Agreed. I will always consider the early Queensryche albums as classics, but the new stuff sounds great. The band looks happy and re-energized after some dark years. Looking forward to Queensryche with Fates Warning here again in a few weeks.
Ever since Todd Latorre replaced Geoff Tate, Queensryche has been infused with new energy that has brought it back to form! This 3rd CD with Todd shows the group in a continued upward spiral. An excellent CD no doubt about that!
Dark Reverie and Inner Unrest belong on The Warning album. Light Years, Bent, and Launder The Conscience belong on Rage For Order album. Blood of the Levant, Man the Machine, and Propaganda Fashion belong on Operation Mindcrime album. Portrait belongs on Empire album. Inside Out goes to Promised Land album. My .02 worth. Love The Verdict!!
Amazing album from start to finish. I can't stop listening. Seriously, the last 3 Ryche albums with LaTorre and the live shows could be the greatest comeback in rock.
Pete, I think you are reading the fandom wrong. The fans did not leave the bandwagon because Tate left. Most fans are upset because DeGarmo left. Chris, not Geoff, was the main writer of their greatest songs. Tate has great concept ideas for albums, but he can not follow through with the individual songs to make the concepts work. (e.g. Mindcrime II, American Soldier, or his trilogy of albums under the Operation Mindcrime band). Otherwise, your analysis is spot on.
Degarmo was one of the main writers, and yes, did land more hits than Wilton, but Wilton wrote/co-wrote half of every classic queensryche album from warning to empire. ... My favorite tunes off of Empire, were Resistance, Empire, One and Only, where Wilton was main composer or co-writer. The Warming off of the Warming was a Wilton tune as well... I think when people don't read credits or think before they speak a lot of perceptions about a band can be misconstrued.
Lost most interest after Chris left. Bought Q2k, Tribe, Mindcrime 2, Soldier then stopped buying after Chaos. Will check this one out. Thanks. Still believe Chris is one of most underrated real artist. The Tom Scholtz of prog metal. Tate in 80's in same breath as Halford, Dio and Dickenson and even more talented than last 2 mentioned.
Smirre S - Chris DeGarmo is the Tom Scholtz of Prog metal?? *WOW!!* That's an insult to Chris DeGarmo. At least Chris didn't ruin a potential Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame band. Queensryche was *NEVER THAT.* Tom Scholtz ruined a *GUARANTEED ROCK 'n' ROLL HALL OF FAME* Band after *"Don't Look Back".* Boston is *not even a good cover band* of it's former self. "Third Stage" to "Life, Love & Hope" albums just got worst & worst. Boston's *ORIGINAL THIRD ALBUM (that was shelved plus I found a bootleg copy of it on cd - what the band recorded)* is better than anything from "Walk On" to Life, Love & Hope". That ain't saying much cause the original third album, if released, would of killed Boston. Tom Scholtz had 2 albums in him & it shows. DeGarmo knew he had nothing left & retired. Too bad Tate is still living on his past. And that shows.
@@kevinthetruckdriver353 rock n roll hall of fame is a joke, just like the grammies. The best bands are those outside. I agree in a sense the Chris and Tom comparison is not a good one. Tom is a multi- instrumentalist, perfectionist and could not give a shit of what others think type of guy. So in my eyes a legend. Chris also but in different sense. I think you're a bit harsh on the critism there on Boston! But, hey, that's fine. Thank God we all do not have same taste in music. I would go insane listening to the mainstream crap! Don't you just love the way Tom up yoursed CBS or whatever record co. ? Classic.... guys thats the reason kissing RRHoF goodbye?
@@dietersmit6639 - My criticism on Boston was spot on. I saw the "Don't Look Back" tour (in West Germany) & it was great. Then I saw the "Walk On" & 1st "Greatest Hits" tours (Mpls, MN - both with Brad Delp as lead singer). Both were worst than the original touring band. Guess you never heard Boston's "Corporate America" & "Life, Love & Hope" albums. Cause they were dreadful. Even worst than Tate's "F.U." Queensryche album which was bad.
Pete thank you for this video. This album made me wake up again and I am totally flashed of this sound. The previous one is also very good stuff but with the Verdict they top it again. I LOVE the old Queensryche and I ever will. I love Tates voice and his stage presence. I never thought I would give it a try again. Queensryche was not the same as in their glory times for many years. But when I heard the Verdict for the first time it blows me away. I am so happy to see this new direction they take. This is finally the music I want to hear from Queensryche again. I don't like the constant comparisons to the old Queensryche. The old Queensryche songs will always be part of my life and Geoffs voice will always thrill me. But the band is not a one man show. ALL guyes make a very good job. Great guitar great bass and great drums!!!! And I did not want to believe it: Todd sounds great!!! I will see them live in Berlin this year and I am sure they will rock it !!!!
