Queensrÿche’s Queensrÿche ~ The Album We’ve Been Waiting For Drops June 25

By SethM

HOLY SHIT!!! I hate to open this one up with an expletive… but again I say, “HOLY SHIT!!”

This is the Queensrÿche album you have been waiting for. OK maybe you haven’t, but I have and if you’re a fan then this is going to BLOW YOU AWAY!!!!

I am on my 6^th, I kid you not, 6^th listen of Queensrÿche and I fucking LOVE IT!!! The review is over!!!.You don’t need to read anymore just go pre-order it here RIGHT NOW!! The album will be released on June 25^th in North America (24^th in Europe) via Century Media.

Alright…Well, obviously I have more to say but the ultimate message is GET THIS ALBUM!. With my advance copy I received some notes that included the following:

“Queensrÿche never stop progressing. That’s why they remain one of the most revered hard rock outfits in history with over 20 million albums sold globally and 6 million in the U.S. alone. It’s why shows continue to sell out everywhere and hits such as ‘Silent Lucidity’ eternally blare across radio waves. It’s why they’ve got one of the most diehard and devout fan bases in music. It’s why after three decades their legacy only strengthens with each subsequent evolution.”

Some of you might agree with me that the progression Queensrÿche had been making the last couple of years was not a good one ~ but this “regression” with new singer Todd La Torre has been the best progression since Empire in my opinion. This is not a Geoff-bashing review, I stuck it out with Queensrÿche over the years and I can’t/won’t take anything away from the fact that I grew up listening to some great music for which he and his voice are partially to thank. However, I can happily announce that THIS is Queensrÿche NOW ~ and they ROCK. Drummer Scott Rockenfield got it right when he shared, “This gets said often by a lot of bands, but we believe we have recorded some of our finest music in years. The collaborative effort of everyone on this album is something we are extremely proud of. Working with Jimbo and the addition of Todd has revitalized the band in ways we never knew until we heard the final results. We know you have to wait a little longer but are excited for all of our fans to hear it. Queensrÿche wouldn’t be in this position if not for your unwavering support.” 

So if what this band needed was a revitalization and some new blood, Todd has brought it in spades as was evident during their “Return to History Tour” and is even more so on these 11 new tracks:

 Queensrÿche

1.  X2 (1:09)
2. Where Dreams Go To Die (4:26)
3. Spore (3:25)
4. In This Light (3:24)
5. Redemption (4:16)
6. Vindication (3:26)
7. Midnight Lullaby (0:56)
8. A World Without (4:11)
9. Don’t Look Back (3:13)
10. Fallout (2:46)
11. Open Road (3:54)

Time for more specifics about the album, now. Where do I start? How about with the negatives, since there are so few and we can get them out of the way fast…

THE NEGATIVES ~ “X2” is a cool little instrumental but honestly, it’s nothing more than filler ~ which I can accept as the album opener; however “Midnight Lullaby” is totally unnecessary, especially when the biggest negative of all is that the album only has a running time of just over 35 minutes and these two make up 2 minutes of it.

THE POSITIVES ~ First and foremost, there’s  the flip side of the 35 minute running time. Although a negative on one hand, it definitely leaves you wanting more…and let’s face it, when was the last time you heard a Queensrÿche album and wanted more?? For me, it was probably way back in the times of Empire and Queensrÿche sounds like classics Rage for Order and Empire have willingly collided to create a well-produced, clean, hard hitting, straight forward rock album.

Let’s talk about the individual tracks a bit. The previously mentioned “X2” kicks off Queensrÿche and takes us into “Where Dreams Go To Die,” led by some great guitar work; Wilton and Lundgren instantly make you feel as if you’ve rewound a couple of decades to the height of the DeGarmo years. I know, if you’re a fan, right now you’re shaking your head and thinking, “No way.” Degarmo left a void that Queensrÿche never seemed able to fill but as much as we would all love to see Chris come back, this album proves that the hole has been filled. Not only do Wilton and Lundgren bring back the sound of old, but Lundgren also contributed a lot to the writing of Queensrÿche.

“Spore” could easily be a missing track from “Rage for Order” while “In This Light” is a heavy melodic track with a great chorus that will catch your ear for sure.

By the time you hit track 5, “Redemption,” you are already totally turned on to the new Queensrÿche ~ and if you’re not, then you were probably never a fan of this band anyway. The hard-hitting yet unobtrusive rhythm that Scott and Eddie lay down on “Redemption” as Todd belts this one out ~ combined with more incredible guitar work ~ continues into “Vindication.” Scott showcases his drumming chops in this one, driving the song straight through into the aforementioned instrumental “Midnight Lullaby.”

“A World Without” slows things down a bit, taking the album to a slightly darker place. It‘s another great song but probably the one song on the album that doesn’t fit into my Rage/Empire collision theory. That dark brevity ends and “Don’t Look Back” comes straight at your musical jugular. Again Jackson and Rockenfeld drive this one straight forward with Todd hitting some serious high notes while the dueling guitars kick your ass. On first listen, at around the 2:50 mark, it almost sounded as though Geoff had come back for a cameo appearance ~ and you’ll know exactly what I mean at the end when Todd says, “This is the law of attraction.” My guess is by your 2^nd run-through, you will be singing this one at full volume.

“Fallout” is next and by now most of you have probably heard this one and love it. It’s classic Queensrÿche ~ great musically, great vocally, and giving every member of the band a brief showcase. It’s the quality and intensity of rock we were used to hearing from this band years ago. “Open Road” closes out the 11 tracks with another flashback to the Rage era; a heavy melodic power ballad type, this one is a highlight.

You get it, right? I love this album. I don’t think anyone could ever deny that musically this band is fantastic. However, over the last few years, I wondered where this band had gone ~  and if you wondered the same thing, then rejoice, because Queensrÿche is back!!

Yes, Geoff is gone and doing his own thing. Personally, I look forward to the new material he says he is working on as I was disappointed in Frequency Unknown  but there is NO QUESTION…

Todd La Torre, Michael Wilton, Eddie  Jackson, Scott  Rockenfield and Parker Lundgren ARE Queensrÿche.

So, if you didn’t click to pre-order this one when I said to do so above then DO IT NOW ~ and if you haven’t seen Queensrÿche since this revitalization, make sure to do so when they come to a town near you.

Queensrÿche  available for pre-order now with the album released on June 25^th in North America (24^th in Europe) via Century Media.

Queensryche online:

queensrycheofficial.com

facebook.com/QueensrycheOfficial