OPERATION: MINDCRIME

The first progressive metal masterpiece, and a concept album as well!

You can find plenty of detailed descriptions of the albums conceptual plot, especially on this website, so I'll just go into how this album presents itself. This concept album nearly reaches the status of a rock opera. 'Anarchy X' starts the album off, musically, in a very 'overture' like fashion. A screaming dual guitar melody followed by a fast chop gets the album going off into the main verse.and it is quite the musical journey from there. The listener can realize the quality of this records sound before then though. To put it bluntly, the album sounds great. The guitar's sound is crisp, and crystal clear. The drums are turned up a bit in the mix, just in time as they are far more intricate then earlier releases. Saving the best for last, Geoff Tate's vocal work is completely overpowering on this album. The songwriting is exceptionally beautiful, the guitar riffs sound great and have the necessary accompaniment from the vocals and drums to make each song a memorable one. While the story can be complex, the listener can get the idea without a lyric book, Geoff is really clear, even with the range and how high pitch he can get, everything is easy and understandable. This album is not dated at all, it still holds it's own, even when mixed in with the bands that changed the face of progressive metal. Surely these guys aren't as fast and technical as those they influenced, but they kept the songwriting and overall sound of the band elaborate as any. An essential record of the progressive metal genre.

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