Pete, Glad you are enjoying 'The Verdict'. I only own the S/T release with Todd La Torre and (like yourself) think it is a very strong album. I am remiss in not acquiring 'Condition Human' and most certainly will pick that up along with 'The Verdict'. What do you think of the (polarizing) album, 'Operation: Mindcrime II'? While probably in the minority, I am a fan and find it a worthy follow-up. However, the album (IMO) suffers from some pretty mediocre production. I saw that that tour at The State Theater in New Brunswick, NJ where they performed both Mindcrime albums in their entirety and it was quite good with Tate still sounding strong. Thanks for the review of the new album. Cheers, Brent
You've earned a new subscriber sir! I LOVE this album! I was, and still am, on the fence about Condition Human, but my love for the 2013 S/T can never be understated. This grabbed me on first listen and has gotten even better since. The band sounds fantastic, and Todd is incredible as always, and kills the drums too! I really think Todd, and Parker as well, being big fans of the band before they joined really gave new energy to the classic sound and vibe. And I can't get over these "No QR without Tate!" people, I mean are there actually people out there who thought Dedicated to Chaos and F.U. weren't laughable?!?! Even Tate wanted nothing to do with the classic QR sound for his last decade with the band. But I digress. This album is so good, and I can't wait to hear a lot of these songs live later this month. Cliche, but this is their best since Promised Land, as was the 2013 album. For me this is every bit as good as Empire. Thanks for a great review and keep up the great work!
Pete, thanks for the episode on this cd.... checked out a few tunes on TH-cam and promptly bought it. I was a no Tate, no band guy... I was wrong. Thank you 🙏
As much as I adore Geoff's vocals on the classic material, the band just pretty much went down the drain after Promised Land (which is a phenomenal album in my book). I'm actually amazed how a band can take such a MASSIVE nose dive and then, eventually, work their way back into relevance again so many years later. It shouldn't really be possible... People can say what they want about Geoff not being in the band, but the truth is he was just bringing the whole band down when his vocals range started to diminish and the weirdness started to creep in. Like I said. I LOVED his early work with the band, but the 1997 -2011 era was just painful. The three latest albums with Todd is such a massive improvement. First one was good but ultimately held back somewhat by the circumstances at the time, the second one was a big step forward and the latest one actually on par with some of the classic material, at least IMHO. And, like you said, even if you remove the Queensryche name from the album, it's still great and highly enjoyable metal. :)
Well said and I agree with you 100%. Long time Queensryche fan but everything after Promised Land just wasn't really Queensryche in my opinion it was more like an offshoot sideband experiment. And then Tate and his wife try to dominate the band and it's writing and direction and I am very happy that they are gone and the band is absolutely rejuvenated into a modern version of Queensryche that is both classic sounding and modern! I hope it gets the radio play it deserves. I think a lot of modern younger metalheads would appreciate the album if given the chance. I went to buy the album and several stores in my area and cannot find it which pisses me off... probably have to order on eBay
I agree it's a pretty good album, but how in the hell is no one mentioning how horribly it's produced and mixed? Apparently, I just need a new stereo...
I agree that Promised Land (1994) was their last great album, but Tribe (2003) and American Soldier (2009) were really good albums imo (obviously nowhere on the same left as their 1982-1995 output). There were also a select few good songs found on Hear in the Now Frontier (1997) (Hit the Black, Spool, Saved), Q2K (1999) (Liquid Sky, Right Side of My Mind, Howl) and Operation Mindcrime II (2006) (Hostage, Signs Say Go, Re-Arrange You, Murderer?, Fear City Slide). Dedicated to Chaos (2011) was one big turd. As for Geoff's solo career, his original self-titled album from 2002 was amazing (every song). I do also like a couple of songs off of Kings & Thieves (2012) (She Slipped Away, Tomorrow) and a few songs off of Frequency Unknown (2013) (Cold, In the Hands of God, Life Without You, The Weight of the World). As for his 3 Operation Mindcrime solo albums, I like 9 out of the 39 songs in total (Choices, Burn, Reinventing the Future, Life of Death?, The Fall, Left For Dead, The Fight, Taking On The World, Under Control). The other songs are all extremely forgettable. Geoff does sound incredible on the last 2 Avantasia albums btw. Regarding Queensryche's recent out, I'm not a fan of any of the 3 new albums. They just don't connect with me on any level. They sound very generic and not at all like CLASSIC Queensryche. Remember, those classic albums were revolutionary and they pushed the boundaries of what people were doing back then. They also had an insanely talented guitarist called Chris DeGarmo, who wrote most of their songs. They had one of the best singers of ALL-TIME at THAT time behind the mic. I'm sorry, but almost no one could match a young Geoff Tate, circa 1981-1987 (his best years) and really until 1995. He could shatter glass back in his prime with his upper range. Todd Latore is not even in the same universe as Geoff was in his prime. Scott's upper range is forced and very rough at the top end (more like screaming than singing), while Geoff used to have a clean upper range and could sustain it for as long as he wanted to, both in the studio and live. Finally, classic Queensryche also had a hungry and talented Scott Rockenfield behind the drum kit, who experimented a lot with his playing and inspired a lot of drummers over the years.
