EMPIRE

My cousin introduced me to Queensryce with Operation Mindcrime. By then I believe it was already triple platinum and I guess I also had heard songs from this album without realizing it was the same band. Anyway I ended up buying Empire which was my first Prog Metal album. I really didn't think of Prog Metal being a genre until my whole life changed when I heard Dream Theater for the first time.

Nevertheless Queensryce did change my opinion about Metal at the time as I searched for more like it and it resulted in finding Fates Warning and others. I really thought of Queensryce as high quality Metal like Iron Maiden and going into a more experiential direction. Not too long after I got into Queensryce would I discover Dream Theater one of my all time favorites so this was a step in the right direction and I have no regrets.

Empire is in no way better than Operation Mindcrime or Rage for Order which are suprisingly very Proggy for the time they came out. I guess the same could be said about Empire though I think Fates Warning either completely rivaled Queensryce or even beat them most of the time. I actually prefer Fates Warning to this day.

Much more Arena Rock sounding and much less Maiden sounding than their previous releases. Quite a bit of Alternative Rock influence also as they were from Seattle. Hand on Heart, Another Rainey Night, Resistance, Jet City Woman, One and Only, are like a much heavier,proggier, and better version of anything 80's Journey.

Thin Line and Della Brown remind me a little bit of bands like Soundgarden and Alice in Chains but a more experiential and sofisticated version.

Is Anybody Listening and Silent Lucidity a strong Pink Floyd influence and the highlights of the album and what is most memorable about it.

This is a great album. I have actually listened to it more times than about any other Prog Metal album considering I have owned it the longest. But for Prog Metal it kind of takes a step down. Especially when put up against their previous releases. Don't expect it to be a top album but a very influential one.