Queensryche - The Warning

"Smart metal."

Okay, so The Warning is easy to overlook when you compare it to Queensryche's next few releases. But it is still a great album that does not deserve to be completely overshadowed by subsequent releases. There's no denying that there's some great material here. It is the band's first full album (their first release being an EP), and for the most part it retains the feel of their first album, i.e. heavy metal with a soaring vocalist. The difference is there are a few progressive elements tossed in here and there. Not enough to call Queensryche a straight-up prog metal band, but enough to make it more interesting than the music of the EP and a lot of other ho-hum metal that was around at the time.

In a lot of ways, The Warning is not too different from all the other above-average heavy metal that came out in the 80s (barring those proggy touches). But there were differences. Most notably was the Geoff Tate, the band's incredible vocalist, the uncontested god of the metal tenor! His unmatched mastery of high ranges was absolutely amazing, and even more so because it comes across with such striking effortlessness that I'm still impressed every time I give this disc a spin. Tate's voice isn't quite as dynamic as on the band's later releases (I'd say his vocal delivery peaked with Mindcrime and Empire), but at this point he suited the straightforward metal exceedingly well. Tate is one of the crucial elements of Queensryche's incredible powerful delivery. His soaring but not overwrought vocals lend considerable intensity and empathy to the music. Of course, there are also the aforementioned pinches of progressive music, like interesting melody changes, segmented songs, and the like.

The music is good, with weaving guitar interplay and acute melodic solos. The band didn't have the atmosphere nor the 'darker' feel of later albums, but that didn't stop them from writing good music. The epic opus "Roads to Madness" is a monster of a song, and it remains one of the best in their catalogue, with its insightful lyrics, ambient guitar work, an engaging melody/tempo shift near the end, and dynamic orchestration courtesy prolific composer Michael Kamen. "Take Hold of the Flame" is an incredible song of inspiration. It is also one of Tate's best songs from a vocal perspective (that chorus!). Just listening makes you want to raise your fist to the air. There's plenty of other good material, like "No Santuary", "N M 156", and the title track, but on the whole the music isn't a consistently excellent as their superior releases, and this is what keeps it from getting five stars. None of the songs are bad, mind you, but the overall level of quality just isn't up there with the best the band offers, if you know what I mean. Nonetheless, its highlights make it essential.