Empire - Queensryche - _Retired Archive

Queensryche's follow-up to an album that I knew was going to be their best all time was a hard act to follow. They didn't give us Mindcrime II, which is probably a good idea. The album is not as hard edged as their previous albums, and it begins their slide into far more mellow music. This was really shown by the brilliant, and very highly successful track "Silent Lucidity". Several great tracks here, and my ambivalent feeling towards the album is probably because it's Mindcrime's immediate successor. It's also the last great Queensryche album (not counting live/Greatest Hits).

Retired notes: Replaced with a newer remaster. Also, this CD was very scratched up, which is unusal for me, as I keep good care of my CD's.