(PRESALE - SHIPS OR PICKUP 7-31-26)

BLACK VINYL

After tasting success from both their self-titled debut EP and The Warning, Queensrÿche lost their edge a bit on this release. The hair metal movement was fast approaching and this once unique band now looked -- and for the most part, sounded -- like the average metal band of the day. The signature sound of Queensrÿche is still unmistakable, as Geoff Tate's voice sounds strong. The music here is simpler than on Warning; the lyrics are bit too heavy-handed and have not stood the test of time very well. "Walk in the Shadows" is a well-structured song with a good combination of Tate's howling and dramatic background vocals. "I Will Remember" was a precursor to "Silent Lucidity" and accentuated the power and emotion that Tate can evoke. The band was obviously trying to expand their approach to music with a heavy emphasis on theatrics, but the music suffered as a result. They succeeded with this approach to a certain extent on Operation: Mindcrime, but the band's musical limitations have always prevented them from moving beyond a classier version of Iron Maiden.

A1        Walk In The Shadows
A2        I Dream In Infra Red
A3        The Whisper
A4        Gonna Get Close To You
A5        The Killing Words
A6        Surgical Strike
B1        Neue Regel
B2        Chemical Youth (We Are Rebellion)
B3        London
B4        Screaming In Digital
B5        I Will Remember