Dude ! I really have to thank you. After watching your video I went out to my local Best Buy and bought QUEENSRYCHE ( The Verdict ). And in my opinion it is the best QUEENSRYCHE album. Not including Mindcrime. Both are freaking Metal Masterpieces. Killer stuff ! Thanks again.
This is the album that should have followed Empire. It's not really good. It is spectacular. I am once again a Queensyche fan. I will revisit the past 2 releases. SOunds awesome on Smokey Red vinyl.
I ran across Blood of the Lavant a couple weekends ago just chillin’ with some beers. I was completely blown away with how good that song was put together. Front to back, SOLID guitars, drums, and especially vocals.
Agree with you 100%. Been a Queenryche fan from the beginning and the music put out with La Torre quite impressive and takes me back to those early days, great review!!!
Love the new album from Queensryche.. and love Goff Tate solo stuff.... In my opinion his solo stops not too bad it's not the greatest but it could be worse thank God it's not still a huge fan of both queensryche and Geoff Tate.i think Todd La Torre. Is doing a great job it's the Queensryche I love to hear
I am going to give it a shot.I had a chance to see La Torre fronting Crimson Glory a few years ago.I must admit that as much as I miss Midnight,La Torre nailed evry single note.
Geoff Tate being "not a writer" is a key phrase. On Dedicated To Chaos, he actually wrote a song about his Wifi connection. Also, people have been writing this release off ever since it became known that Scott wasn't going to be on the new release. Queensryche is still on top, while Geoff is going to put his Operation: Mindcrime band to bed. It is what it is. Btw, Peter, you should do a show on albums made after a singer leaves. Also, how is Todd on the drums? I can't wait to buy this.
Huge Queensryche fan and I bought the album the day it came out. Great album. I have every album, even Frequency Unknown. The albums in between Promised Land and La Torre's first with them were not horrible, but were not their best. But the past 3 were great. I completely agree with that.
I don't know man it's kind of like what you said about Y&T. I couldn't put it together a totally valid top 10 song list because I don't have any of this new material and I like the classic Queensryche with Geoff Tate. The songs I would put together for a top 10 list would basically come off of their early albums. I don't think I own anything past Empire.
Good to hear, look forward to streaming it tonight. Saw Todd and Queensryche in 2017 and it was a good show. Todd has a very powerful voice - like sometimes it didn't even seem like he needed a microphone!
For my QR purchasing dollar the last album that rocked this hard was EMPIRE, and I say that because I haven't listened to the last two La Torre releases. THE VERDICT ROCKS HARD. All the instruments are 100% on point and stellar. The lyrics are really great and the entire flow of the album is great. Pete's take on the current state of QR fan camps, Pro-Tate vs Those of us willing to give La Torre credit for the awesome job he's doing is also 100% on point. Pete knows his music, knows his metal. For me I prefer Pete's opinion over Eddie Trunk. Trunk seems to dwell on who are his personal musician friends and who he knows and at times he's a real blow hard. Pete does reviews well. Thank you for your honest takes on music Pete, keep up the great work.
I lost interest in Queensryche after Promised Land. I seen the band 1996, 1997, and 2005. I have not bought any Geoff Tate solo career stuff or any new Queensryche. There are so many other bands to listen to.
This is my third favourite Queensryche album after Mindcrime and RFO. I genuinely prefer it to Empire and The Warning. Credit due to Parker Lundgren as well, he's kind of a footnote in QR history overall, but he wrote Dark Reverie all by himself, and that's an incredible song, maybe the best song of the TLT era
I've been more bummed about Chris De Garmo leaving rather than Tate. But he was one of my guitar idols when I was young, so that makes sense. I feel the same about Scott. So recently, I have started listening to the 4 recent QR albums, and this one in particular just blew me away. SO GOOD.
Awesome! Will give it a listen. Pete if you haven't you need to listen to Rainburn's new album Insignify. What an amazing, memorable, very proggy album. Can't stop listening. Can't find it on CD. th-cam.com/video/4YcL6E-8Cu0/w-d-xo.html
Queensryche albums were still good just different sounds. American soldier was an amazing album but I like all since the begining. Q2k I don't like much and frequency unknown.
Kinda funny that I would run into this video. I've immersed myself in this album over the last few days. This has got to be the best one by far since Tate left. Or should I say, the last three. But The Verdict is by far, the best album since their early days. I'm loving it. Especially the song Dark Reverie. Glad you're doing a critique on this. I've loved this band since the beginning of QR. And followed them for years. And they've been one of my favorites for quite some time. This thing I've noticed about you, my friend is that you love metal. Or music, period. Keep embracing the music, like you do.
