Singer and founding member Kevin DuBrow had been fired before the recording sessions began, and replaced by Rough Cutt vocalist Paul Shortino.

Upon its release, Gary Blockus of The Morning Call wrote: "Now that Dubrow is gone, Quiet Riot is finally able to showcase its true talent.

"[9] John C. Evosevic of The Pittsburgh Press wrote: "Shortino possesses an expressive, controlled baritone akin to Whitesnake's David Coverdale, but more raspy.

"[10] Janiss Garza of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "This smoky, moody LP bears little relation to the bold, brash feel imparted by ex-frontman Kevin DuBrow.

"[8] In a retrospective review, Barry Weber of AllMusic commented: "Shortino sounds competent, but overall he lacks the general charisma of Dubrow.

The performances on QR make the album horribly faceless; the record shows a once-popular rock group trying to retain their glory days with a handful of disgustingly generic material.