Queensrÿche United States
"Queensrÿche were once one of the world's premier progressive metal bands, releasing sophisticated yet accessible classics like "Operation: Mindcrime", "Empire" and "The Promised Land" among others, but after "Hear in the Now Frontier", which took a more grunge-oriented turn things went downhill with only a couple of interesting releases amidst a mass of, compared to the classics, boring albums. As we all know, the post-"Frontiers" era has been turbulent and ended with Queensrÿche being slit into two: one consisting of the founding members plus Todd LaTorre and Parker Lundgren, and one with Geoff Tate and essentially a bunch of hired hands.
With both versions of Queensrÿche aiming to release an album in 2013, there was a bit of a race going on to release first, I think - a race which Tate won with the release of "Frequency Unknown" way before the other Queensrÿche released their album. But is the release of "Frequency Unknown" really a victory? Is it enough to just release an album before the other Queensrÿche?
Well, no. The album will of course also have to be musically interesting? And, to be frank, "Frequency Unknown" does not strike me as interesting. It features music which is more in the vein of post-"Frontier" Queensrÿche - that is, more alternative metal with grunge and groove elements, and very few, if any, progressive elements. There are some heavy moments to be sure as in 'Slave', 'Running Backwards' and 'Dare'. While there are some good moments on the album, such as many of the guitar solos provided by guest musicians like Lita Ford, K.K. Downing and Chris Poland, "Frequency Unknown" simply is not interesting musically. I am biased, I know, but the Queensrÿche that appeals to me is the Queensrÿche that made albums like "The Warning", "Rage for Order", "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Empire". And "Frequency Unknown" is nowhere near the level of brilliance that characterize those albums. So "Frequency Unknown" barely qualifies as a Queensrÿche album to me.
"Frequency Unknown" has been criticized for being badly produced, and I have to join the ranks of the critics here. It sounds tinny and imbalanced - like the production was really rushed, so the album could be released as quickly as possible. The guitars are fuzzy and the drums sound thin, as do Tate's vocals. Only the lead guitars sound pretty good. The tinny production detracts immensely from the listening experience, and it really shines through in the re-recordings of the classics 'I Don't Believe in Love', 'Empire', 'Jet City Woman', and 'Silent Lucidity'. The four tracks should probably never have been re-recorded as they reveal all the weaknesses of "Frequency Unknown".
An okay alternative metal album, to be sure, "Frequency Unknown" is, in my opinion, nonetheless not worthy of being marketed as a Queensrÿche album. It simply lacks all things that I consider Queensrÿche qualities. If the intention with this album was to beat the other Queensrÿche, then "Frequency Unknown" has also lost that race, because it has just made me look even more forward to the release of the other Queensrÿche's (or, dare I say, the real Queensrÿche's) album.
(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"
"I guess you all know the story now. There are two Queensrÿches out there now: one featuring Geoff Tate and a bunch of hired hands and one featuring original members Michael Wilton, Eddied Jackson and Scott Rockenfield plus Parker Lundgren and Todd La Torre. Tate's Queensrÿche recently released "Frequency Unknown", which - to put it mildly - was a quite underwhelming affair which seemed a mere extension of Queensrÿche's mostly uninteresting output since the release of "Hear in the Now Frontier".
So, what about the La Torre-fronted version of Queensrÿche and their album, which is merely entitled "Queensrÿche"? Is that another load of post-"Hear in the Now Frontier" grunge-tinged alternative commercial rock?
No!
"Queensrÿche" sounds like Queensrÿche. You know, the first time I listened to this album, I felt happy. I felt like I'd met an old friend. Really, the Queensrÿche that I know and love is what you hear on albums like "Rage for Order", "The Warning", "Empire", and, of course, "Operation: Mindcrime", and "Queensrÿche" is a continuation of that classic Queensrÿche-style. It is almost as if the last sixteen years have been released and "Queensrÿche" were the album released after "Promised Land". What I'm trying to say is that Queensrÿche are back 'en force' and they sound better than they have more than fifteen years.
