Queensryche humor.

See here for hilarious ridicule of Geoff Tate's current "i m so aewsmoe and sexxy" attitude and his contamination of the hardcore Queensryche attitude!

MUSIC REVIEW: Queensryche - Empire

"Empire is commercial, and darn good too."

Many of the Queensryche fans who loved the band for their heavy metal days despise this album, but that doesn't change the fact that one of the most listenable rock albums of the 90s. Yes, Queensryche went commercial, but they maintained their high standard of excellence that made them so distinguished when they were a brash heavy metal band. Other metal bands went commercial, and they turned into crap. Queensryche remained excellent... at least at first. Geoff Tate sings in lower ranges this time around (making the band's music more accessible to those outside of the heavy metal crowd), and his emotional clarity and skill that made him one of the best metal singers carries over and makes him one of the best rock vocalists. The band shows tremendous versatility in crossing over to the mainstream. Chris DeGarmo, the group's principal writer, has a keen sense of balancing commercial appeal with quality. It really shows here.

"Anybody Listening?" is my favorite song here. Slow and heavy, it is an introspective examination of the loneliness and sadness that accompanies life in the spotlight. It ranks "up there" with my other favorite 'Ryche songs, "Roads to Madness" and "Eyes of a Stranger." "Silent Lucidity" (about dream control, of all things) is the group's best-known song, and it resonates emotion with simple yet exquisite musicianship, validating the fact that a band smacked into the "heavy metal" genre can still write beautiful music. In fact, all the songs here evince astute emotional expression. Although I've never liked "One and Only" due to cheese-factor, the rest of this album is truly some of the best hard rock you'll ever hear.

GUEST MUSIC REVIEW: Queensryche albums, post-Promised Land

Submitted by: ASTRO CHIMP


Astro Chimp, one of Lord Chimp's allies in the fight for justice, has provided Lord Chimp's Revenge with a comprehensive overview of all Queensryche's albums since Promised Land, which we regard as their last really great album. So is everything since then as bad as some people say? The answer is: probably not! Read on to find out more.

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I little while back I kinda ripped on Queensrcyhe, and I think I want to moderate that opinion a bit. Now, Queensrcyhe was clearly at their best up to Promised Land. But I think that if one gets over expecting them to be a progressive metal band (which they only really were on a couple of albums anyway), and just take them as being a hard rock/metal band that will always keep you on your toes, then there's been some good stuff since. I'm going to take the time to go through their albums since Promised Land, since many people have not given them much attention due to a more-or-less knee-jerk reaction.

Hear in the Now Frontier




Ok, this one is not that great, There's a couple of songs on it that are nice ("Sign of the Times", "Some People Fly"), but mostly it's blah. And not because it's not metal (remember, I'm disposing of the metal requirement here), but just because it's not very inspired. Maybe there's a few other decent songs in there, but I can never get through it from start to finish (although I do like those songs I mentioned).

Q2K




Well, I know this one gets a bad rap as being "Q2Gay", but I actually dig a fair amount of it. There are some blah songs, and some bad lyrics (typically the ones where Geoff lusts after his wife, which reappears in uncomfortable fashion at times on Dedicated to Chaos), but songs like "Liquid Sky" and "Falling Down" are decent rockers, When the Rain Comes is quite wicked, and "Right Side of My Mind" is a bonafide QR classic. Maybe it's the rock fan in me, but Q2Gay is not all that gay. I do listen all the way through from time to time and enjoy myself.


Tribe




I actually dug this one a lot when it first came out, although now I find it a bit depressing. It has DeGarmo back on it (although he didn't rejoin as a member), and it has some cool songs...but like I said, it's got an overall dark vibe and production that rather than setting a mood gets rather depressing at times. Still, not bad. Not great, but not terrible.


Mindcrime II




This one is actually quite wicked. It has the exact same sound as the first one (they went to great lengths to get the same equipment and relearn tunings, etc...and they did a good job). The one thing that is not so good, especially considering how the original built and built and built to an amazing end...is that there is a substantial section after the middle part, or a few songs, that is just kinda blah...not much happens musically, and I'm not sure what is going on story wise. The disc ends decently, but its the first half that really kicks ass. "I'm American", "Hostage", "One Foot in Hell", "Signs Say Go"...all kickass straight up metal tunes that fit well in a MC sequel. It would be an decent album for old school QR, but it's pretty wicked for new QR. Worth a listen, and goes good back to back with the original. Cannot come close to that original Perfect Masterpiece, though.


American Soldier




Ok, this one is actually wicked. Not like their old stuff (not much in the way of solos and stuff), but it is just wicked. Concept story about the affect of war on people from the view of actual military members and their families (interspersed with actual interviews that the band made), the album claims no bias whatsoever and just lets the people tell their story. Really awesome stuff that totally maintains the spirit of QR from the day, if not the sound. I think this on is really really good, even though it took me years to get around to picking it up.


