METAL SLUDGE / August 27th 2026 – Quiet Riot have posted an announcement today that says they have officially welcomed their new lead vocalist which according to the calendar, took just under 6 weeks to fill that void.
It appears the band’s search is over and the new frontman’s identity will be revealed very soon… with his official live debut coming in October.
The official statement from Quiet Riot is shared below.
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“We’re excited to announce that we have officially welcomed our new vocalist into the band!
He will make his live debut with us this October, and we’ll be revealing his identity very soon.
In the meantime, we’d like to give a huge thank you to our longtime friend Jason McMaster, who will be stepping in on vocals for two upcoming shows:
August 29 – Tower, MN
September 5 – Uncasville, CT
We’re incredibly grateful to Jason for jumping in and helping us keep these shows on the books for our fans.
The next chapter has officially begun. Stay tuned. The big announcement is coming soon.”
Quiet Riot
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First thing of note, they wrote ‘he’ and ‘his’ in their press release, so anyone thinking a female was going to get the gig… well, that pipe-dream is not happening.
No dis to the girls but Tracii Guns and his – at the time – version of L.A. Guns tried that back in 2011 with Dilana Robichaux of Rock Star: Supernova and it lasted all of 71 days.
Here are a few related fun facts…
Does anyone remember who Dilana replaced in L.A. Guns that September… none other than, Jizzy Pearl… who interestingly enough also did 2 stints in L.A. Guns, similarly to the way he has now done 2 stints in Quiet Riot.
When that Tracii and Dilana partnership quickly went sideways in the middle of one of the band’s U.S. tours, Guns enlisted Blacklist Union frontman Tony West who flew out to save the day.
In addition, while Skid Row did perform live with Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale for a total of 4 shows over a 2-week period in the late spring of 2024, it was pretty clear the band were never going that route as a full-time option… even though reviews and social media buzz pretty much all agreed Hale absolutely killed it live.
Now, back to the Riot on the West Coast which isn’t so Quiet as of today…
As most readers know, Quiet Riot were recently faced with replacing their frontman yet again, when Jizzy Pearl announced last month that he was leaving the band to pursue other projects.
Pearl fronted the Los Angeles based Quiet Riot the first time between 2013–2016 before leaving, only to return in 2019 to present day, and both times Pearl opted to leave.
Pearl took to his official Facebook on July 14th writing: “Hey Everyone—I have decided to leave Quiet Riot. I will continue to fulfill all scheduled dates within my contractual obligations. As the old cliche` says “I am moving on to new creative pursuits and projects.” Things happen when they’re supposed to happen. I wish the QR guys all the best—That’s it! Thanks!”
Quiet Riot quickly released their own statement a few hours after Pearl‘s writing: “Official Announcement
For immediate release: Quiet Riot is currently accepting submissions for a new vocalist within North America for 2027 and beyond. The shows on the calendar this year will go on as scheduled.
Please send materials and contact information to management at Wonder Dog LLC info @ quietriot (.) band
Please do not send messages on this page or social media.
We all wish to thanks Jizzy Pearl for his years of dedication, talent and professionalism and wish him well on all his future endeavors.
Thank you
Quiet Riot management”
The latest statement from Quiet Riot also notes that Dangerous Toys frontman Jason McMaster will sing 2 shows while Pearl is in the U.K. touring with Love/Hate, but Pearl will return to close out September before the band moves onto the new frontman.
McMaster has been a savior more than once in recent years, including stepping in to help Armored Saint and Accept, in addition to fronting Dirty Looks as well.
McMaster is an Austin area music legend who has a pretty full plate with multiple projects but he seems to find time to help when he’s called upon.
According to the Quiet Riot website, the band have the following shows on the calendar for the coming months.
Sat. Aug. 29th 2026 @ “Fortune Bay Resort & Casino” Tower, MN *w/ Jason McMaster
Sat. Sept. 5th 2026 @ “Mohegan Sun Casino” Uncassville, CN *w/ Jason McMaster
Fri. Sept. 11th @ “Elko Convention Center” Elko, NV *w/ Jizzy Pearl
Fri. Sept. 18th @ “TBA” *w/ Jizzy Pearl
Sat. Oct. 3rd @ “Family Arena” St. Charles, MO *w/ Sebastian Bach (ex-Skid Row), Great White & Quiet Riot Featuring: Mystery Singer
Fri. Oct. 16th @ “Whisky-A-Go-Go” Hollywood, CA * w/ Mystery Singer
Sat. Oct. 17th @ “The Grove of Anaheim” Anaheim, CA *w/ Slaughter, Quiet Riot Featuring: Mystery Singer & Paradise Kitty (All Female Guns N’ Roses Tribute)
When Quiet Riot announced they were searching for a new singer there was an immediate reaction across social media with all kinds of arm-chair quarterbacks giving their opinions as to who would work, who would not and the expected haters telling the band to pack it in.