Thanks for bring my attention to the band again. I was on from the begining with the EP and gave up on Promised Land. Who could believe this after all years. This and Condition Human is killer stuff. Waiting for the first CD with Todd now.
saw them in Paris last sunday. Great show !! Best moments were Walk in the shadows, Queen Of The Reich, and Operation Mindcrime, but the songs from this new album worked very well too. And Todd La Torre turns out to be a good showman on top of a good singer.
Let's be honest here there's no one hardly original anymore so many bands from the early eighties and so on are just not together either because they separate it and gone there on Waze or because a lot of them have already died off sad to say that... But if you are a true fan and which I am a true fan and you like what you like you will support them no matter what just my opinion
While this new LP is decent, it should not be mentioned in the same breath as Mindcrime or Empire. LaTorre is competent, but his voice does not have same appeal as Tate. Tate still sounds great.. to say he sounds lousy now is just a lie. The O:M band trilogy was solid, with the 3rd record being the best. Not close to the glory days, but good stuff. The 3 LaTorre albums are decent, with some real bright spots, but the writing is nothing memorable. And let's admit, the magic really left with Chris DeGarmo.
I completely disagree with your entire statement. Chris came back for Tribe, and Tribe sucked. The last 3 CDs with Todd are amazing. They fit right in with the first five Queensryche albums. Tate is still a great vocalist. I just don't care for how and what he sings anymore. Todd has a MUCH more interesting voice today.
The 3 albums with Todd are definitely better than the 3 albums OMC has put out. The writing is better, the production, basically everything. Although it’s only my opinion since music is subjective. But I listened to all of Geoff Tate’s stuff because I’m a fan, and man it was so boring and some of it was just plain bad. The new QR doesn’t come close to the classics but it’s got some nice cuts of modern metal, and this new lineup has some great potential
Geoff Tate´s voice was already declining heavily 20 years ago. Huffing and puffing his way through gigs, high notes from the 80s were beyond his reach. He must sound like Leonard Cohen by now.
It's getting real old a people saying that Queensryche are going back to their old ways, when they're not. They're moving forward with a newer modern sound not some old 80's sound. so many people react to them and just keep saying that they're going back to the roots... they are moving forward!
I think getting rid of Tate was the right thing to do. That's why I was so disappointed with these new albums. Man the Machine rocks, but otherwise it sounds to me more like latter day Tate Queensryche than it does the fist-pumping 80's sound. I don't think this new album is bad at all, and MUCH better than anything after Empire with Tate (even Promised Land), but it's just not something I can see myself listening to a lot. Especially considering there are so many new bands doing the 80's thing so well these days. We just got that new Traveler album.
I just meant the situation that people don’t think Gowan can replace DeYoung just like the Queensryche situation. You’re reading into it too much. Not saying Gowan was similar at all.
@@iamagr8hunter I do really like the latest from Styx. The Mission feels like classic Styx and they haven't had an album this strong since Edge of the Century.
I see you have hit a milestone....excellent content....I have a request though....I was just finishing a q and a video where you mentioned long hair and spiked bracelets............PICTURES PLEASE........
....... the BEST. album so far in the Post Queensryche era........ a Major Huge fan since the original EP and ..... this new album is what I have been waiting since EMPIRE album !!!!! LOL
I liked the vocal before I knew who Geoff Tate was. You could hear his decline more even more defined than that of Geddy Lee of Rush (no disrespect, Rush is my all-time favorite band). What I am saying is that I can love Queensryche because of the sound and not the person, including Journey, Foreigner, Alice In Chains. I wish Queen had found a voice similar to Freddie, just sayin.
I listened to the album once all the way through. It was enjoyable enough. But I don't know if I see myself revisiting it. I might play a good track or two again. But doing it all the way through again? Eh...I dunno.
I agree. This is the sound we were all searching for throughout the dog days of TateRyche. Any little morsel of the classic sound was a rarity during those dark years. Todd joining the band has been a tremendous shot in the arm. From the jump, they are born again hard. This new album is the most refined and best yet for Queensryche 2.0. Enjoy your honest and accurate review!
You popped up in my recommended and seeing that this is a review of new Queensryche...I'm glad I checked it out. I agree with much of what you've said. I like Todd. I did like the one solo album of Geoff's that I picked up years ago. So...I subscribed...
I just listened to the first three tracks. It sounds like classic Queensryche. Todd sounds just like Geoff ,if I was not told they have a different singer,I would not of known.
I thought I hadn't seen a video from you in a while and I've unsubscribed..... that wasn't me! Anyway I'm back on board but you might want to keep an eye on that. Great review as always
This album reminds me more of Rage for Order than the Warning or Mindcrime, which is fine with me since Rage is my favorite. Todd does an outstanding job on the old material, I just wish they could get Chris to come back.
Nice review, but I'd like to to know about some review details I believe you left out. What was your thought on the production? The guitar tone, has it gone back to the classic tone from 1st 4 albums? How's the drumming compared to Scott? I know Todd can play great, what your opinion on the different style of drumming? What did you think of the songwriting? Is it solid, IYO? Any ballads? Thanks
Agreed. I will always consider the early Queensryche albums as classics, but the new stuff sounds great. The band looks happy and re-energized after some dark years. Looking forward to Queensryche with Fates Warning here again in a few weeks.
