Queensrÿche: The New Chapter – Live at the Viper Room
By John Knowles
Wednesday, May 1, 2013. The Viper Room in Hollywood, California was home to the unveiling of the latest release from the true, and worthy bearers of the Queensrÿche name. The new album entitled simply, Queensrÿche, and featuring a fairly basic cover image with the infamous “Tri-Rÿche,” shows the Seattle legends seemingly opting for a more subtle approach. Perhaps by featuring their classic logo they are choosing to highlight a sense of new beginning and an optimistic look towards the future. This is the first Queensrÿche release to feature new vocalist Todd La Torre, and also the first to prominently feature the contributions and talents of guitarist Parker Lundgren. In March of 2013, the band announced that they had signed with Century Media Records, and this evening the band revealed the culmination of a solid year’s worth of hard work.
To begin the event, drummer Scott Rockenfield and Todd La Torre walked up on the small stage of the famous Viper Room and welcomed everyone in attendance. This was an exclusive invite-only event, and those present were anxious for a night of great new music from one of Heavy Metal’s finest. Scott announced that the new album would be played, followed by a very intimate performance from the band. Having had a chance to listen to the album’s single many times, I couldn’t wait to hear what the rest of the album would sound like. The album opened up with the bombastic, heavy, effects-driven instrumental piece “X2” which really sets the pace for the rest of the record. Given Rockenfield’s proclivity for TV and film scores, as well as having founded a sound effects studio, he no doubt had a huge part to play in this opener. Scott and the band have commented in recent interviews about the very collaborative nature of this new record, so I had high expectations for what a fully united and unified Queensrÿche offering would sound like.
“X2” blends right into the second track of the record, “Where Dreams Go To Die.” This track was heavy like the band has not been in years. It also marks the return of the classic dual harmonies that Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton perfected in the 80s. Queensrÿche always had a way of writing really interesting and unique guitar parts, and this track lets you know they still have that capability. This track marks the first appearance of Todd La Torre on the album, and makes his presence known in a mighty way. The man has quite a range, and the band definitely highlights that on this first full-length track. In a recent posting on the band’s Facebook, Scott wrote, “Working with Jimbo and the addition of Todd has revitalized the band in ways we never knew until we heard the final results.” That quote about sums up the impression I got from the first few tracks on this record.
Track four, entitled “In This Light” brings down the intensity slightly but reaffirms the bands sense of melody and harmony. The chorus on this song is just stunning, and reminds me of why I will always be a Queensrÿche fan. The albums first single, “Redemption” follows and delivers that classic, Empire-era sound. This track reminds me a lot of “Hand On Heart” with a little bit of the attitude of “Operation: Mindcrime.” The album’s seventh track, “Midnight Lullaby” really stood out to me. It’s a great, heavy, emotional and powerful ballad. It encompasses the darkest moments of “Silent Lucidity,” “Anybody Listening?,” and “Someone Else?,” but with a really fresh approach. This is seriously a highlight of the album and showcases some of its best songwriting.
The album concludes with a few fast-paced rockers, reminiscent of “Speak” or “The Needle Lies” followed by another amazing ballad that reminded me a lot of “Anybody Listening?” I don’t mean to draw too many comparisons to their back catalogue, as these new songs only share a similar feel. While I didn’t hear anything on this record that was truly unlike anything else from a previous Queensrÿche release, I must say that this record reveals a band that has been rejuvenated, and showcases the sounds fans have wanted to relive on a Queensrÿche record for many years.
Aside from the songwriting, the album sounded great. There has been a lot of talk out there regarding Geoff Tate’s sonic blunder on Frequency Unknown, but this Queensrÿche release sounds full and rich. The album undoubtedly owes a lot to the production talents of James Barton, who co-produced and engineered Queensrÿche’s best work in the past.
My overall review of the album is that it is a solid Queensrÿche release that the fans have been missing and desiring for a long time. I would go so far as to say that this is easily the strongest release since the very experimental but unique Promised Land. To be fair, this album is not necessarily ground breaking for a band like Queensrÿche, nor does it necessarily showcase any truly original ideas for them. However, it definitely sounds fresh, alive, and genuine. This a release that’s many years overdue, and now almost 30 years into their career, Queensrÿche prove that they have the drive to reinvent themselves, and release a solid album they and the fans can be proud of. In lieu of writing any lengthy comparisons between the quality of this record, and Geoff Tate’s latest Queensrÿche release, I will simply say that this review - and those that follow - along with albums sales and streams, will speak for themselves.
