{"id":15984,"date":"2013-06-24T00:00:52","date_gmt":"2013-06-24T00:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=15984"},"modified":"2014-01-01T23:39:12","modified_gmt":"2014-01-01T23:39:12","slug":"album-review-queensryche-queensryche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-queensryche-queensryche\/","title":{"rendered":"QUEENSR\u0178CHE – Queensr\u00ffche (2013) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

QUEENSR\u0178CHE
Queensr\u00ffche<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nCentury Media (2013)<\/span>
Rating: 10\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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It has been many years since Queensr\u00ffche was a driving force in the metal scene. Their steady growth was rewarded with the success of rock opera Operation: Mindcrime<\/em><\/a> (1988) and solidified by the chart topping Empire<\/em> (1990).<\/p>\n

A series of mediocre albums were released after, many seeing the band bend to the current musical trends rather than hold true to their roots. The loss of original guitarist Chris DeGarmo, and more recently the firing of vocalist Geoff Tate made many wonder if Queensr\u00ffche could continue as a viable entity.<\/p>\n

The muddy waters of two Queensr\u00ffches, one including original members Scott Rockenfield, Michael Wilton and Eddie Jackson, and an entirely different group fronted by Tate, have only served to bring even more questions to the minds of the metal masses. The answers can be found in the 11 tracks presented on Queensr\u00ffche<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Despite Geoff Tate\u2019s assertion that he is responsible for writing 81% of Queensr\u00ffche\u2019s material, the band\u2019s first album without him is also the first classic album in their catalogue since Empire<\/em> and possibly the first to fully engage the elements that comprise the band\u2019s trademark sound since Operation: Mindcrime<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Vocalist Todd La Torre, formerly of Crimson Glory, captures the essence of the band\u2019s early material, offering a delivery that is reminiscent of Tate\u2019s best work with a power metal edge. Longtime fans will find La Torre\u2019s work to be a spectacular return to form for the band, making it damn near impossible to mourn the loss of Geoff Tate, as iconic as his voice and presence have been. <\/p>\n

Looking beyond the issue of changing vocalists, Queensr\u00ffche brings forth some of their best songwriting to date. Opening track \u2018X2\u2019 is a short instrumental that builds tension only to release into the album\u2019s first real song, \u2018Where Dreams Go To Die\u2019. The calm verse builds into a power prog chorus that captures the mixture of heavy and melody that Queensr\u00ffche has always based their sound upon. The dueling guitars of Michael Wilton and Parker Lundgren offer a cutting counterpoint to La Torre\u2019s passionate vocals, and provide a perfect twin guitar solo in true Queensr\u00ffche style. The modern production adds to the pleasing sound, and the result is a band reborn, true to their history while embracing a modern sound that is a logical progression from their best work. <\/p>\n

Throughout this release Queensr\u00ffche presents songs that easily fit alongside their existing catalogue. \u2018A World Without\u2019 is reminiscent of moments from 1986\u2019s Rage For Order<\/em>. \u2018Spore\u2019 and \u2018Redemption\u2019 have the same kind of grand melodic choruses that made Empire<\/em> a hit. The vocal melodies on the chorus of \u2018Redemption\u2019 are very similar to those heard on \u2018Jet City Woman\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018In This Light\u2019 could have fit well on Empire<\/em> as well, and showcases why bassist Eddie Jackson and drummer Scott Rockenfield are one of the strongest rhythm sections in the rock world, as they provide power even in the quietest moments of this track. Not only is the rhythm section tight, but the entire band syncs in a way that makes it hard to believe that two of the five members, guitarist Parker Lundgren as well as vocalist Todd La Torre, are making their first album proper with the band. <\/p>\n

Queensr\u00ffche<\/em> is a classic album worthy of the band\u2019s name. The songs presented build upon the group\u2019s legendary past to create an album that is both modern and able to represent well compared to any previously released fan favourites. Wilton, Jackson and Rockenfield did the world a favour by allowing new members La Torre and Lundgren to be involved in the writing process.<\/p>\n

To those who would ask if Queensr\u00ffche will be torn apart by inner conflict, or if the band even has a place in the world of modern metal, Queensr\u00ffche themselves have produced an answer. As a fan, this is the first album the band has released that has excited my ears in years. These songs have solidified in my mind that there need only be one Queensr\u00ffche in the world, and they have proven themselves on this release. <\/p>\n

Jim McDonald<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

QUEENSR\u0178CHEQueensr\u00ffche Century Media (2013)Rating: 10\/10 It has been many years since Queensr\u00ffche was a driving force in the metal scene. Their steady growth was rewarded with the success of rock opera Operation: Mindcrime (1988) and solidified by the chart topping Empire (1990). A series of mediocre albums were released after, many seeing the band bend […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[202],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-queensryche"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15984"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16016,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15984\/revisions\/16016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}