Frankie Banali Will Be Heard on New Quiet Riot Album
Late Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali will be heard on the band’s upcoming album.
Singer Jizzy Pearl confirmed that perviously unused material had been revisited to recover drum tracks, while other elements had been changed. The current lineup – which continues with Banali’s blessing – includes bassist Rudy Sarzo, guitarist Alex Grossi and drummer Johnny Kelly.
“It’s been revamped,” Pearl told the Classic Metal Show in a recent interview. “Basically, Frankie’s drum tracks have been – you know that game, Operation, where you take the tweezers? We pulled his drum tracks and have written all new music for that.” Without discussing a release date he confirmed: “There’s new music. Hopefully people will dig it. We’ll see.”
Banali’s death in August 2020 came after a 10-year battle with cancer, which he only revealed in its closing months. “It was tough for everybody,” Sarzo said afterwards, reporting that he’d been there when his friend’s life support had been switched off. “But what a warrior. What a fighter. But then again, Frankie’s always been like that through everything — whether it’s in a band, his music. He was never lax about life. He had a huge passion for life.”
Sarzo later announced he’d rejoined Quiet Riot after 18 years away, saying it came after discussions with Banali’s wife. “She expressed to me that Frankie wanted me to come back to the band, that he wanted to have a founding member there in the band,” the bassist recalled. “It was a decision that I had to take a lot of time to think about… [then] the time came when I was ready to accept the reality, that it’s our responsibility, of us left behind, to carry on with the legacy and celebrate it. So that's when I decided. I said, ‘Okay, it’s time for me to come home.’”