Quiet Riot are planning to release a new record, Road Rage, on April 21. However, when they return to the road in March, they will have a new lead singer. There are reports out of Germany that Seann Nicols has been replaced by James Durbin, who had been a fourth-place finisher on the 10th season of American Idol.

The story appeared in the German publication Rocks, where Google's translation quotes drummer Frankie Banali stayed as saying, "Seann has done a great job on the record, but a band is not just talented - you have to get together. We had to make the best decision for Quiet Riot. If there are problems so early in the cooperation, it's better to pull the emergency brake."

Banali added that he had wanted to hire Durbin, who made headlines back in 2011 when he sang "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking the Law" with Judas Priest on American Idol, but was unable to get him at the time. "When I wrote the material for Road Rage with my songwriting partner Neil Citron," Banali continued, "James was my favorite. Because he had other commitments, I had to look for a replacement, and Seann Nichols was the third on my candidate list. Of course, I would prefer James to be heard on Road Rage - but you can only work with the people who are currently available."

And while this means that Quiet Riot's tour will go on, it also means that the band had to cancel plans to make videos for their new songs. "The dilemma is that I should ask James to move his lips to the song of another. I do not want to put him in an unpleasant situation, which could give the fans a wrong impression. But I've already started writing new songs for an album with James, which will be released next year."

Nichols had only been with Quiet Riot since this past October. While calling himself "Sheldon Tarsha," he fronted Steven Adler's former band, Adler's Appetite, from 2005-06, and again in 2009. Durbin is the fourth singer the band has had since they rebooted in 2010 following the 2007 death of Kevin DuBrow.

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