Several known singer’s names started to circulate regularly with rumors pointing towards the following as viable options; Andrew Freeman (Last In Line – Dio Tribute, Great White, Lynch Mob), Ari Kamin (Adler’s Appetite) and Roy Cathey (Cold Sweat, The Fifth).
Fans also chimed in with additional choices including; Sebastian Bach (Skid Row, Twister Sister), John Corabi (Motley Crue, The Scream, Union), Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys, Dirty Looks) and Paul Shortino who previously fronted Quiet Riot back in the late 80’s.
Then there were the countless online video submissions from unknown singers from around the globe.
The Quiet Riot ‘vocalist wanted’ news seemed to mirror much of what we witnessed when Skid Row launched their singer search with Sweetwater back in early February.
But out of all the online hopefuls, New York native John Torra of the band Fire ‘N Ice stood out heads and tails above the rest and the reaction to his clips was overwhelmingly positive.
Torra, 23, uploaded and shared his vocal versions of Quiet Riot classics; “Metal Health (Bang Your Head)”, “Cum on Feel the Noize” and “Run for Cover” all of which went viral on social media.
Torra’s clips combined for millions of views, impressions, shares and comments across the internet creating a buzz like no other we’ve seen for a new member search in recent memory.
The online critics debated heavily over what was good or bad about each of the prospective choices, and age was one defining factor that was often talked about.
Torra is a baby-faced 20-something while the entire Quiet Riot group are all grown men.
Quiet Riot features guitarist Alex Grossi who turns 50 later this year, drummer Johnny Kelly who clocks in at 58 and of course the band’s official God-Father Rudy Sarzo who is forever young at 75.
John Torra of Fire ‘N Ice is from North Massapequa (Long Island) New York
Is a 23-year-old going to work in a group of guys who are all essentially over the hill?
Well, let’s look around and see.
In recent years several bands from the era have been faced with similar decisions and most of the classic 80’s groups have opted to bring in a much younger singer to front their band.
Who and why?
Perhaps it’s a combination of things… and we’ll break it down for you.
Touring and traveling regularly, in addition to committing to a relentless schedule is challenging for sure, especially when entertainers have a spouse, perhaps a family with kids or even grandkids.
Let’s not forget, some guys in these bands have other jobs (sources of income), and some even play in other projects as well… in short, they have responsibility that sometimes takes away from their ability to be available every weekend or all year round.
Not to mention, the stress of needing to keep up with a mortgage, insurance and all of the daily challenges that face someone in their mid to later years that often a much younger guy is usually not as tied down with.
Facts are facts, and no matter how you slice it, a 20-30 year old, lives a less stressful life than say someone in their 40’s, 50’s or 60’s.
With a young buck… the world is their play-ground and often the younger guys are more apt to throw caution to the wind and say; “Bring it on… my bags are packed, when do we leave?”
You can also mold and / or try to have the younger players conform and fall in-line, which is likely to be a little bit easier with the 20 and 30 year olds than the 50 or 60-something who is long set in their ways, and grumpy at the drop of a hat.
Some more facts for you all to digest…
In late 2022 Great White hired a 25-year-old Brett Carlisle to team up with guitarist and co-founder Mark Kendall… Kendall will turn 70 on his next birthday with Audie DesBrow and Michael Lardie not far behind him.
Kendall and Lardie even backed Carlisle when he appeared on American Idol in early 2026.
In 2024 FireHouse grabbed 23-year-old Nate Peck to team up with co-founders Bill Leverty and Michael Foster, who at the time were 57 and 59 years old respectively.
Also, when Skid Row brought on Erik Gronwall in early 2022, the Swedish singer was 34 while Dave Sabo, Scotti Hill and Rachel Bolan were all closing in on turning 60.
These above bands are just a few examples of a classic, or legacy band bringing in younger players, and this is nothing new as it’s been happening for years.
In 1988 Ronnie James Dio was in his mid-40’s and hired a then 17-year-old Rowan Robertson to be his lead guitarist. Similarly, Jani Lane of Warrant was 42 years old when he hired 16-year-old Dario Lorina to be his touring guitar player in 2006 and of course we can’t forget when Van Halen brought in a 16-year-old Wolfie to hold down the low end for Dad while on tour.
Like that old saying goes, ‘age is just a number’.
Now it seems that the band have made their choice and fans are anxiously waiting to see who will take Kevin DuBrow’s place going into the next phase.
Will it be an aging rocker who has seen stages and dingy dressing rooms for the last 3 or 4 decades, or will the band bring in fresh blood that can help take them into the future?
Metal Sludge wish Quiet Riot and their new singer nothing but success going forward.
Stay tuned to Metal Sludge for more Breaking News, Updates and Features along with both New Interviews and Classic 20 Questions.
