Queensryche

I recall when Queensryche was doing their previous album (Operation Mindcrime II), I read a quote that said they had to force themselves to write the same way they used to in the 80's when the original Mindcrime came out, as they didn't do it that way anymore. It's obvious they don't like writing that way anymore, because NOTHING on American Soldier implies to me it's the same band that recorded Operation Mindcrime II just a couple of years ago. As the years went by with Queensryche, I continued to pick up their studio albums out of habit, because of how good they were in the past. When they broke the chain of crappy studio albums with Mindcrime II, I hoped some of that would stick around, but nope. We're back to what I disliked so much about their output, that being stuff like Tribe.

I can't think of a single good track off this album as I sit here to write this. The album was a complete snooze for me. If I didn't get it for free due to my record label friends, I'd probably get rid of it. Some day I'll stick it back in and give it another shot - if anything changes, I'll update, but man was I disappointed with this.

The positive I'll take out of it is that I understand the intent, and with some friends in the military, I like the concept of the thing. But the music? No. Perhaps it might be time for Operation Mindcrime 3 (which they said will never happen). Could they please bring Chris DeGarmo back full time to write?

I have a lot of CD's in this collection, and something that I wonder about is a perception people might have going through it that I like everything I have. Well, generally people don't have things they don't like. But this isn't like that. I don't like this album. Which is odd, as before it came out, I was REALLY looking forward to it. The reason is most cover albums by established artists are full of songs I don't care about. Not the case here. This was packed with songs I wanted to hear covers of. Here's what I was looking forward to:

Welcome to the Machine - Pink Floyd
Innuendo - Queen
Neon Knights - Black Sabbath
Synchronicity II - The Police
Bullet the Blue Sky - U2

These are all songs I REALLY REALLY like by the original bands. The ones by U2 & the Police could be called my all time favorite tracks by those bands. Then I got the CD, and was disappointed. I can't really tell you why on most of them, but on a whole I don't like this album. Now it's not worthless, the Police & Black Sabbath covers are quite good, but I was let down by the others I listed. In particular, the U2 cover. Oh dear god - it was AWFUL! I bloody love Bullet the Blue Sky. It's a fantastic song. Not this version.

Yuck.

Actually, I'm writing this in April of 2008, after having gotten it originally in November. My opinion has toned down since I first got it when I had some genuine irritation at the album. I'm now filing it under "not that good", but I don't hate it like I did when I first got it.

They say these kinds of things are for "Queensryche die hards". I am one, and I didn't like it. A better album title might have been "Run for Cover".

Well, once Mindcrime II was released, and a tour playing both of them completely was announced, you knew this release was coming.

This is probably only for Queensryche fans, and Mindcrime nuts in particular. I love Mindcrime, they're both fantastic releases, but I'm more likely to reach for the studio releases than this. This does have a few interesting additions, that being some minor reworking of songs from Mindcrime I to fit the live narratives and actors used in the stage show. Also, "The Chase" from Mindcrime II is a tape of Ronnie James Dio & Geoff Tate. They did not perform that song live, although the band appeared to.

There is a DVD release of this too, and I think the DVD version was part of the reason that Mindcrime II clicked with me. I didn't see the tour live, as I had burnt out on Mindcrime at that point. I don't regret that decision, but if I had gone, I might have enjoyed Mindcrime II a bit sooner than I did.

Anyway, if you're a Queensryche fan, then this commentary of mine probably won't change your mind either way - and if you aren't a Queensryche fan, I suggest getting the studio releases of the two Mindcrime albums before you go after this.

I've waited 18 years for this album to come out. In all that time I've had many a year to build up Mindcrime 1 onto the pedestal it's on in my mind.

Very VERY worthy sucessor. I was worried it was gonna be crap. I shouldn't have been - I liked it a lot. It's kind of hard for me to pick out specific reasons as to why. It's a gut feeling. It's easily their best album since the original Mindcrime. I really thought this wasn't going to work, and it does.

My favorites are "I'm American", "One Foot in Hell", "Hands", "The Chase", and "A Junkie's Blues".

The main reason Sabbath fans will want to hear is is Track 10, the one with Ronnie James Dio as Dr. X. That track is one of the better ones, and when Ronnie & Geoff harmonize, there's a good power in their vocals there. The biggest downside to me is that in a lot of places, Geoff's vocals are muddied - I think it's impossible to follow the story without a lyric sheet. I didn't have that kind of problem with the original album from 1988.