Ever since Todd Latorre replaced Geoff Tate, Queensryche has been infused with new energy that has brought it back to form! This 3rd CD with Todd shows the group in a continued upward spiral. An excellent CD no doubt about that!
The Verdict is in my top 3,along with The Warning and Mindcrime
Newer Queensryche is awesome! Todd is a damn good vocalist. I like the old and new from the band.
Dark Reverie and Inner Unrest belong on The Warning album.
Light Years, Bent, and Launder The Conscience belong on Rage For Order album.
Blood of the Levant, Man the Machine, and Propaganda Fashion belong on Operation Mindcrime album.
Portrait belongs on Empire album.
Inside Out goes to Promised Land album.
My .02 worth. Love The Verdict!!
Amazing album from start to finish. I can't stop listening. Seriously, the last 3 Ryche albums with LaTorre and the live shows could be the greatest comeback in rock.
Agree with you 100%. just a great metal album. Todd's voice is absolutely amazing.
Pete, I think you are reading the fandom wrong. The fans did not leave the bandwagon because Tate left. Most fans are upset because DeGarmo left. Chris, not Geoff, was the main writer of their greatest songs. Tate has great concept ideas for albums, but he can not follow through with the individual songs to make the concepts work. (e.g. Mindcrime II, American Soldier, or his trilogy of albums under the Operation Mindcrime band).
Otherwise, your analysis is spot on.
Originally yes, but most of the stuff I'm seeing out there is 'No Tate, No Queensryche' since he left.
Degarmo was one of the main writers, and yes, did land more hits than Wilton, but Wilton wrote/co-wrote half of every classic queensryche album from warning to empire. ... My favorite tunes off of Empire, were Resistance, Empire, One and Only, where Wilton was main composer or co-writer. The Warming off of the Warming was a Wilton tune as well... I think when people don't read credits or think before they speak a lot of perceptions about a band can be misconstrued.
HEAR IN THE NOW FRONTIER was great!!!
Love your honesty Pete.
Can't wait to give this one a listen
Great Album! The best of the 3 with Todd! Heavy, More Melodic and Progressive !
The 'other guy' playing drums for them right now is Casey Grillo; former drummer of Kamelot.
Lost most interest after Chris left. Bought Q2k, Tribe, Mindcrime 2, Soldier then stopped buying after Chaos. Will check this one out. Thanks. Still believe Chris is one of most underrated real artist. The Tom Scholtz of prog metal. Tate in 80's in same breath as Halford, Dio and Dickenson and even more talented than last 2 mentioned.
Yep...Chris DeGarmo was the creative force in that group. He is sorely missed...
Smirre S - Chris DeGarmo is the Tom Scholtz of Prog metal??
*WOW!!*
That's an insult to Chris DeGarmo. At least Chris didn't ruin a potential Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame band. Queensryche was *NEVER THAT.*
Tom Scholtz ruined a *GUARANTEED ROCK 'n' ROLL HALL OF FAME* Band after *"Don't Look Back".* Boston is *not even a good cover band* of it's former self. "Third Stage" to "Life, Love & Hope" albums just got worst & worst.
Boston's *ORIGINAL THIRD ALBUM (that was shelved plus I found a bootleg copy of it on cd - what the band recorded)* is better than anything from "Walk On" to Life, Love & Hope". That ain't saying much cause the original third album, if released, would of killed Boston.
Tom Scholtz had 2 albums in him & it shows.
DeGarmo knew he had nothing left & retired. Too bad Tate is still living on his past. And that shows.
@@kevinthetruckdriver353 rock n roll hall of fame is a joke, just like the grammies. The best bands are those outside. I agree in a sense the Chris and Tom comparison is not a good one. Tom is a multi- instrumentalist, perfectionist and could not give a shit of what others think type of guy. So in my eyes a legend. Chris also but in different sense. I think you're a bit harsh on the critism there on Boston! But, hey, that's fine. Thank God we all do not have same taste in music. I would go insane listening to the mainstream crap! Don't you just love the way Tom up yoursed CBS or whatever record co. ? Classic.... guys thats the reason kissing RRHoF goodbye?
@@dietersmit6639 - My criticism on Boston was spot on. I saw the "Don't Look Back" tour (in West Germany) & it was great. Then I saw the "Walk On" & 1st "Greatest Hits" tours (Mpls, MN - both with Brad Delp as lead singer). Both were worst than the original touring band.
Guess you never heard Boston's "Corporate America" & "Life, Love & Hope" albums. Cause they were dreadful. Even worst than Tate's "F.U." Queensryche album which was bad.
