QUEENSRYCHE

For those who are unaware, we are currently in the 'interesting' situation of having two bands using the same name, at least until a further court case to settle the dispute, which is due to take place in November. In April 2012 there was a backstage altercation at a show in Sao Paulo, Brazil, between original members drummer Scott Rockenfield, guitarist Michael Wilton and bassist Eddie Jackson with singer Geoff Tate. The band then fired Tate, who took them to court and there have been a few court appearances since then. Tate has released a solo album (which I reviewed with comments such as "There are little or no redeeming features to this album") and an album as Queensryche Starring Geoff Tate The Original Voice, so now it is time for the 'other' band to release something. There is an argument that Scott, Michael and Eddie are the 'true' Queensryche as they had already formed a band and asked Geoff to join, but Geoff has for many been the face as well as the voice of the band, so how to replace him?

This version of Queensryche has been completed by singer Todd La Torre of Florida band Crimson Glory, and guitarist Parker Lundgren, who joined the band in 2009 before the split. I wasn't sure what to expect when I put this on as not only is Tate an incredible singer, but the last album of theirs that I really listened to was 'Tribe' and I didn't think a great deal of it at all. So, was this going to be a painful experience or something that would lift them back up to the heights of 'Mindcrime'? Well, it was never really going to be the latter was it, but what we have here is an album of power and depth, something that made me smile the very first time I played it, and the only thing to do then was just put it on repeat.

It starts slow, with an atmospheric introduction, but it soon grabs the listener and the result is something that is dramatic and powerful, with progressive elements combined with the melodic metal. It is dark, it is brooding, and is the best thing this band have done for years. There is a quality that just pervades this album, it is in every song, and really the only negative about it is that it is quote short in length. It is only 35 minutes long, which is just like being in the old days, but that was when bands were restricted by vinyl so it is certainly unusual in the digital age.

However, what we have here is of the highest quality and it is highly recommended.

"Queensrÿche" is the self-titled 13th full-length studio album by US metal/progressive metal act Queensrÿche. The album was released through Century Media Records in June 2013. The standard version of the album features 11 tracks, while the limited edition features 3 bonus tracks, which are live versions of classic Queensrÿche songs. "Queensrÿche" is a key album in the band´s discography as it´s the first Queensrÿche release not to feature original lead vocalist Geoff Tate who was replaced by Todd La Torre before the writing and recording of the album. Tate was fired from the band and in the wake of that a lot of nasty accusations flew from both camps and a legal dispute over the ownership of the Queensrÿche name is presently being dealt with. Until that dispute is over, this version of the band has opted to continue under the Queensrÿche monicker while Geoff Tate has opted to continue with hired guns under the Queensrÿche Starring Geoff Tate the Original Voice monicker.

"Dedicated To Chaos (2011)" was quite the disappointment for the majority of the band´s fans and it sold relatively poorly compared to earlier efforts by the band. Compared to that album, and actually compared to any album released between "Promised Land (1994)" and this album, "Queensrÿche" is an improvement and a welcome return to a more heavy metal oriented sound. It´s not exactly a new "Operation: Mindcrime (1988)", but stylistically I guess it´s somewhere between the semi-progressive heavy metal of the early releases by the band and the more mainstream heavy metal of "Empire (1990)". The prominent use of harmony guitars is one of the first things that I noticed was different from the band´s post "Promised Land (1994)" period, but there are several other elements in the music that points in the direction of the "classic" Queensrÿche sound, and not the more alternative/mainstream sound that the band adopted after "Promised Land (1994)".

New lead vocalist Todd La Torre has a voice and singing style that are very similar to the voice and singing style of Geoff Tate, so in that respect there hasn´t been a significant change in the band´s sound, which was what you would normally expect when a band changes lead vocalist. The musicianship is generally, and not surprisingly, on a very high level. The change on the lead vocalist spot seems to have revitalized the rest of the band and they sound both tight and fresh. Especially drummer Scott Rockenfield delivers a very convincing performance. It´s like he has been waiting for an opportunity to "let loose" after playing in a more restrained style for a number of years. The fact that all members of the band have contributed to the songwriting probably also helped ignite all member´s interest in the project as opposed to using outside writers like Queensrÿche have done for now a number of albums.

The album is well produced and the sound production manages to successfully bring out the more hard edged qualities as well as the more polished elements of the band´s sound. Upon conclusion it´s fair to say that "Queensrÿche" is a bit of a comeback for Queensrÿche. It´s a well thought out and well written album delivered with passion, which certainly can´t be said about "Frequency Unknown (2013)" by Queensrÿche Starring Geoff Tate the Original Voice. This version of Queensrÿche have won the first round and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.