Update Sep 2007: Sometime during this summer, the album just "clicked" for me. It still isn't as awesome as Part 1, but this became elevated beyond my original opinion above. I'm now of the ilk of when I listen to both of them back to back, Part 2 isn't a letdown like it used to be. Sometime this summer, I "got it", and really started to love this album a lot. Definitely more than worth it. :)

Queensryche's first new studio album in four years finds the band partially reuniting with former guitarist Chris DeGarmo. He's not fully back in the band, but did write for the album. And, it seems like the last few studio Queensryche albums. A few good hard tracks early on, and the rest seems like ballady stuff. I have only had this album for about 5 days when I wrote this, and have listened to it only a few times. I do like a lot of tracks on it (Open, Losing Myself come to mind), but I don't think I've given this disc enough of a listen to have a formal opinion on it yet.

Update: I tried listening to it later on, but my opinion didn't change - it was mostly weak.

OK, Queensryche does the live album again. This is pretty much like a "Live Greatest Hits" album. I picked it up mostly because a) I got it for free, and b) Queensryche is a habit purchase for me. Still, having said all that, it's a great Live CD, but if I want to do live Queensryche, I'll put on the DVD version of this and watch them, too. :)

Well, another Greatest Hits album hits my collection. The reason I even have this with all their albums is that it has the songs I really like from their original EP and their first album which I do not have. Plus when I want to listen to those, I have a selection of all of the rest of their stuff here, too.

Back in 1988, I thought Queensryche wrote their best album ever in Operation Mindcrime. I still think that, but of all the albums that have come since then, Q2K has been the one that's pleased my ears the most.

It may not be the "hardest" album, or it may not be this, or that, but the whole thing works for me. I rather love the album, and I've been into Queensryche since Rage for Order.

Some people get too caught up in an album having to "meet a certain sound" or a personal expectation. I don't do that to albums. I judge them on their own merit. I sit at my desk at work and listen to this, and I get into the album. There's no higher compliment to music to me.

Update Sep 2007: I got an updated version of this album during July 2007 from one of my contacts at Rhino records. This update has four additional tracks on it. They are "Until There Was You", "Howl", Sacred Ground (Live), & Breakdown (Radio Edit). The rest of the album is "remastered", but since it was a 1999 release, it doesn't sound an awful lot different to me. I upgraded the disc because I got the upgrade for free, otherwise I probably would have just stuck with my original version. I got rid of my original version which I got when the album was first released when I got the updated edition.

Probably my least favorite Queensryche album. As I sit to write this, I can only remember a single song by name, "Sign of the Times" - which is a good rock track. The rest of the album I can't remember at all, and I can't remember a point where I ever really liked this one. Queensryche is a habit purchase, plus they're one of my all time favorite bands, so that probably saves it from being dumped.

Folks online seem to like this album, but I don't really. From this point onwards, Queensryche takes a trip down a spiral into the "One or two good songs, rest is boring" syndrome. This starts off really strong - I am I is great as are a few others, but overall, this kind of bores me, although I remember liking it when it was new.

Recorded during the Building Empires tour, this is the whole of the Operation Mindcrime album played live. I bought this because I had such a great time seeing this done live in person, I wanted the live album.

I originally got this back in 1991 as part of a CD box set. It also came with a VHS tape and a booklet, which I've longs ince gotten rid of. However, the live CD was re-released on Sep 25, 2001 on it's own, and that's what I have here.

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).

I picked up a remaster of the album in 2004 for a discount of $4 new, so that was good, as my old one was scratched pretty badly. Other than the usual remastered music, this version has three new songs, one of which used to be on the Andrew Dice Clay "Ford Fairlane" movie soundtrack. Still a great album after all this time.

Well, this is it. Ryche's best album. I said it back in 1988 that this was the best album they'd ever record, and as I write this in 2003, that statement holds. Mindcrime is brilliant, a concept album that works, the music stands alone when it has to, and works as a story when listened all the way through. The lyrics are great, the music is spectacular, and every song is a 10 for me. This is one of my Top 5 albums of all time by any band - and is definitely what I consider to be a "Desert Island" disc. Get this. NOW! This remaster was released in May of 2003, and has two extra (and useless, IMHO) tracks added on, but the base album is still just as great as it was 15 years ago!

This remaster was released May 6, 2003.

I remember reading a magazine review of this album, and it called Queensryche the Pink Floyd of heavy metal, so I had to check it out based on that. Boy, was I glad I did - this album is great! The lyrics are not your standard hard rock/heavy metal lyrics. They're intelligent, and use multi syllable words. ;) Highlights for me here are Walk in the Shadows, Gonna Get Close to You, & London - although virtually the entire album is great.