Dedicated to Chaos






A strange one. The band is afflicted by some wish to be popular again, and is falling into the trap of saying 'people just listen to their iPods on shuffle, so there's no need to make a structured album' and 'groups like Lady Gaga are huge these days, which rely on rhythm rather than guitar riffs and solos, etc...', so that's the approach that we need to try (these are paraphrases, but are admissions that the band made on numerous occasions). There are actually some good songs on it. Get Started is a decent rocker to open up, even if the lyrics are a bit lame, Around the World is actually a sweet ballad that reflects the Beatles calls of "All you need is love" that is actually quite moving, and album closers "The Lie" and "Big Noize" have that QR spirit. And the album sounds great (really nice production). But most of he rest of the songs are kinda blah (I don't claim to know the middle songs very well yet), and some of the songs go back into the Geoff-trap of drooling over his wife...which is just awkward. Nothing wrong with being turned on by your wife...but man, keep it out of the lyrics, dude. Yeesh. I break this disc out every now and then, but its a case of tune in to the good stuff, tune out during most of it.

They're already working on their new one (prolific!), so hopefully Wilton has his way and they put guitar melodies and riffs back in...it doesn't have to be metal, just more inspired and less lame lyrics! There's so much fucked in the world now, socially and politically, that this should be QRs time to shine!!!

So yeah, as a rock fan I don't mind Q2K, MC2 is pretty wicked for about half of it, and I actually dig American Soldier a lot. Maybe also because I come from a family with lots of military service, my wife is in the military, I have a strong interest in military history, and have long considered joining (I know, that clashes hard with libertarian views...what can I say), but I don't think so...it's just a really cool album.

Anyway, thanks for reading my thoughts! Love QR.

MUSIC REVIEW: Queensryche - Promised Land

"The last great Queensryche album."

Queensryche has evolved considerably over the past 20 years of their prolific careers. They've gone from fiery heavy metal in the days of their EP to the lush rock-opera of Operation: Mindcrime, to the sublime perfection of the commercially successful Empire, to their current status as a more-or-less generic rock band. In the middle of these last two phases comes Promised Land. Compared to the remarkable accessibility of Empire, Promised Land is a little more unusual, and difficult to appreciate. Living up to the amazing success and quality of Empire is nearly impossible, and I do not envy Promised Land for what it tried to do.

The problem lies in the fact that Promised Land's excellent songs are not as densely packed as those on Empire. Most of the songs are good, but not all the songs are excellent. There are moments of mediocrity that drag the album down from levels of excellence. The superlative production alleviates some of the boredom associated with the passable tracks, as do the thick wall-of-sound arrangements. However, interspersed amongst the middling pieces are some of the best tracks they've ever recorded, including some of the finest lyrics. The acoustic balladry of "Bridge" made for a lucrative single that deserved all its enjoined success. The sad, thoughtful "Out of Mind," the ominous "Lady Jane," and the hard rock trappings of "Disconnected" are all great. The true standouts are the stormy title track, with those monstrous arrangements and the harrowing tone, and the moving closer, "Someone Else?" The latter is the most un-Ryche song they've ever done, consisting only of piano and Geoff Tate's emotive vocals. The memorable piano lines, thoughtful lyrics and Tate's passion are what makes this one special. Tate even strains on a note...guess he's human after all! Without the songcraft to elevate it to pure greatness, the production helps.

A good Queensryche. Mostly great, even. Still, it can't touch the monolithic status of Mindcrime and Empire. In terms of songcraft, those albums are the band's best. But this is still awesome enough for you to care, and wish the band was still churning out this level of quality in its newer material.

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.

Queensryche - Queensryche [ep]

"Essential for a 'Ryche fan."

If you're not terribly excited by Queensryche, this isn't for you. It's just not awesome enough to win any converts, I think. But for fans it is a must-have. With their EP, Queensryche was initially placed amongst the legions of heavy metal bands thought they would later break the shackles of convention with more challenging releases. Although the EP is mostly straightforward metal, it's solid stuff. Geoff Tate's vocals are totally overwrought but he's one hell of a singer. His command of high octaves is unmatched, and his pronunciation is impeccable despite the pitch. The music is pretty standard fare, but the energy with which it is delivered is purely frenetic.

It's poorly produced, it only has five songs, and it's fairly standard as far as metal goes. So why would you -- as a fan -- want this? Three reasons:

- "Queen of the Reich" is sort of like the band's anthem. The lyrics are amusingly cheesy (think Iron Maiden), but the song is an awesome rocker with an unforgettable main riff and a brilliant performance from Tate.

- "The Lady Wore Black" is a great 'power ballad' rocker, affixed with lyrics that tell an interesting story with evocative music.

