The oldest and the most influential progressive metal band. They started the genre, and, with their downfall in the 90s, the genre entered and still remains in deep crisis. They debuted with the self-titled, Maiden-influenced EP in Seattle in 1983, and many people predicted a big future for them. "The Warning" (1984) and "Rage For Order" (1986) were both well received, but it wasn't until "Operation: Mindcrime" (1988), when people accepted the new direction of progressive metal, and labeled Ryche "the greatest ever." Fans were in ecstasy mostly due to the three following things: 1. Great music and musicianship, mostly with excellent dual guitar work by Chris Degarmo and Michael Wilton, 2. Supreme lead vocals of Geoff Tate (still considered to be among world best vocalists), and 3. Highly intelligent lyrics (which resulted in one of progressive metal definitions as "Thinking Man's Metal"). The band responded to their growing fame with "Empire" (1990), which caused mixed reaction, due to its more "mainstream" approach. The band took a long break till 1994, when they released "Promised Land," which was substantially weaker than any of the previous works, and "Hear In The Now Frontier" (1997) hardly pleased anyone. People started talking about "Metallica/Queensryche demise phenomenon." Two subsequent albums, "Y2K" (1999) and "Tribe" (2003) reinforced this notion. Fortunately, "Operation: Mindcrime II" (2006) seems to be the step in the right direction.
QUEENSRYCHE (1983)
RATING: ***1/2
BEST SONGS: "Queen Of The Ryche," "Nightrider," "The Lady Wore Black"
My only problem with this EP is the fact that this is EP. No EP is worth $12, even if it's five best songs of all times. Production is a little thin, but that was Ryche's problem up until Mindcrime. First three songs ("Queen," "Nightrider" and "Blinded") are all fast and furious. First song just kicks ass. "Lady Wore Black" is more mid-tempo, pre-calling future hits "Breaking The Silence" and "Jet City Woman." Had there been 5 other tracks on this album, I'd give it 4+ stars and buy it any time.
THE WARNING (1984)
RATING: ****1/2
BEST SONGS: "En Force," "Take Hold Of The Flame," "Before The Storm"
The most underrated album in history. Despite a lousy sound, this is still a masterpiece from start to finish. I realize that the year 1984 was perhaps the greatest year in the history of metal music and gave us Defenders Of The Faith, Powerslave, Ride The Lightning, Love At First Sting, Bark At The Moon, See You In Hell, and other classics, but this album belongs in this row with pride. It has 9 tracks, and every one is decent, great, or inhuman. Socio-political orientation of the band, hinted at in the EP, is dominating here, in incredibly powerful anthems "The Warning" (a rocking socialist metal manifesto) and "NM 156" (I still don't know what the title means, but it's anti-technology and way cool). Fantasy themes aren't forgotten either: "Deliverance" (sounds a lot like Dio to me), slower "Sanctuary" and superb rocker "Child Of Fire" (Tate rules here) are all amazing. The album has its epic at the end, "Road To Madness," which is 10 minutes long, but, for a change, I actually love it. Now, for the masterpieces that belong in the Museum of Great Music. "En Force" is a battle hymn, predicting the coming of the dark age of "Enforcer." There's no way to stop from singing along with the chorus: "Enforcer! Master of nations revealed! Enforcer! The beams from his soul you will feel!" and the chiming bell on the background. Ah, the joy? "Before The Storm" is another great anthem, with excellent background singing, but the album's highest point is easily "Take Hold Of The Flame" (pretty much the only song from this album Queensryche still graces us at concerts every once in a while). Tate's voice is inhuman. A mortal man can't sing like that, at such high notes, with such power and passion. The lyrics don't fall behind, with its eternal call for freedom: "So, take hold of the flame! Don't you see, life's a game! Take hold of the flame! You got nothing to lose, the whole world to gain!" The final "TAKE HOLD!" leaves me breathless every time I listen to it. Unbelievable.
