OPERATION : MINDCRIME II

I will not moan about how Tate and Friends painfully fell down the stairs of glory right into the ungrateful puddle of has-beeniry. I will not emphasize that they've lost their mojo when DeMarco left and that they clutched at the straws of the past. We get it: they divorced, now mommy and daddy are living their lives apart.

But I will say this: there is still gasoline in the creative tank of Queensryche.

Grimy and aggressive. Imaginative and catchy. Masterful and polished. Many times I pressed the replay button, thing that won't happen with an Henry Cow record by the way. I am surprised as you are, many times I stopped the song exclaiming: 'Wow! What was that?!' Surprisingly well-played, Scott Rocks is pounding cleverly on the drums and Michael Wilton is showing us that he still knows what duelling guitars mean. Great vocals by Tate, who seems to spit vitriol with energy and maestria (read balls). You can clearly hear his enthusiasm and it's contagious. Top that with, again this time, majestic choirs and religious and orchestrated strings.

On the less exciting side, the love story is taking too much space. The concept of the revolution leaded by Doctor X is putted more aside to let Rikki's guilt and sadness sing. Hmph. Not the path I would have chosen. Yes, Sister Mary won't come back, but after 18 years in the can, I thought Rikki would've been more pissed at the world. Again, less love, more rock please?

You will think: « This guy's obviously a fan. He sugarcoates it. » Nope, uh-uh. In this world where Ayreon, Dream Theater and Blind Guardian lead the metal-opera, Mindcrime 2 is less over-the-top, dirtier (Rikki's greasy hair and filthy fingernails), more accessible and far less dizzying the the others. You easily grow tired (and bored) of double albums of metallic tugs of war, not the case here. A few duds but nothing to drown the fun.

Being a Queensryche fan is a long and unpredictable road. Sometimes you scream for more, sometimes you beg to make it stop.

An hour of theatrical metallic fun.

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