REVIEW: Queensryche, Q2K (Atlantic)
- Chris Hill
Queensryche made their masterpiece with the 1988 concept album Operation: Mindcrime. Their next, Empire, outsold the triple platinum Mindcrime by a million. So what? "Silent Lucidity" and "Empire" are lunar reflections of the sun that is Operation: Mindcrime. Queensryche will carry the pride and the burden Operation: Mindcrime throughout their career.
"I remember now. I remember how it started. I can't remember yesterday. I just remember doing what they told me." It's sheer glory from the intro, including the hospital page taken from stock sound. Hearing "Dr.David...Dr. Blair, Dr. J. Hamilton," sparks a smile, an in-joke for fans of the 'ryche, when it appears, seemingly ubiquitous in every tv show or movie hospital scene. Michael Kamen orchestration, an intelligent story (Imagine! Rock fans who think!), cinematic flourishes of dialogue and sound effects -- so many things to praise on that album, with the musicianship at the top of the list.
How you view Q2K depends on how you view your art. Are you looking for a Da Vinci to paint a Mona Lisa, then move on to other challenges? Or do you want Monet, with multiple, equally stunning portraits of the Rouen Cathedral? Will a disc different from the Mindcrime watermark disappoint or please? Up to you.
Enough digression. Queensryche has a new album out, and to their credit, they continue to avoid a creative regression to past glories, despite the departure of founding ace guitarist and songwriter Chris DeGarmo and the reflex to recoil from a wound. Band friend, guitarist, and producer Kelly Gray fills this void ably. Forced change *can* be good -- see R.E.M. sans Bill Berry.
Some bands are identified by their guitarists. With this one, it's the vocalist. Geoff Tate proves again why he stands at the forefront of rock singers. Voicing the tired lyrics of "Sacred Ground," ("You're the one I want/you know it's true./Let go of everything/open up to me. You bring me to sacred ground/ when I'm inside you"), Tate impossibly makes the song fresh. His phrasing is perfection -- no surprise to those aware of Tate's talent.
The Queensryche guitar magic is also unchanged: eleven songs containing solid riffs and breakout leads, just what you'd expect from old pros like Michael Wilton and Gray. Rounding out the band mentions, drummer Scott Rockenfield and bassist Eddie Jackson remain, underpinning, and, when given free rein, taking charge of the songs, giving Q2K a strong, filler-free presence.
"Beside You," opening with Tate softly crooning a hymnal, segues to thick-sliced chopping rhythms. The lyrical intimacy of a father's connection with his child works beautifully, backed by a slide guitar that morphs to an electric crescendo.
The edgily menacing "Liquid Sky," my favorite on Q2K, harkens back to the glory days of "I Don't Believe in Love" and "Empire" without prostituting itself. The guitars slither around Tate's operatic range, appearing out of the shadows, then subtly disappearing again. There's a segment atmosphere, as if a line stretches to a suite of other, unheard songs.
"When the Rain Comes," a plea for connection ("I feel the rain coming/I feel it in my heart, take away my pain/...Hold me now, just for awhile"),flies on Tate's vocals, beginning in his lower range then soaring and swooping like a bird. Remember the first time you heard "Queen of the Reich" in stunned amazement? Older, matured, Tate's voice retains that ability to astonish.
"One life is like one prayer/One love to share/One thought is like one dream/One world, one meaning." Interestingly, a comparison to U2, evoked by "One Life"'s infinite guitar intro and this "world as one" theme, was reinforced by Queensryche covering "Bullet the Blue Sky" at their recent Seattle show.
While other '80s rock bands appear on K-tel compilations and "Where Are They Now?" shows, Queensryche forges on, making their own way, uncompromised. So it's not Mindcrime. So what? If you've haven't strayed from the fold, Q2K won't disappoint. If you have, step inside their site at http://www.queensryche.com, and see what you've missed.