RAGE FOR ORDER (1986)
RATING: ***1/2
BEST SONGS: "Surgical Strike," "Chemical Youth (We Are Rebellion)," "Screaming In Digital"
It's late 80s, and Queensryche do not have any love songs. Something's wrong, the band decides, and they write a whole bunch of them. It's still Queensryche, and they still make them good, but the material on Rage For Order just does not live up to the one on its predecessor. Most famous songs from this album are all love songs ("Walk In The Shadows," "Gonna Get Close To You," and "I Dream In Infrared"), which I'm quite calm about, just like I'm calm about some less famous love songs ("Killing Words," "London"). "Walk In The Shadows" is the best of all these, probably because it's the catchiest (a killer lead break from DeGarmo and Wilton). Songs that I love are, again, the socio-political songs, lost somewhere in the middle of the disc, but even they do not quite live up to their counterparts from "The Warning"). "Surgical Strike" and "Screaming In Digital" both are very good, but if I were to make up a "best of" compilation, from this album, I would include only one: weird yet awesome "Chemical Youth (We Are Rebellion)." When hundreds of voices scream out: "LEAD US!" and "SAVE US!" it is oh so marvelous. Not a whole lot besides that. The music isn't quite there either, although it's still Queensryche, hence, it's still better than average. What I hate on both The Warning and Rage For Order is the band's look. They could have been subbing for Poison on stage, and nobody would notice.
OPERATION: MINDCRIME (1988)
RATING: *****
BEST SONGS: "Revolution Calling," "I Don't Believe In Love," "Eyes Of A Stranger"
One of the best albums of all times, and, easily, the greatest rock opera of all times. Although nobody, even Queensryche themselves, could not quite explain everything that's happening in there, the whole thing is just terrific and consists of 10 supreme songs, with 5 short intermezzos. The story goes something like this: a man with a high level of social conscience and a former junkie Nikki falls under the influence of an underground terrorist leader, Dr. X. Nikki becomes a terrorist hitman himself and performs a series of political murders. His life, however, is complicated by his love for Mary, a former prostitute, turned nun. Then Mary learns about Nikki's crimes and dies (apparently, she is murdered by Dr. X, but there also is a speculation that she commits suicide). Nikki is then accused of murder and placed in the mental hospital. Unlike some rock operas, where individual tracks are impossible to appreciate without the context (King Diamond's "Graveyard" or "Dead Winter Dead" by Savatage), all songs on this album can be played separately, and all of them have been on the radio one time or another. Supreme socio-political anthems (godlike "Revolution Calling," title track, "Speak," terrific and bitter "Spreading The Disease"), excellent love songs (10 minute "Suite Sister Mary" and two superhits "Breaking The Silence" and "I Don't Believe In Love"), and incredibly powerful songs about feelings and emotions (another godlike piece "The Mission," the fastest Ryche song "Don't Trust The Needle," and world-famous "Eyes Of A Stranger"); all make this album an instant classic. Musicianship is superb, Tate is godlike, lyrics kill, and some deep thoughts neighbor with various emotions: something for everybody. This album gives it all to the heart, the mind, and the neck. I'm sure everybody has heard at least parts of it, but if not - there's no excuse. "Video: Mindcrime" disappointed me a little; I guess I just expected more from it. Hell, they could have turned it into another "The Wall," but they didn't. A pity.
EMPIRE (1990)
RATING: ***1/2
BEST SONGS: "The Best I Can," title track, "Anybody Listening?"
I bought this album as a follow-up after all the great time I had with Mindcrime, and immediately felt that something was wrong. This album is a lot more commercial than any of Queensryche's previous works, and only they know why did they decide to change their style after such masterpieces. This album has a lot more keyboards, a lot more love songs, a lot more cheese, and a lot less catchiness. It contains the only song by Queensryche that is famous among the non-metal audience: Pink Floyd-influenced "Silent Lucidity," their most commercial song ever. Not a bad song in itself (just like "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica), but it has been terribly overplayed, and that might have been what started the demise of one of the greatest bands in history. The album also has a common theme - urban life of a lonely man (presumably, in Seattle). Although the whole thing starts with a terrific rocker, "The Best I Can" (about a guy in a wheel chair, refusing to give up on himself; lots of keyboards but still awesome), the following tracks do not support that same greatness: "Thin Line," ever-famous "Jet City Woman," "Della Brown," and "It's Another Rainy Night (Without You)." All these songs are decent (except "Thin Line"), but I expected more from Queensryche, and, besides, it's really hard to create love songs equal to "Breaking The Silence" and "I Don't Believe In Love." The title track is great and belongs on Mindcrime (the video is good too). My only problem with it is the fact that it has been so terribly overplayed. "Resistance" is stupid (IMHO among the lamest socio-political songs). Everything else is also below Ryche's abilities, except for "Anybody Listening?" which is, again, quite emotional and reminds me of "The Mission."