Pete thank you for this video. This album made me wake up again and I am totally flashed of this sound. The previous one is also very good stuff but with the Verdict they top it again. I LOVE the old Queensryche and I ever will. I love Tates voice and his stage presence. I never thought I would give it a try again. Queensryche was not the same as in their glory times for many years. But when I heard the Verdict for the first time it blows me away. I am so happy to see this new direction they take. This is finally the music I want to hear from Queensryche again. I don't like the constant comparisons to the old Queensryche. The old Queensryche songs will always be part of my life and Geoffs voice will always thrill me. But the band is not a one man show. ALL guyes make a very good job. Great guitar great bass and great drums!!!! And I did not want to believe it: Todd sounds great!!! I will see them live in Berlin this year and I am sure they will rock it !!!!
Pete,
Glad you are enjoying 'The Verdict'. I only own the S/T release with Todd La Torre and (like yourself) think it is a very strong album. I am remiss in not acquiring 'Condition Human' and most certainly will pick that up along with 'The Verdict'.
What do you think of the (polarizing) album, 'Operation: Mindcrime II'? While probably in the minority, I am a fan and find it a worthy follow-up. However, the album (IMO) suffers from some pretty mediocre production. I saw that that tour at The State Theater in New Brunswick, NJ where they performed both Mindcrime albums in their entirety and it was quite good with Tate still sounding strong.
Thanks for the review of the new album.
Cheers,
Brent
You've earned a new subscriber sir! I LOVE this album! I was, and still am, on the fence about Condition Human, but my love for the 2013 S/T can never be understated. This grabbed me on first listen and has gotten even better since. The band sounds fantastic, and Todd is incredible as always, and kills the drums too! I really think Todd, and Parker as well, being big fans of the band before they joined really gave new energy to the classic sound and vibe. And I can't get over these "No QR without Tate!" people, I mean are there actually people out there who thought Dedicated to Chaos and F.U. weren't laughable?!?! Even Tate wanted nothing to do with the classic QR sound for his last decade with the band. But I digress. This album is so good, and I can't wait to hear a lot of these songs live later this month. Cliche, but this is their best since Promised Land, as was the 2013 album. For me this is every bit as good as Empire. Thanks for a great review and keep up the great work!
Pete, thanks for the episode on this cd.... checked out a few tunes on TH-cam and promptly bought it. I was a no Tate, no band guy... I was wrong. Thank you 🙏
6:09, best comment.
I liked Tate, but I always saw DeGarmo as the creative force anyway. And, I liked "Hear in the Now Frontier".
As much as I adore Geoff's vocals on the classic material, the band just pretty much went down the drain after Promised Land (which is a phenomenal album in my book). I'm actually amazed how a band can take such a MASSIVE nose dive and then, eventually, work their way back into relevance again so many years later. It shouldn't really be possible...
People can say what they want about Geoff not being in the band, but the truth is he was just bringing the whole band down when his vocals range started to diminish and the weirdness started to creep in. Like I said. I LOVED his early work with the band, but the 1997 -2011 era was just painful.
The three latest albums with Todd is such a massive improvement. First one was good but ultimately held back somewhat by the circumstances at the time, the second one was a big step forward and the latest one actually on par with some of the classic material, at least IMHO.
And, like you said, even if you remove the Queensryche name from the album, it's still great and highly enjoyable metal. :)
Well said and I agree with you 100%. Long time Queensryche fan but everything after Promised Land just wasn't really Queensryche in my opinion it was more like an offshoot sideband experiment. And then Tate and his wife try to dominate the band and it's writing and direction and I am very happy that they are gone and the band is absolutely rejuvenated into a modern version of Queensryche that is both classic sounding and modern! I hope it gets the radio play it deserves. I think a lot of modern younger metalheads would appreciate the album if given the chance. I went to buy the album and several stores in my area and cannot find it which pisses me off... probably have to order on eBay
I agree it's a pretty good album, but how in the hell is no one mentioning how horribly it's produced and mixed? Apparently, I just need a new stereo...
Their best album,in my opinion.❤️
It's really an excellent album. Todd is a very respectable singer an the sound is really the Queensryche that we loved in the early years.
