Artist: Queensryche
Label: Rhino Records
Release Date: 4/4/06
Stream the video for "The Hands" (Courtsey of Special Ops Media)
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Title: Operation: Mindcrime II Artist: Queensryche Label: Rhino Records Release Date: 4/4/06 |
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Stream the video for "The Hands" (Courtsey of Special Ops Media) | |||
Abyss's Review:
You can definitely count me amongst the disenfranchised when it comes to this band. In fact, I'm not even sure I remember the last time I really cared about them - it was most likely Empire. Just like everyone else, when I heard that the band had decided to record a sequel to their ambitious masterpiece, I felt it was a tragedy in the making. I mean, what were these guys thinking? They weren't even capable of coming out with a decent album in who knows how long, so to attempt something this far-reaching and potentially damaging seemed nothing more than folly.
"One word review: Good." With all that being said, you can't really name an album something like Mindcrime II and still tell people that you're still trying to expand your horizons and mature. It's obvious that they're making a blatant attempt at a return to form. And from this point of view, they've definitely come up short. Operation: Mindcrime II is not nearly the album that the original was, and no amount of dissection or critical analyses will change that.
Of course, to be fair, this album isn't nearly the train wreck I expected it to be either. In fact, in my weaker moments I have to admit that I'm enjoying it on a certain level. The band seems to have captured the mood of the original record, the story remains intriguing, and the music is definitely their best material since Empire. The band is distinctly heavier than they've been in a long damn time, and that's almost always a good thing in my book. All this might make for a really good album if they'd decided on a different title than the one they did. Standing on its own, this record is mediocre to good, compared to the original, it just doesn't hold up.
Geoff Tate's vocals remain powerful, but they've definitely lost some of their edge. I have to admit that I was a little excited to hear his duet with Dio ("The Chase"), which is one of the better songs on the record, but even this high point would barely register compared to songs like "Breaking The Silence," "Eyes of a Stranger," or "Spreading The Disease." This album was much better than I expected it to be, but first impressions are often the most accurate... this band simply aimed too high. One word review: Good.
Death's Review:
My love for old-school Queensryche has been well-documented on these pages through the years. Albums like The Warning (1984) and Rage for Order (1986) are among my all-time favorites. I even really got into 1994's Promised Land. Of course, like everyone else, my interested dwindled and diminished and eventually totally evaporated after 1997's Hear in the Now Frontier sucked and founding guitarist Chris DeGarmo left the band while mediocre-to-bad albums like Q2K (1999) and Tribe (2003) became the norm and Geoff Tate started disclaiming his metal roots while promoting his strange electronics-tinged solo album (I did like the "Flood" song though). So here in 2006, I thought that Queensryche and I were pretty much through.
"The story is well-told, and the music really brings the listener back to the original Mindcrime period." I wasn't even that psyched when I heard about Operation: Mindcrime II. I of course loved the 1988 original, but figured the "sequel" would come off as a dishonest, sell-out, last ditch attempt to recapture old glory while desecrating past glory. It seemed wrong. And I had seen the band play "I'm American" live when they opened the Judas Priest tour and it didn't really do all that much for me. But of course I was curious. And reading that Ronnie James Dio was going to play the part of the infamous Dr. X made me a little interested I guess (he actually only sings on one song). But it wasn't until I saw the packaging, immediately noticing that it looked like the distinctive red and white look of the original, that something clicked. Suddenly I realized, Operation: Mindcrime II is here! And while there was no DeGarmo, the other four original members are still present (vocalist Geoff Tate, guitarist Michael Wilton, bassist Eddie Jackson, and drummer Scott Rockenfield). I had to listen to it, but I needed a focused situation where I could hear the whole thing at once. I kept putting it off, first because I genuinely didn't have the time but then because I was afraid it was going to suck and I really didn't want that to be true. Then I read a couple of mixed to bad reviews, and my expectations hit rock bottom.