PROMISED LAND (1994)
RATING: **1/2
BEST SONGS: "I Am I," "Damaged," "Someone Else?"
I relistened to this one recently, and it was actually better than I remembered it to be, but still boring in many places. There's just one song that is not slow and somewhat reminds of the old mighty Ryche, that's "Damaged." Everything else is over-emotional and not even quite metallic. "I Am I" and "My Global Mind" are alright, again sociologically oriented. Semi-acoustic "The Bridge" has been played a lot on the radio; it talks about DeGarmo's relationships with his father, it's pretty, but I could never force myself to care. Most of other songs I can't even remember ("Out Of Mind," "One Last Time"). The album concludes on a bright note, though: Tate's voice and piano in "Someone Else?" are, one more time, great and emotional. I must mention that the album is far from commercialism of "Empire" (it's too dark and complex), but it's also not very close to their 80s works. I must also say, that, in concert, the title track sounded a whole lot better, mostly due to Tate's saxophone (I didn't know he could do that!). This album, however, disappointed me so much that I still can't force myself to spend money on Hear In The Now Frontier, which is rumored to be a lot like Promised Land.
Q2K (1999)
RATING: **
BEST SONGS: "Falling Down," "Breakdown," "The Right Side Of My Mind"
The rumors that "the next album will be heavier than shit" has a portion of truth to it. And that portion is: "the next album will be shit." This is not just boring. This is bad. Nothing even remotely metal about this album. Hard rock at best, pop at worst. Light sounds, stupid lyrics (is this the same band that gave us OM? IT CAN'T BE!), absence of noticeable guitar solos, lack of passion and memorable riffs, and other such things characterize this album. The album starts kinda heavy with "Falling Down," and "Sacred Ground" isn't bad either (scratch the lousy lyrics sheet), but starting with "One Life" it just mellows into the 311 ungodly realm. "Breakdown" is perhaps the heaviest track, but, had Tate and Wilton been told 10 years ago that THIS will be their HEAVIEST song from the latest album, they would both immediately retire. This is a lot worse than Promised Land, because, with all its problems, it had excellent "Damage" and "Someone Else?" This album has only one song that can be called "good," and that's the album-concluding "The Right Side Of My Mind." Even though it could make a b-side for any song from the album Streets by Savatage (it sounds more like Tage than Ryche), it's still a lot better than anything else from this lousy effort. I don't see a point in DeGarmo leaving: it sounds just as bad as before (what I've heard from Hear In The Now Frontier album). The only great thing about the album is a unique sleeve. Sad.
LIVE EVOLUTION (2001)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "Walk In The Shadows," "Spreading The Disease," "The Right Side Of My Mind"
Two things are majorly wrong with this album. #1: Geoff Tate's voice is not what it used to be. Plain and simple. And it's not even that he can't reach the notes (for the most part, he can). It's the absence of any energy, attitude, angst, call it what you will: on many occasions he sounds like he sings it because he has to. Sometimes he just doesn't even bother to sing what he's supposed to (like in the chorus to "I Don't Believe In Love," he totally skips "I never will"). Sometimes it gets downright embarrassing ("Take Hold," "Queen Of The Ryche," etc.). He gets better on the second cd, with newer songs being less challenging vocally. #2 - Kelly Gray simply sucks when compared to Chris DeGarmo. He all but mercilessly butchers the Ryche classics. His "solo" in "Eyes Of A Stranger," for example, makes me squeal with pain, because it comes right after the Wilton's great lead, which was supposed to be topped with another great lick, instead he goes into some totally irrelevant wanking. Most of the new material is weak, that much you already know. Old material is played relatively uneven: some pieces are excellent (like "Walk In The Shadows," "Roads To Madness," and "Spreading The Disease," which is indeed "spread" out) and some aren't so hot. The crowd is practically not heard. Scott Rockenfield could be more aggressive on the skins. The only guy who is still delivering is Michael Wilton. Verdict: the old songs are still great, but the soul is well on the way out of the body.
OPERATION: MINDCRIME II (2006)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "I'm American," "Signs Say Go," "The Chase"
I don't like when people say that it takes balls to release a "sequel" to a largely successful album. It doesn't. It is nothing but a marketing gimmick. Nobody can convince me that twenty years after the original release the artist all of a sudden starts feeling the same way again. It is a no-loss situation, because people will buy the album in an attempt to revive their feelings of twenty years back and out of curiosity, wondering how the "new thing" compares to the original "masterpiece." And it's a no-win situation, because they will undoubtedly be disappointed on both accounts. You cannot enter the same water twice; sequels don't work, much less in music, twenty years later.
