PROMISED LAND

Promised Land is the last album of Queensrÿche's classic era thatn stretched from their inception to right here in 94. After the dual critical and financial successes of Operation Mindcrime and Empire, the band took time off from their punishing live circuit. Three years later, they unleashed this album. PL is the darkest album in QR's discography, which is no small feat. It also stands as their most varied and progressive. It has a loose concept about life and its peaks and troughs, but the songs all stand alone. Tate is back at the helm after letting DeGarmo wirte nearly all of Empire, and he moves the band away from the melodic rock of their previous hit.

Picking highlights is very difficult. "Damaged" and "I Am I" are some of the heaviest songs in the band's catalog, while "Someone Else?" and "Lady Jane" are some of their most beautiful ballads. "Someone Else?" is one of the band's simpler soongs, featuring just vocals and piano. However, it is one of their most moving songs with a stunning performance from Geoff, which shows how he's still goood even without the screams. "Bridge" and "Out of Mind" recall the sound of Empire, but they're much more instrumentally advanced, particularly Bridge. My favorite song is the epic and heavy title track. 8 minutes of examining the challenging of prospering in modern society.

Promised Land should have been a hit with QR fans, and for many it was. However, it stands as a criminally underrated album that wonderfully combines the emotion of Operation Mindcrime with lyrical sophistication of Empire. Not the best place to start, but you're not a QR fan without it. Take a good look. This is the last good album form the band until the release of Tribe nearly a decade later.

Grade: B+