After the album was finished, the band took to the stage to deliver 11 songs from their classic catalogue. They sounded great, and as someone who has seen the band many times over the years, you could really get a sense of their renewed passion and energy. I have not seen so much joy on the face (albeit a menacing metal face) of Wilton, Jackson, or Rockenfield in many years. They opened up with their namesake, “Queen of the Reich” and the crowd loved it. It is really nice to hear them tackle these old songs again. When La Torre went in to the tracks opening scream, I felt a sense of relief to finally hear the band in this capacity – playing their classics and delivering them with punishing intent. One of my all time favorite Queensrÿche tracks, “The Whisper” off of Rage For Order was performed. It was amazing to hear those opening lead lines live. The band went on to perform other fan favorites including, “En Force” and “Warning” before performing the new albums single, “Redemption” for the first time live. In the context of Queensrÿche favorites, “Redemption” holds it own, and sounds great alongside the best of Empire. I can only imagine how the rest of the album will sound live when they begin to perform it on tour.
The overall picture on stage was of a band that has found their place together. The two newcomers, Lundgren and La Torre sounded great and blended well with the veteran members. Lundgren is a solid young player and contributes some nice vocal work as well. La Torre is a powerhouse vocalist, who can deliver on the classic Queensrÿche material, and still incorporate his own unique vocal subtleties.
My only complaint about their performance was the set list as a whole. I love the Queensrÿche classics, and those first five albums will always be some of my favorites. But Queensrÿche wrote great songs after Empire too. Maybe not great whole albums, but certainly great songs at best. I know this condensed set is a sample of what they have been playing on the road but it would be great to hear them perform “I Am I,” “Someone Else?,” “Sign of the Times,” or even “Open” among others. However, I completely understand that this is a band that has been unable to perform so much of their renowned catalogue for many years, and they now have the opportunity to do so. More power to them. Michael Wilton said it best in a recent interview when he said, “We’re really concentrating on rebuilding the business, rebuilding the brand and showing the fans who have been waiting so long to see a good hard rock show that we’ve got it.” This night at the Viper Room, they definitely did that and the crowd ate it up! They closed their set with the still relevant and politically charged, “Empire.”
Queensrÿche’s new self-titled release, Queensrÿche will be available in the States June 25th on Century Media Records.
www.facebook.com/QueensrycheOfficial
www.queensrycheofficial.com
By John Knowles
Wednesday, May 1, 2013. The Viper Room in Hollywood, California was home to the unveiling of the latest release from the true, and worthy bearers of the Queensrÿche name. The new album entitled simply, Queensrÿche, and featuring a fairly basic cover image with the infamous “Tri-Rÿche,” shows the Seattle legends seemingly opting for a more subtle approach. Perhaps by featuring their classic logo they are choosing to highlight a sense of new beginning and an optimistic look towards the future. This is the first Queensrÿche release to feature new vocalist Todd La Torre, and also the first to prominently feature the contributions and talents of guitarist Parker Lundgren. In March of 2013, the band announced that they had signed with Century Media Records, and this evening the band revealed the culmination of a solid year’s worth of hard work.
To begin the event, drummer Scott Rockenfield and Todd La Torre walked up on the small stage of the famous Viper Room and welcomed everyone in attendance. This was an exclusive invite-only event, and those present were anxious for a night of great new music from one of Heavy Metal’s finest. Scott announced that the new album would be played, followed by a very intimate performance from the band. Having had a chance to listen to the album’s single many times, I couldn’t wait to hear what the rest of the album would sound like. The album opened up with the bombastic, heavy, effects-driven instrumental piece “X2” which really sets the pace for the rest of the record. Given Rockenfield’s proclivity for TV and film scores, as well as having founded a sound effects studio, he no doubt had a huge part to play in this opener. Scott and the band have commented in recent interviews about the very collaborative nature of this new record, so I had high expectations for what a fully united and unified Queensrÿche offering would sound like.
“X2” blends right into the second track of the record, “Where Dreams Go To Die.” This track was heavy like the band has not been in years. It also marks the return of the classic dual harmonies that Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton perfected in the 80s. Queensrÿche always had a way of writing really interesting and unique guitar parts, and this track lets you know they still have that capability. This track marks the first appearance of Todd La Torre on the album, and makes his presence known in a mighty way. The man has quite a range, and the band definitely highlights that on this first full-length track. In a recent posting on the band’s Facebook, Scott wrote, “Working with Jimbo and the addition of Todd has revitalized the band in ways we never knew until we heard the final results.” That quote about sums up the impression I got from the first few tracks on this record.