- "Prophecy" is a song taken from the sessions while recording Rage For Order. I don't know why it wasn't put on that album, but regardless...it's available here. Without this song (which is rather good, by the way) Rage For Order doesn't seem complete.

(The other songs are ok, but you could live without them.)

Like I said...fans - get it.

Queensryche - Rage for Order

"Cyberpunk Metal - One of the 'Ryche's best."

Before Rage For Order, there was little that markedly separated Queensryche from its peers. Their self-titled LP and The Warning were mostly pretty straightforward metal releases. Good metal, of course, but metal one way or another. Sure, they were great musicians, great songwriters, and frontman Geoff Tate was one of the best male vocalists around, but still, in a lot of ways, they were just another metal band. But that changed with Rage For Order. Suddenly, the progressive touches of The Warning became more prominent, and the band's budding maturity was right on course. Queensryche was one of the pioneers of progmetal (though they were never progmetal themselves) and this shows it more than before. It also shows that being progressive is about exploring new ideas and sounds, not necessarily rockin' the odd-time signatures and whatnot.

In a way, the album is cyber-punk-metal stuff, with the evident themes in the lyrics, but in spite of the inherent cliche it never becomes lame. The music is kind of futuristic sounding, and maybe they were watching Blade Runner or something while writing some of these songs. Some 80's cheese rears its head from time to time, but it's not overbearing enough that it becomes deleterious to the music. Rage For Order was obviously looked at from an album perspective as opposed to a "song" standpoint, and this gave the band room to experiment with different sounds, from the darkly beautiful "I Will Remember" to the heavy, hard-edged anthem "Chemical Youth".

Here, Geoff Tate's vocals have expanded beyond the Dickinson-esque wail to better utilize his tremendous range. He hadn't quite reached the same level of dynamics attained in Operation Mindcrime or Empire but it was enough to put him head and shoulders above his peers. The DeGarmo-Wilton guitar duo is genuinely impressive. Their brilliant, weaving interplay made them one of the best duos in heavy metal, and their solos were more than just stylistic requisites...they actually served as heights of intensity for the songs.

The production is super-dated (the engineer was some kind of crank I bet) but solid musicianship and writing alleviate any sense of thinking the album is all that dated. It remains one of Queensryche's best albums.

Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime

"A marvel of heavy metal and storytelling."

Despite being an inconspicuous pioneer of the progressive metal genre, Queensryche delivers a clear-cut, albeit highly sophisticated, heavy metal with commercial appeal with Operation: Mindcrime, arguably their finest album to date. Taking their lyrical ambition several steps beyond previous works, Operation: Mindcrime is a concept album telling the story of a cynical, idealistic man named Nikki who joins a zealous left-wing organization set on assassinating political and religious deadbeats. Tragic romance, drug addiction, betrayal, and insanity are all elements of this great story. Anchored to some of the 'Ryche's best songwriting, music and story amalgamate into a truly memorable album.

Perhaps the reason O:M is such an excellent piece of work is its emotional redolence. We shouldn't feel sorry for Nikki in his situation (he's not really a nice guy, after all), but we do because of the story's closed system. Since all the characters are scumbags (especially the lowlife hypocrite of a priest), Nikki wins our sympathy just because he's trapped in a nightmare from which he cannot escape, and he's among the least vile of the characters. It also helps that vocalist Geoff Tate sings with a passion heightened by his inhuman vocal ability. His mastery of upper ranges is matched by few, if any, and he delivers the narrative lyrics with conviction and intensity. Definitely one of the greatest vocal performances ever put to a metal record.

The story's conveyances score high marks for great metal songwriting. Songs are concise, aggressive, and every one is worthwhile. The band scored some lucrative singles with "I Don't Believe In Love," lyrically cheerless but musically exhilarating, and the stunning "Eyes of a Stranger," the captivating rocker that serves as the story's terrific coda, as well as carrying overtones for a broader thematic matter. More ambitious songs also make an impression, especially with Michael Kamen's fabulous orchestrations. The timorous overture to "Suite Sister Mary" leads into a lush 10-minute track combining chanting choirs, intense guitar lines, and brilliant character interaction between Nikki (Tate) and Mary (Pamela Moore), sung of course. The only thing that would have made this song tastier is some harmonization between Tate and Moore, which would have sounded great, but let's not get picky. "The Mission" is one of the most underrated songs the band ever wrote, yet concurrently one of the best, with powerful lyrics, arrangements, and emotionally striking solos.

After this, Queensryche released Empire and Promised Land, an outstanding commercial hard rock album. The work that followed these was notably weaker, and it's doubtful that the band will ever again hit the peak of songwriting found here and on their next release. Mindcrime are both worthy additions to your collection if you want some of the best metal and hard rock out there.