Devil's Gate Music
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I’m a huge fan of Queensrÿche and I have been for ages. ‘Operation: Mindcrime’ is one of my favourite albums ever, and for good reason. It’s both a perfect concept album and a perfect prog-metal album, and while their more recent material may not be quite the same, I still think they’re going strong, and this new album is absolute proof of that. Despite a changing line-up over the last few albums, they’ve managed to stay in touch with their iconic sound, as well as bring something new to the table.
‘In Extremis’ bursts right out of the gate with a few seconds of ominous build-up that leads into a fast-paced drumbeat, a catchy guitar riff, and then the brilliant vocals of Todd La Torre – a really impressive addition over the last decade, both honouring and matching up to Geoff Tate with ease. This isn’t one of the most vocally impressive songs on the album, but the power of his voice is still absolutely mind-blowing anyway, and we’ve only just started. The most recent single ‘Behind the Walls’ is very much a touch of the older stuff from them, and I for one love it. It’s an appropriate six minutes of huge drum beats and guitar riffs, as well as a pared down but ultimately perfectly chantable chorus.
‘Tormentum’ is an absolute beast of a track at a full seven and a half minutes long, and technically the album’s closer. It’s made up of an absolutely killer guitar riff from Michael Wilton, bunched with fierce drum and basslines from Eddie Jackson and Casey Grillo, La Torre’s vocals also coming out in full force. There’s a dip in the aggression just before the song is halfway done, in which the instrumental slows significantly, and La Torre is replaced by a spoken word piece for a moment, invoking some thought about the song title’s meaning. The music kicks right back up again afterward, leaving you torn between your thoughts and the desire to move with the beat – a particular talent with this band.
It’s hard to overstate just how much I’m enjoying this album – it’s not for everybody, and I don’t doubt there will be people complaining they’re not as good as they used to be, but I think they’ve completely nailed it with this one. The album is packed with vocal prowess and some of the best guitar they could manage, which all adds up to a brilliant hour of metal at its best. The delightful bonus track was also a welcome surprise that both put a neat stamp at the end of the experience, as well as balancing some of the more thought-provoking stuff.
‘Digital Noise Alliance’ is available now via Century Media
Review – El Vipond
