Quiet Riot taps Long Island's John Torra, 23, as new lead singer after open audition

A Long Island musician has landed his dream gig after being chosen as the new frontman of Quiet Riot. 

The trailblazing heavy metal band put out an open call to anyone who could belt out their famous hits. 

A 1980s anthem helped propel Quiet Riot into heavy metal history. It was years before the new lead singer, 23-year-old John Torra, was born. 

His rendition of the hit blew the band away. Quiet Riot launched an open audition for a new lead singer after their most recent one stepped down. Their original lead singer, Kevin DuBrow, died in 2007.

"I didn't believe this was real. I thought, is this AI ... some sort of studio trickery," said Quiet Riot manager Regina Banali. "We were like, this can't be real, this is too spot on." 

It was Torra's authentic voice. The Massapequa resident applied for the gig, along with 700 others.

"I was bombarded with comments, tweets, posts," Banali said. "The public spoke. The public rallied for him."

Regina Banali, widow of longtime drummer Frankie Banali, flew Torra out to Los Angeles, where he proved the viral videos were no fluke. 

"After the third song, the band members were nodding and smiling and looking at me like we've got a ringer here," Banali said. "I know that Frankie would have chosen him, and I think Frankie sent him to me." 

"When I was a kid, heavy metal wasn't a thing anymore. I was 20 years late to the party," Torra said. 

Now Torra says he has been preparing for the dream job since he was a child. 

"'Metal Health', that album was just on repeat. I would live and breathe that album. It changed my life. And when I see the studded belts, the mask, I was like ... this is incredible," Torra said. 

Torra got an L.A. makeover, and his look is now perfected. He's the youngest member of the band by a quarter century.

"I'm a little baby still," he said.

Torra hopes to bring Quiet Riot's music to a younger generation.

"They say, hey, welcome to the Quiet Riot family ... I tried my best not to cry," Torra said. "It's an honor to front such a legendary band."

Torra starts touring with Quiet Riot next month, and there's one gig he's especially hoping to add to the tour - a homecoming on Long Island.