Then I actually listened to this record. On the drive from Boston to Worcester heading to the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. And I was shocked to discover that it was really, truly very good. There were cool talking parts and intros. "I'm American" sounded pretty cool, better than I had remembered, more like a leadoff track from one of the last few Iron Maiden records - catchy and upbeat yet guitar driven and metallic. The timing was even right for the political tone of the lyrics. There was a real connection to the last Mindcrime album in guitar tone and style, with dueling twin-harmonized leads and everything. Wow. The next song had lyrics that drew me back into the Mindcrime story - hearing the line "and Mary was more than a whore" from "One Foot in Hell" got my attention - the tight, staccato drum riff and the twin guitar leads started me banging my head. "Hands" starts off with chords that evoke the memory original Mindcrime (the beginning of "Eyes of a Stranger"?) and Tate's voice sounds really cool. "Speed of Light" gets progressive, and you hear Pamela Moore return as the voice of Mary. She sounds cool too.
The rest of the album is also very cool. "Signs Say Go" is a killer metal rocker with a catchy chorus and cool backing vocals. I love how Tate is not afraid to go back to some of the higher registers on "Re-Arrange You," another cool song. The Dio track ("Murderer?") also lives up to expectations. The album continues to demand the listener's attention through a swirl of guitar, drama, and spooky Latin chants.
My only complaint is the way the album ends (*spoiler alert*? ) - on a very mellow love song / ballad / duet between Moore and Tate. Odd. I expected an intense closer a la "Eyes of a Stranger," probably the original Mindcrime's best track. Not here. I actually thought I had accidentally cut the album off, but no, that was it. Oh well, the song grows on me, and has a certain wistful power that reminds me a little bit of "Believe" from Savatage's Streets (another ballad that closes a prog metal concept record) but significantly sappier and less heavy.
All in all, Mindcrime II is really, really good, and certainly much better than I had anticipated. The story is well-told, and the music really brings the listener back to the original Mindcrime period. There is lots of cool guitar here, and Tate sounds better than he has in years. There is no doubt that this is the best Queensryche album since Promised Land. I was psyched to see the fans respond as well, as the album debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and remains on the charts 4 weeks later as of the writing of this review. I am still spinning the album regularly weeks after that first listen, which is pretty surprising actually. I'm totally looking forward to seeing the new material live. What a turnaround. Hopefully this isn't a one-time only thing done specially for the Mindcrime sequel and instead the band continues on this trend back toward metal with future efforts and with the live show. For now, I'm enjoying this album a whole lot. So don't believe the haters - if you liked the original Mindcrime, you owe it to yourself to check out the new one, find out who killed Mary, and enjoy some of the best 80's prog metal to come out in 20 years.
Hel's Review:
It was a true stroke of brilliance for Queensryche to release Operation: Mindcrime II at this point in time. Personally, I feel as though I stuck with the band a great deal longer than a lot of my contemporaries did, and frankly once DeGarmo left the band I was pretty much done - nothing less than Mindcrime II would have gotten me interested again at this point. Yet the thought of this album without DeGarmo, well, that's extremely troubling... So I really had to work up my courage before putting this in, basically fearing the worst, but far too curious to not.
"It was a true stroke of brilliance for Queensryche to release Operation: Mindcrime II at this point in time." The first Mindcrime album was nothing less than pure genius, with a highly compelling story that anchored some of the most powerful songs that band had ever come up with. That sets a very high bar and it is unsurprising that I was mildly disappointed. But the fact that I was not very disappointed is extremely impressive. Not nearly as impressive as this new effort charting at number 14 on Billboard's Top 200 its first week out... It seems I wasn't the only one burning with curiosity...
I think the absence of DeGarmo is noticeable on a few songs; there are a number of places throughout the record where you can just feel the shift away from the direction he may have taken the song in, were he still doing a share of the penning. Still, I cannot help but be impressed with the outcome. There are a handful of amazing songs with a sprinkle of songs that are a shade blander than I desire, and one of two that just miss it, as I see "it."
There is no question that the fans that have been with them all along will be beside themselves, and there is no doubt in my mind that this tour will sell out all over the place. After all, who isn't a little curious to hear what happens after Nikki gets out of prison? I won't spoil it for you, but if you're betting he's got a score to settle, you'd be on the right track.
Should you take the time to check this out? Absolutely. Just keep in mind that this is Queensryche circa 2006 releasing a sequel to one of the most legendary albums in metal history, so you might want to keep your reality checker nearby.
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