The twin guitars of the early years are back, as are the heavy riffs and edgy guitars - just check out 'Spore', 'Redemption', 'Vindication' and 'Fallout'. Picking up where they left off on "Empire", the band successfully combine melodic hard rock with traditional heavy metal, wrapping it in a multi-layered texture of sophostication and mild progressivity. Wilton and Lundgren's twin guitar attack is back up by Jackson's rock solid bass, and Scott Rockenfield's drumming really sounds rejuvenated - it has that combination of straightforwardness and challenging quirkiness that characterized his work on "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Empire". La Torre's vocals are extremely versatile and suit the music on the album very well, and his impressive range (especially in terms of the higher notes) is indeed an important part of the sound of Queensrÿche reborn.
Here is another very sympathetic aspect of this album: it really seems like the album is a band effort. It features not only contributions by the the old timers Wilton, Rockenfield, and Jackson, but Lundgren has made contributions to 'Where Dreams Go To Die' (which is perhaps one of the most interesting tracks on the album - I definitely hope that he will be able to pen more music on future Queensrÿche albums in the future), and La Torre has contributed to the majority of songs on the album. I really like this for two reasons: firstly, it has resulted in some of the best music released under the Queensrÿche name for many, many years, and, secondly, it gives the impression that Queensrÿche is a proper band and not just a vehicle for a couple of member's egos.
The production is both compact and big at the same time, and it reminds me of the pre-"Promised Land" classics. The production is thus lean and streamlined and hugely professional. Again, it sounds like Queensrÿche. Some might say that it sounds a bit polished, but with music of this type, with this level of sophistication, a polished production is much preferable to a dirty and fuzzy one.
Needless to say, I think this is a helluva record. This is the sort of output I have hoped for from Queensrÿche for many years. "Mindcrime II" was not bad, "American Soldier" was okay, and "Dedicated to Chaos" was not really the catastrophe that many made it out to be, but those albums only sounded vaguely like Queensrÿche. "Queensrÿche" sounds massively like Queensrÿche. The best thing is that, while it has an undeniably retrospective quality to it, "Queensrÿche" also has a modern edge and an outlook to the future. In fact, it sounds darker than any of their classics (perhaps with the exception of "Promised Land" which also has a nice darkness to it), and that works really well.
An issue that I think must be addressed, given the entire Queensrÿche situation, is how "Queensrÿche" compares to "Frequency Unknown". To me, it is simple. "Frequency Unknown" sounds like a watered down version of Queensrÿche's post-"Hear in the Now Frontier", and that is not the Queensrÿche that I like. "Queensrÿche" sounds like the pre-"Hear in the Now Froentier" putput, which is the Queensrÿche that I prefer. Also, "Frequency Unknown" was marred by a miserable production and mediocre songwriting plus sub par performances and, worst of all, it was marked by having been made in a frantic rush to beat the La Torre-fronted version of Queensrÿche in releasing an album. "Queensrÿche", on the other hand, is characterized by a massive production and quality songwriting plus more than solid performances across the board, and it seems like more time and effort has been invested in making "Queensrÿche" the quality album it deserves to be.
For my money, the La Torre-Wilton-Lundgren-Jackson-Rockenfield constellation is the real Queensrÿche. The other act is just an alternative rock band fronted by Geoff Tate. I really hope that La Torre, Wilton, Lundgren, Jackson, and Rockenfield win the right to keep the Queensrÿche name because it is the music on "Queensrÿche" that I associated with that band name.
Queensrÿche's back, baby!
(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"
"This album has received a lot of really negative criticism from fans of the band, ranging from scathingly hateful reviews to reviews expressing disappointment and sadness that the once so mighty progressive metal band that was Queensrÿche has withered into a second-rate alternative rock band.
To be honest, I don't think that "Dedicated to Chaos" is that bad.
I mean, I certainly don't like it as much as I like "Operation: Mindcrime I & II", "The Warning", "The Promised Land" or even "American Soldier". There are non-metal alternative rock tracks on the album which lack the power and punch of the Queensrÿche albums of the golden age, such as 'Got it Bad', 'Around the World', and 'Big Noize', none of which I am a fan of which sound more like something U2 could have written (I have nothing agains U2 by the way). But I think that hardrocking tracks like 'Get Started', 'Hot Spot Junkie', 'Drive', 'At the Edge', 'I Take You', and 'Retail Therapy' are decent tracks which I do not mind listening to.
