OPERATION : MINDCRIME II

It's a bit trite to knock the sequel for not being as good as the original. But if the original Operation: Mindcrime (1988) wasn't so great, this album would probably not have been had presented as a sequel. Put another way: bands rarely make sequels to their albums. And when they do make a sequel, years later, it shouldn't be a surprise when they choose an original that's considered a classic.

I ordered Operation: Mindcrime II the minute it became available. And I hated it. Looking back, I'm not sure what I could have expected, but whatever that was, the album didn't deliver.

But in retrospect, this album isn't quite as bad as it originally seemed to me. The main fault of Operation: Mindcrime II is its lackluster compositions. Whereas the original fused heavy metal and heavy melody, the sequel's attempts at hooks falls flat. To be fair, in a few aspects of Operation: Mindcrime II compares favorably to the original. There are several nice segues between tracks, for example; and there's some really good singing dialogue between vocalist Geoff Tate and Pamela Moore (who reprises her role from the original) and between Tate and Ronnie James Dio.

In concept, Operation: Mindcrime II might come across as a money grab by a once-successful band hoping to regain its onetime glory. And in actuality, that might have been exactly what it was. In any event, judged on its own merits, Operation: Mindcrime II is a two-star album: not as bad as it seems at first, but not very good either.