I agree that Promised Land (1994) was their last great album, but Tribe (2003) and American Soldier (2009) were really good albums imo (obviously nowhere on the same left as their 1982-1995 output). There were also a select few good songs found on Hear in the Now Frontier (1997) (Hit the Black, Spool, Saved), Q2K (1999) (Liquid Sky, Right Side of My Mind, Howl) and Operation Mindcrime II (2006) (Hostage, Signs Say Go, Re-Arrange You, Murderer?, Fear City Slide). Dedicated to Chaos (2011) was one big turd. As for Geoff's solo career, his original self-titled album from 2002 was amazing (every song). I do also like a couple of songs off of Kings & Thieves (2012) (She Slipped Away, Tomorrow) and a few songs off of Frequency Unknown (2013) (Cold, In the Hands of God, Life Without You, The Weight of the World). As for his 3 Operation Mindcrime solo albums, I like 9 out of the 39 songs in total (Choices, Burn, Reinventing the Future, Life of Death?, The Fall, Left For Dead, The Fight, Taking On The World, Under Control). The other songs are all extremely forgettable. Geoff does sound incredible on the last 2 Avantasia albums btw. Regarding Queensryche's recent out, I'm not a fan of any of the 3 new albums. They just don't connect with me on any level. They sound very generic and not at all like CLASSIC Queensryche. Remember, those classic albums were revolutionary and they pushed the boundaries of what people were doing back then. They also had an insanely talented guitarist called Chris DeGarmo, who wrote most of their songs. They had one of the best singers of ALL-TIME at THAT time behind the mic. I'm sorry, but almost no one could match a young Geoff Tate, circa 1981-1987 (his best years) and really until 1995. He could shatter glass back in his prime with his upper range. Todd Latore is not even in the same universe as Geoff was in his prime. Scott's upper range is forced and very rough at the top end (more like screaming than singing), while Geoff used to have a clean upper range and could sustain it for as long as he wanted to, both in the studio and live. Finally, classic Queensryche also had a hungry and talented Scott Rockenfield behind the drum kit, who experimented a lot with his playing and inspired a lot of drummers over the years.
Going to see them tomorrow in Atlanta...can't wait...had no idea Todd did the drum tracks...Awesome album
Dude ! I really have to thank you. After watching your video I went out to my local Best Buy and bought QUEENSRYCHE ( The Verdict ). And in my opinion it is the best QUEENSRYCHE album. Not including Mindcrime. Both are freaking Metal Masterpieces. Killer stuff ! Thanks again.
Totally agree Pete. The last couple of albums, including this one, have been great.
Its a GREAT album. Simple as that.
This is the album that should have followed Empire. It's not really good. It is spectacular. I am once again a Queensyche fan. I will revisit the past 2 releases. SOunds awesome on Smokey Red vinyl.
First listen, I really liked it. But the more times I listened, the more generic it began to sound.
First time I've ever been excited for a new QR release, can't wait for the next album.
I ran across Blood of the Lavant a couple weekends ago just chillin’ with some beers. I was completely blown away with how good that song was put together. Front to back, SOLID guitars, drums, and especially vocals.
Agree with you 100%. Been a Queenryche fan from the beginning and the music put out with La Torre quite impressive and takes me back to those early days, great review!!!
Love the new album from Queensryche.. and love Goff Tate solo stuff.... In my opinion his solo stops not too bad it's not the greatest but it could be worse thank God it's not still a huge fan of both queensryche and Geoff Tate.i think Todd La Torre. Is doing a great job it's the Queensryche I love to hear
I am going to give it a shot.I had a chance to see La Torre fronting Crimson Glory a few years ago.I must admit that as much as I miss Midnight,La Torre nailed evry single note.
What I loe about the album the most are the lyrics. Very anarchist and apolitical
Geoff Tate being "not a writer" is a key phrase. On Dedicated To Chaos, he actually wrote a song about his Wifi connection. Also, people have been writing this release off ever since it became known that Scott wasn't going to be on the new release. Queensryche is still on top, while Geoff is going to put his Operation: Mindcrime band to bed. It is what it is. Btw, Peter, you should do a show on albums made after a singer leaves. Also, how is Todd on the drums? I can't wait to buy this.
Huge Queensryche fan and I bought the album the day it came out. Great album. I have every album, even Frequency Unknown. The albums in between Promised Land and La Torre's first with them were not horrible, but were not their best. But the past 3 were great. I completely agree with that.
I don't know man it's kind of like what you said about Y&T. I couldn't put it together a totally valid top 10 song list because I don't have any of this new material and I like the classic Queensryche with Geoff Tate. The songs I would put together for a top 10 list would basically come off of their early albums. I don't think I own anything past Empire.
Good to hear, look forward to streaming it tonight. Saw Todd and Queensryche in 2017 and it was a good show. Todd has a very powerful voice - like sometimes it didn't even seem like he needed a microphone!
For my QR purchasing dollar the last album that rocked this hard was EMPIRE, and I say that because I haven't listened to the last two La Torre releases. THE VERDICT ROCKS HARD. All the instruments are 100% on point and stellar. The lyrics are really great and the entire flow of the album is great. Pete's take on the current state of QR fan camps, Pro-Tate vs Those of us willing to give La Torre credit for the awesome job he's doing is also 100% on point. Pete knows his music, knows his metal. For me I prefer Pete's opinion over Eddie Trunk. Trunk seems to dwell on who are his personal musician friends and who he knows and at times he's a real blow hard. Pete does reviews well. Thank you for your honest takes on music Pete, keep up the great work.
Excellent honest review! Its a good album!
Totally agree Peter!! I'm going Saturday Night at Irving Plaza!!
DAMN GOOD BROTHER! GREAT BAND! TODD IS AWESOME!
Nice hoodie!