Now, the style is more in the vein of alternative rock and grunge rock than metal as such, and I do not consider this a progressive album at all. I prefer the Queensrÿche albums of the 80s and early 90s, but I actually enjoy "Dedicated to Chaos" more than "Hear in the Now Frontier".
For a progressive metal album, this is unimpressive. For a metal album, it is perhaps impotent. For a rock album, it is not bad.
(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"
"While a great rock band with a lot of great original releases (and some less impressive ones, to be sure), Queensrÿche do not give the impression of being a great cover band - at least not on this release.
Now, I like cover versions and reinterpretations, but most of the tracks on this album strike me as not doing justice to the originals, and most of them come across to my ears as being, well, kind of bland.
The version of Queen's 'Innuendo', pretty much reflects the entire album; it never reaches the level of brilliance of the original and nor does it come across as an interesting reinterpretation of the original. This applies to most of the tunes on the album, with Queensrÿche's version of 'Neon Knights' - which I think is pretty good - as the sole exception.
Not my favorite Queensrÿche album, and not an album I would recommend as an introduction to the band.
(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)"
"I think that this release has received more criticism than deserved. A lot of people dislike it simply because it is a sequel to a masterpiece. "Operation: Mindcrime II" may not be a masterpiece like "Operation: Mindcrime" (or "Empire" for that matter), but I think it is a pretty good album, and probably Queensrüche's best release of the 2000s.
"Operation: Mindcrime II" has a more modern sound than Queensrÿche's masterpieces of the 80s, but still recognizable as a Queensryche release. I mean it has all the drame and social commentary, and almost the same level of sophistication, as "Operation: Mindcrime", and a lot of the tracks are very solid rockers with Geoff Tate returning to form vocals-wise. There is also a guest appearance by Ronnie James Dio, who provides the voice of the villain Dr. X.
This is an underrated heavy metal album and, for my money, a more that worthy sequel to "Operation: Mindcrime".
(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)"
"After the brilliant hardrockers "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Empire" and the different, but almost as brilliant "The Promised Land", Queensrÿche decide to change their style again on "Hear in the Now Frontier", and - well, this album just does not work at all for me.
This is Queensrÿche attempting to play 90s alt rock, something which a lot of other bands did much better back then. Well nigh the most boring Queensrÿche album I have ever heard, and I found it kind of sad that a band like Queensrÿche actually tried to follow the mainstream at the time.
But nice try, of course, and there are a couple of decent songs on this album, nonetheless, like 'The Sign of the Times', 'Hit the Black' and 'sp00l'.
(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)"
"The follow-up to "Operation: Mindcrime", "Empire" does not falter in the shade of its predecessor, as it teems with catchy and intelligent hard rock tunes.
This is probably my favorite Queensrÿche album, because it is sophisticated and thought-provoking while at the same time very catchy and accessible. While, Queensrÿche tend to constantly redefine themselves, "Empire" pretty much picks up stylistically where "Operation: Mindcrime" left off. There are plenty of captivating uplifting hardrock and metal riffs on this release, and, like on "Operation: Mindcrime", Geoff Tate makes effective use of his impressive vocal register (just check out 'The Thin Line'). The rhythm section is rock solid, and Scott Rockenfield shows that you do not have to be hyper technical to make things work in progressive metal - he does a superb job on this release.
Like on "Operation: Mindcrime", there are no weak tracks on this album, and it is no secret that some of my all time favorite rock tracks are found on "Empire", such as the title track, 'Best I Can', 'The Thin Line', 'Jet City Woman', 'Another Rainy Night (Without You)', and 'Anybody Listening?'.
One of the finest prog metal releases around, this should appeal to fans of both sophisticated and progressive music as well as to those who prefer more accessible rock music.
(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)"
"After a couple of good releases in the form of the "Queensrÿche" EP and the "Warning" and "Rage for Order", Queensrÿche release the concept album "Operation: Mindcrime", which is heralded by many as the band's masterpiece. And I think that the 'masterpiece' predicate is fully deserved.
The music is progressive, modern and different, yet with an accessible and recognizable sound and lots of rocking energy. There is an overall catchiness to the riffs on this album and many of the vocals melodies are of the sort that just stick to one's brain forever. Geoff Tate's performance is no less than impressive on this album, as he shows off his incredible vocal range, going from a deep booming voice to soaring high vocals (just check 'Speak).
