Good Rockin' Tonight', 'Black Sheep Of the Family', 'Speed King' and 'Stay With Me' but this cd plays good from start to finish.

The presentation is the only area where this release comes up short. For starters, the cover art could have been better. A face shot of Kevin DuBrow (set against a red background) adorns the front cover, displaying half of his face covered with the traditional Quiet Riot mask. The liner notes are very brief, which isn't the least bit surprising. The only other black mark here is that the track listing is incorrect in one place. If memory serves, songs #10 and #11 are reversed and do not play in their listed order on the cd. Otherwise things look great.

"In For The Kill" can safely be recommended to fans of the Quiet Riot fanbase, who can expect to hear something a little different than they are accustomed to but something that they can easily enjoy nonetheless. Listeners of 1980's rock and metal groups, such as Quiet Riot, who are not familiar with most 60's and 70's classic rock are going to be exposed to a lot of vintage rock and roll in this set. This particular audience is going to come away with a newfound appreciation for some of these selections, which I am sure Kevin DuBrow was hoping for when recording the tunes found on "In For The Kill." As for those who aren't as fond of Quiet Riot (or Mr. DuBrow), if you are a fan of the classic rock genre, I strongly urge you to listen to a few clips from this album. Some of you are going to be pleasantly surprised by the quality of this recording. Like him or not, "In For The Kill" is a solid demonstration that Kevin DuBrow's rock and roll pipes were still in fine form in the years leading up to his untimely passing in 2007.

I've been a fan of Quiet Riot for years but this solo disc by Dubrow still knocked me on my a$$ when I heard how damn great it is! This CD rocks!!Great material and great perfomances makes this one hell of a blast that definitely deserves the highest of ratings!

I had high expectation for this album, i guess my expectation was far higher than the actual album.
I was expecting a metal explosion of the mind to what I received about buying Josh Todd's You Made Me.
If your expecting a heavy sounding Quiet Riot you will be disappointed.
More listening has helped ease the ears to this album, a few good songs towards the end.
A average album from a metal legend.

Still bummed that QR broke up after Guilty Pleasures which in my op was never given the credit it deserved. In for the Kill kind of took me by suprise. Its hard to listen to GnR then KD and then write a review. Excellent Cd no doubt little slow here and there but I'm a huge Axl fan so i hate comparing. Any true QR fan will pick this Cd up. Looking forward to another KD cd already maybe a QR comeback?

Had I the chioce between gargling with sulfuric acid and listening not to QR but to a solo album by Kevin DuBrow, that would be a tuff choice. It isn't that Kevin's voice reminds me of that little drilling sound the dentist makes when he's boring into you jaw, it is merely the fact of his mediocrity shining through. He is a tool and has always been a tool. (This is not a good thing . . . in case anyone was confused.) Take away the hair implants/extensions, the tanning salon bronze, and the tattooed granduer and you have Kevin DuBrow, Metal's Biggest Dork Lead Singer of All Time. Aside from Graham Bonnet, the dude from Autograph, and probably Noddy Holder of Slade, I can't think of anyone who deserves the title more than the loud-mouth of post Randy Rhoads Metal. Toolism in motion. Kevin lacked integrity in 1978 with Randy in QR and he certainly hasn't gained any respect from me in the intervening years. [...] Peace!





Post-script: All these years later, and with the death of kevin Dubrow, this review sounds incredibly spiteful and mean. But I want to clarify, just in case anyone ever reads this review again, that I would not change a word of it simply because Kevin killed himself with cocaine. I wasn't speaking ill of the dead, since the review was written before he killed his dumb ass, but when he was still alive and mediocre. I have never had any respect for DuBrow as a singer or an artist. There are some Quiet Riot songs I still enjoy from time to time, but I alway found myself realizing that they were exactly what went wrong with the metal scene back in '83. Talentless people, pushed by producers and record companies, into the spotlight. Substance no longer mattered, just PR and exposure. We were forced to listen to crap, to Slade songs retooled? Yikes! R.I.P. Kevin.