Track four, entitled “In This Light” brings down the intensity slightly but reaffirms the bands sense of melody and harmony. The chorus on this song is just stunning, and reminds me of why I will always be a Queensrÿche fan. The albums first single, “Redemption” follows and delivers that classic, Empire-era sound. This track reminds me a lot of “Hand On Heart” with a little bit of the attitude of “Operation: Mindcrime.” The album’s seventh track, “Midnight Lullaby” really stood out to me. It’s a great, heavy, emotional and powerful ballad. It encompasses the darkest moments of “Silent Lucidity,” “Anybody Listening?,” and “Someone Else?,” but with a really fresh approach. This is seriously a highlight of the album and showcases some of its best songwriting.
The album concludes with a few fast-paced rockers, reminiscent of “Speak” or “The Needle Lies” followed by another amazing ballad that reminded me a lot of “Anybody Listening?” I don’t mean to draw too many comparisons to their back catalogue, as these new songs only share a similar feel. While I didn’t hear anything on this record that was truly unlike anything else from a previous Queensrÿche release, I must say that this record reveals a band that has been rejuvenated, and showcases the sounds fans have wanted to relive on a Queensrÿche record for many years.
Aside from the songwriting, the album sounded great. There has been a lot of talk out there regarding Geoff Tate’s sonic blunder on Frequency Unknown, but this Queensrÿche release sounds full and rich. The album undoubtedly owes a lot to the production talents of James Barton, who co-produced and engineered Queensrÿche’s best work in the past.
My overall review of the album is that it is a solid Queensrÿche release that the fans have been missing and desiring for a long time. I would go so far as to say that this is easily the strongest release since the very experimental but unique Promised Land. To be fair, this album is not necessarily ground breaking for a band like Queensrÿche, nor does it necessarily showcase any truly original ideas for them. However, it definitely sounds fresh, alive, and genuine. This a release that’s many years overdue, and now almost 30 years into their career, Queensrÿche prove that they have the drive to reinvent themselves, and release a solid album they and the fans can be proud of. In lieu of writing any lengthy comparisons between the quality of this record, and Geoff Tate’s latest Queensrÿche release, I will simply say that this review - and those that follow - along with albums sales and streams, will speak for themselves.
After the album was finished, the band took to the stage to deliver 11 songs from their classic catalogue. They sounded great, and as someone who has seen the band many times over the years, you could really get a sense of their renewed passion and energy. I have not seen so much joy on the face (albeit a menacing metal face) of Wilton, Jackson, or Rockenfield in many years. They opened up with their namesake, “Queen of the Reich” and the crowd loved it. It is really nice to hear them tackle these old songs again. When La Torre went in to the tracks opening scream, I felt a sense of relief to finally hear the band in this capacity – playing their classics and delivering them with punishing intent. One of my all time favorite Queensrÿche tracks, “The Whisper” off of Rage For Order was performed. It was amazing to hear those opening lead lines live. The band went on to perform other fan favorites including, “En Force” and “Warning” before performing the new albums single, “Redemption” for the first time live. In the context of Queensrÿche favorites, “Redemption” holds it own, and sounds great alongside the best of Empire. I can only imagine how the rest of the album will sound live when they begin to perform it on tour.
The overall picture on stage was of a band that has found their place together. The two newcomers, Lundgren and La Torre sounded great and blended well with the veteran members. Lundgren is a solid young player and contributes some nice vocal work as well. La Torre is a powerhouse vocalist, who can deliver on the classic Queensrÿche material, and still incorporate his own unique vocal subtleties.
My only complaint about their performance was the set list as a whole. I love the Queensrÿche classics, and those first five albums will always be some of my favorites. But Queensrÿche wrote great songs after Empire too. Maybe not great whole albums, but certainly great songs at best. I know this condensed set is a sample of what they have been playing on the road but it would be great to hear them perform “I Am I,” “Someone Else?,” “Sign of the Times,” or even “Open” among others. However, I completely understand that this is a band that has been unable to perform so much of their renowned catalogue for many years, and they now have the opportunity to do so. More power to them. Michael Wilton said it best in a recent interview when he said, “We’re really concentrating on rebuilding the business, rebuilding the brand and showing the fans who have been waiting so long to see a good hard rock show that we’ve got it.” This night at the Viper Room, they definitely did that and the crowd ate it up! They closed their set with the still relevant and politically charged, “Empire.”
Queensrÿche’s new self-titled release, Queensrÿche will be available in the States June 25th on Century Media Records.
www.facebook.com/QueensrycheOfficial
www.queensrycheofficial.com