Apart from the fillers, there are no weak tracks on this album, and tracks like 'Revolution Calling', 'Operation: Mindcrime', 'Speak', 'Suite Sister Mary' and 'I Don't Believe in Love' are outstanding.
This is a classic conspiracy-themed rock album recommended to any thinking person with a weakness for rock 'n' roll.
(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)"
""Operation: Mindcrime" was, and still is, a legendary release in the world of metal, and it was appreciated not only within the sphere of progressive metal, but by fans of all sorts of different types of metal. And listening to the album, one quickly realizes why - it's simply amazing.
"Operation: Mindcrime II" is the sequel to "Operation: Mindcrime", but it was never as successful, and some people don't even like it. Personally, I like "Mindcrime II", although not as much as the original "Mindcrime", for having a more updated sound and not just being a repetition of first one.
Anyway, this live DVD gives you both albums performed live in their entirety at The Moore Theater in the band's hometown Seattle, and whether you like "Mindcrime II" or not, you are in for a treat with the performance of both albums. This show has everything that the thinking man, or person to be non-sexist, of metal should love about Queensrÿche: rock 'n' roll, drama, political messages, social commentary, special effects and artistic visual stage props. This is theatrical heavy metal at its best: accessible yet thought provoking. And it holds up all the way through, so even if you don't "Mindcrime II" as much as the first one, you are certain to be entertained by its performance on this DVD.
The concert itself is great, but considering myself a thinking man pf metal, I like informative bonus material, too, and I think the quality of the bonus material is a bit so-so... with one exception. The bonus material includes a version of "The Chase" which was recorded live in L.A. featuring Ronnie James Dio, performing live as Dr. X; in the light of his recent tragic passing, this particular bit of bonus material becomes additionally valuable, I think. And it's a great performance in itself, too.
Recommended to fans of Queensrÿche, progressive metal and traditional heavy metal and hard rock.
(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)"
"True, this album does not reach the standard of the Queensrÿche classics of the 80s and 90s - and it probably is not intended to be like those albums, given that Queensrÿche tend to reinvent their sound very often.
However, it does contain some elements that are reminiscent of some of the stuff found on albums like "Rage for Order", "Operation: Mind Crime", and "Empire" in the form of a couple of solid hard rocking riffs every now and then. It also seems to have some of the same dark atmosphere found on "The Promised Land", which suits the lyrical content quite well. It's no "Hear in the Now Frontier" either - fortunately - but, unfortunately, it does contain some grungy elements that make one think of "Hear in the Now Frontier".
But, surely, "American Soldier" is one of the better Queensrÿche albums of their post-2000 career, and as a mildly progressive alternative metal/rock album, it works fine.
(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)"
"Available through TDC Play (and probably elsewhere), this digital 1-track single is a taste of things to come as it contains a tune from the forthcoming "American Soldier" album. "If I Were King" is certainly a nice track with some interesting guitar riffs, but at times it also sounds a bit too 90s grunge-rock-ish for my tastes. Still, things look promising."
"While more original and more QR than "The Warning", "RfO" is a much more shaky affair, and it seems that QR are struggling to find the equilibrium between catchiness and progressivity which is masterfully achieved on "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Empire". But all in all a good album (albeit slightly dates production-wise), and an important one in the history of QR; and there's a great live version of "The Killing Words" on the remastered edition (and a terrible version of "Gonna Get Close to you")."
"Certainly one of the most interesting QR albums in terms of composition, production and instrumentation. I'm thinking of the somewhat prominent use of saxophones on some of the tracks, which works very well.
Production-wise it has a much more modern sound than 'Operation: Mindcrime' and 'Empire', but it also lacks some of the catchy hard rock energy of both of the above.
The remastered version of the album contains a full-band version of "Someone Else?" which is much better than the one on the original album. It also contains the symphonic bonus track "Real World".
I don't know if hard core metal fans would appreciate this album, or even consider it metal, but it certainly is a very interesting and different album."
"A good debut, but not the best QR-album, "The Warning" is very much influenced by the likes of iron Maiden. Obviously less original than the albums to follow, "The Warning" is nonetheless a solid heavy metal album with progressive elements ubiquitously present."
