{"id":96607,"date":"2022-10-07T00:00:57","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T23:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=96607"},"modified":"2022-11-03T16:24:30","modified_gmt":"2022-11-03T16:24:30","slug":"album-review-queensryche-digital-noise-alliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-queensryche-digital-noise-alliance\/","title":{"rendered":"QUEENSR\u0178CHE – Digital Noise Alliance (2022) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

QUEENSR\u0178CHE
Digital Noise Alliance<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nCentury Media (2022)<\/span>
Rating: 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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I was never the biggest fan of Queensr\u00ffche but I\u2019m more than appreciative of them as a metal band, and more so since the acquisition of Todd La Torre on vocals who joined the American band in 2012.<\/p>\n

As soon as Digital Noise Alliance<\/em> hits with \u2018In Extremis\u2019 these guys start tapping on my soft spot because this is a gloriously polished and forceful heap of melodic metal that just drives in an epic fashion.<\/p>\n

People can harp on all they want about the progressive abilities of Queensr\u00ffche but I\u2019ve still come for the metal, which at times over the years has somewhat been sacrificed\u2026 but not here. The bass is rollicking, the vocals soar high, the drums are crisp and the axe melodies melt the ears. Yes, there are those streaks of complexity and brooding prog-metal, but there are still those straight-forward and accessible slabs which just literally smoke.<\/p>\n

\u2018Chapters\u2019 is a powerhouse of a track that\u2019s not delivered a world away from a less Gothic or doomy Candlemass, circa Messiah Marcolin, but with flashes of Bruce Dickinson. Meanwhile, \u2018Tormentum\u2019 is just gargantuan and Gothic boasting power metal aesthetics but fusing melody with steel in stunning fashion while the fleetingly jarring passages remind one of a Voivod-esque gait before resulting into a steaming, pulsating melodic rock extravaganza.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the great thing about Queensr\u00ffche, they are jam-packed with layers and while some may initially appear as cold and slightly inaccessible, if you visit with the right mindset then you are more than welcome to stay. If anyone ever tells you that Iron Maiden is progressive metal then I suggest you direct them to the ascending melodies offered on this stupendous opus, a record which suggests a comfort within the ranks and, most importantly, a power.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, \u2018Out Of The Black\u2019 climbs wondrously, propelled by its driving bass, \u2018Lost In Sorrow\u2019 struts and strides with self-assurance smoothly gliding on a shuffling beat, while \u2018Hold On\u2019 is so multi-layered that it took me six listens to reach its core; the way it contorts from being an AOR-infused rocker to an intricate and spacious vacuum is staggering, and that\u2019s before the killer axe work leaks into the network.<\/p>\n

Many may be surprised at how the guys have not only regenerated their style but added extra weight and, dare I say it, a sprig of doominess to the point of chills which continuously ran down my spine. Elements of Pink Floyd drip in that cavort playfully with more sonic, up-tempo nuances, and while Queensr\u00ffche has always delivered a sense of coldness they now churn out grandiose power metal too.<\/p>\n

The cover of Billy Idol\u2019s \u2018Rebel Yell\u2019 will please some, but not all, and Digital Noise Alliance<\/em> is a tad overlong. However, it remains a remarkable opus littered with unpredictable notions but enough melody to not isolate itself.<\/p>\n

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

QUEENSR\u0178CHEDigital Noise Alliance Century Media (2022)Rating: 8.5\/10 I was never the biggest fan of Queensr\u00ffche but I\u2019m more than appreciative of them as a metal band, and more so since the acquisition of Todd La Torre on vocals who joined the American band in 2012. As soon as Digital Noise Alliance hits with \u2018In Extremis\u2019 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,202],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-queensryche"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96607","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=96607"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96608,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96607\/revisions\/96608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}