OPERATION: MINDCRIME

A milestone in the progession of metal! By successfully combining their NWOBHM influenced traditional metal with the asthetic atmospherics of Pink Floyd, QUEENSRYCHE created a metal masterpiece of the sort that combined all the drama of an opera with a storyline about a disillusioned recovering drug addict named Nikki who joins a revelutionary group and all the twists and turns that such dramatic events involve.

The storyline is succint and to the point and doesn't get off on any tangents. What impresses me more than the storyline is the music itself. The tightness of the band and the perfection of Geoff Tate's vocals make this album feel like one continuous track. Every moment seems like it fits the mood and the added cast characters, choir and sound effects make this one of the best albums of all the 80s if not of all time. The one thing that bugged me for the longest time is that the last track "Eyes Of A Stranger" begins sounding almost identical to the progressions in "Welcome To The Machine" on Pink Floyd's WISH YOU WERE HERE. I have come to terms with it realizing it to be a simultaneous nod to both the band and the theme of a song since both convey healthy doses of paranoia. It only lasts until the band begins to play so I got over it and it does sound really well done.

The argument of whether this is progressive or not doesn't matter to me. This is great music. I would call this for the most part melodic traditional metal with some clearly progressive tracks ("Suite Sister Mary" being the most so). One of the best concept albums ever to emerge in any genre.