Down to the Bone is only for the dedicated Quiet Riot fans who weren't already turned off by their past few releases." The Deseret News called the album a "clunker" in the headline "3 albums show potential; 4th is a clunker". The reviewer Scott Iwasaki says "Guitarist Carlos Cavazo can do much better than the old Slade rehashes "Cum on Feel the Noize" and "Mama We're All Crazee Now." Both of which were virtual note for note duplicates of the originals without any real creative hooks. "Down to the Bone" is better than that – but that's not really saying much. Eddie Van Halen's pioneering pull-off licks (other bands use them so much they've become "rip-off" licks) are redundantly redone on this album. No excitement here – and that's a shame. The album's major problem is the timing. When other metal bands were picking out the neo-country rock blues, Quiet Riot held back. Now the album's title cut tries to tap into that tired sound. Then, trying to capitalize on the melodic metal of earlier hits, Quiet Riot rips itself off with "Twisted" and "Hell or High Water." Avoid this one."