Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and metalheads of all ages: Queensrÿche are back! But not just in the sense of their new album Condition Hüman; no this return goes much deeper than that. This for all intents and purposes is a resurrection of what used to be a mighty force in the world of heavy metal long ago, and a true return to form and what they once stood for: Uncompromising musical excellence. The turmoil that has engulfed this band over the past several years has been well documented but now that the messy break up and legal entanglements with original singer Geoff Tate are done and dusted you get the sense that the band is refreshed, enthusiastic about the future and alive again.
A great weight has been lifted from their collective shoulders and it shows in the quality of work on Condition Hüman. Right from the word go you can tell this is going to be a different Queensrÿche experience from some of the media/fan criticised efforts served up of late. From the opening few bars of the first single Arrow Of Time, there is a strong feeling that the band have rediscovered the “Queensrÿche” formula and returned to a style more in tune with albums such as Empire and Promised Land. Put simply, from start to finish this sounds like a Queensrÿche album should.
I don’t know how much time needs to pass before a song can be legitimately classified as a “classic” but I am more than happy to label Guardian in that category. This is the type of song which the band built their reputation on, and I can see this becoming a crowd favourite in a live setting. Other cuts that are sure to warm the hearts of die-hard fans include Hellfire, Selfish Lives, Hourglass and the brilliant seven and a half minute finale of the title track.
Queensryche have always had the tag of great musicians, Up until "Promise Land", After which they were just going through the motions IMO. The stand outs this time has to be the rebirth of Michael Wilton, And the battering ram that is Scott Rockenfeld. A great job is an understatement. Thanks
Robert
A great weight has been lifted from their collective shoulders and it shows in the quality of work on Condition Hüman. Right from the word go you can tell this is going to be a different Queensrÿche experience from some of the media/fan criticised efforts served up of late. From the opening few bars of the first single Arrow Of Time, there is a strong feeling that the band have rediscovered the “Queensrÿche” formula and returned to a style more in tune with albums such as Empire and Promised Land. Put simply, from start to finish this sounds like a Queensrÿche album should.
I don’t know how much time needs to pass before a song can be legitimately classified as a “classic” but I am more than happy to label Guardian in that category. This is the type of song which the band built their reputation on, and I can see this becoming a crowd favourite in a live setting. Other cuts that are sure to warm the hearts of die-hard fans include Hellfire, Selfish Lives, Hourglass and the brilliant seven and a half minute finale of the title track.
Queensryche have always had the tag of great musicians, Up until "Promise Land", After which they were just going through the motions IMO. The stand outs this time has to be the rebirth of Michael Wilton, And the battering ram that is Scott Rockenfeld. A great job is an understatement. Thanks
Robert