That said, this sequel to one of the best albums of all time is actually not bad. In fact, considering the last three albums by Queensryche, it is good and a step in the right direction for the band. First of all, this album has more energy than the past four albums combined: there are even several fast numbers here! It is almost as good as Promised Land (faster too). But Queensryche is not making this album a reference to PL (I doubt there would be any fuss at all, had this album been titled "Promised Land II"), but to Mindcrime, and the comparison is clearly in favor of the latter. The musicianship here is decent, although it is still a far cry from their glory days. Michael Wilton resembles a man sawing a log alone with a two-man cross-cutting saw. He is very good, but he needs Chris DeGarmo by his side to shine, and, while adequate, no shining is present: the riffs are mostly good (typical melodic-and-piercing-but-not-too-heavy Queensryche riffs), but the leads are hardly memorable. I liked two solos: in "Rearrange You" and at the end of "Fear City Slide." Scott Rockenfield does not quite match his old power and Geoff Tate -- his old emotions. Tate's downslide is especially noticeable: it was his singing that made Mindcrime a timeless classic. Here he simply demonstrates that he has lost it: the range is gone (g-o-n-e, gone!) and the passion only surfaces in several spots (his scream "Look at me!" in "If I Could Change It All" is the only moment worthy of Tate's legacy). His "I'll kill the bastard" is extremely timid in comparison to the "We'll burn the White House down!" But, of course, it's the songwriting itself that makes the difference. "I'm American" is not "Revolution Calling," but it is the fastest song Ryche have done since 1988. "One Foot In Hell" is a bluesy number that everybody bashes, but I don't mind it. "Hostage" would totally belong on Empire or PL, it's decent but not great. "The Hands" is not "I Don't Believe In Love," but it's good. "Speed Of Light," on the other hand, isn't (it reminds me of "Sign Of The Times" without the chorus, embodying everything that was wrong with Ryche in the 90s). I also firmly believe that any song titled "Speed Of Light" MUST be fast (that's right, Pink Cream 69!). "Signs Say Go" is another energetic song and it is also quite catchy (even made me sing along!). The drive continues with "Rearrange You" and culminates with "The Chase." Ronnie James Dio guest stars Dr. X and their duet with Tate is an instant legend. I personally don't think Dio is sinister enough for the part (it was originally offered to Rob Halford, but he couldn't clear his schedule), but the melodies and the vocal interplay are stellar.
The second half is not quite as good. "Murderer" is energetic but also rather pointless; the intro to "I Don't Believe In Love" ("We know you did it... why did you do it?") stirs more emotions in five seconds than this one does in four-and-a-half. "If I Could Change It All" has its "Suite Sister Mary" moments, but overall it is not very coherent. Btw, I think Pamela Moor sucks. The needless hysteria in her voice turns me off beyond frustration. Then comes the "Intentional Confrontation" / "A Junkie's Blues" / "Fear City Slide" sequence, which also slightly reminds me of "The Mission," but ultimately fails to create a lasting atmosphere and the songs go nowhere. And what is it with errors in song titles? "Sings Say Go"? "Interntional Confrontation"? Proofreading? And the concluding "All The Promises" is just weak, weaker than any of the concluding tracks from the accursed 90s string of albums. No "Eyes Of The Stranger" or even "Right Side Of My Mind" here. The story I won't go into, because I never bothered to follow it: the events in lyrics are draped in vague images and hints. I only gather that Nikki, released from prison after 18 years, is roaming the streets, fantasizing about killing Dr. X, resurrecting Mary, and turning his life around. Jon Oliva must be feeling ripped off.
Where does all of this leave us? This is a good album, and I will be going back to it. One thing that goes for it is that it's friggin' Queensryche which, after ten years of making crap, makes an album worthy of their logo. Some moments are very good and done with the Ryche's trademark sense of style. Two things that go against them: the boys are not what they used to be and it's friggin' Queensryche! If you compare it to the first Mindcrime, you will be thoroughly disappointed. If you compare it to Y2K, you'll feel good. I would compare it to Promised Land, and I enjoy whatever great moments it offers. Your enjoyment of this album is in your hands.
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