I lost interest in Queensryche after Promised Land. I seen the band 1996, 1997, and 2005. I have not bought any Geoff Tate solo career stuff or any new Queensryche. There are so many other bands to listen to.
This is my third favourite Queensryche album after Mindcrime and RFO. I genuinely prefer it to Empire and The Warning.
Credit due to Parker Lundgren as well, he's kind of a footnote in QR history overall, but he wrote Dark Reverie all by himself, and that's an incredible song, maybe the best song of the TLT era
I've been more bummed about Chris De Garmo leaving rather than Tate. But he was one of my guitar idols when I was young, so that makes sense. I feel the same about Scott. So recently, I have started listening to the 4 recent QR albums, and this one in particular just blew me away. SO GOOD.
Awesome! Will give it a listen. Pete if you haven't you need to listen to Rainburn's new album Insignify. What an amazing, memorable, very proggy album. Can't stop listening. Can't find it on CD.
th-cam.com/video/4YcL6E-8Cu0/w-d-xo.html
Queensryche albums were still good just different sounds. American soldier was an amazing album but I like all since the begining. Q2k I don't like much and frequency unknown.
Kinda funny that I would run into this video. I've immersed myself in this album over the last few days. This has got to be the best one by far since Tate left. Or should I say, the last three. But The Verdict is by far, the best album since their early days. I'm loving it. Especially the song Dark Reverie. Glad you're doing a critique on this. I've loved this band since the beginning of QR. And followed them for years. And they've been one of my favorites for quite some time. This thing I've noticed about you, my friend is that you love metal. Or music, period. Keep embracing the music, like you do.
Thanks for bring my attention to the band again. I was on from the begining with the EP and gave up on Promised Land. Who could believe this after all years. This and Condition Human is killer stuff. Waiting for the first CD with Todd now.
saw them in Paris last sunday. Great show !! Best moments were Walk in the shadows, Queen Of The Reich, and Operation Mindcrime, but the songs from this new album worked very well too. And Todd La Torre turns out to be a good showman on top of a good singer.
I've moved on with the band. Todd is a masterful vocalist. His vocal range kicks some serious ass! Rocking on with Queensryche into the future.
I enjoyed it. I did think the second half of the record loses energy. But the first half rocks
Let's be honest here there's no one hardly original anymore so many bands from the early eighties and so on are just not together either because they separate it and gone there on Waze or because a lot of them have already died off sad to say that... But if you are a true fan and which I am a true fan and you like what you like you will support them no matter what just my opinion
Pete 100% Agree
I just heard this today, Fuck is "The Verdict" a great album!
I think The Key and Resurrection were pretty good.
Just ok,Prog is missing,Scott is missing most importantly
While this new LP is decent, it should not be mentioned in the same breath as Mindcrime or Empire. LaTorre is competent, but his voice does not have same appeal as Tate. Tate still sounds great.. to say he sounds lousy now is just a lie. The O:M band trilogy was solid, with the 3rd record being the best. Not close to the glory days, but good stuff. The 3 LaTorre albums are decent, with some real bright spots, but the writing is nothing memorable. And let's admit, the magic really left with Chris DeGarmo.
I completely disagree with your entire statement. Chris came back for Tribe, and Tribe sucked. The last 3 CDs with Todd are amazing. They fit right in with the first five Queensryche albums. Tate is still a great vocalist. I just don't care for how and what he sings anymore. Todd has a MUCH more interesting voice today.
The 3 albums with Todd are definitely better than the 3 albums OMC has put out. The writing is better, the production, basically everything. Although it’s only my opinion since music is subjective. But I listened to all of Geoff Tate’s stuff because I’m a fan, and man it was so boring and some of it was just plain bad. The new QR doesn’t come close to the classics but it’s got some nice cuts of modern metal, and this new lineup has some great potential
I really like the album, i'd rank it behind promised land
Geoff Tate´s voice was already declining heavily 20 years ago. Huffing and puffing his way through gigs, high notes from the 80s were beyond his reach. He must sound like Leonard Cohen by now.
Fake news! I saw qr 20 years ago in pdx and Geoff tates vocals were fricken amazing!!
It's getting real old a people saying that Queensryche are going back to their old ways, when they're not.
They're moving forward with a newer modern sound not some old 80's sound.
so many people react to them and just keep saying that they're going back to the roots... they are moving forward!
I dig it
I think getting rid of Tate was the right thing to do. That's why I was so disappointed with these new albums. Man the Machine rocks, but otherwise it sounds to me more like latter day Tate Queensryche than it does the fist-pumping 80's sound. I don't think this new album is bad at all, and MUCH better than anything after Empire with Tate (even Promised Land), but it's just not something I can see myself listening to a lot. Especially considering there are so many new bands doing the 80's thing so well these days. We just got that new Traveler album.
It’s like Styx. Dennis DeYoung vs Lawrence Gowan. Funny that you have Styx shirt on! 😄
Huge difference - Gowan brings a total different feel to the classic Styx tunes. Todd brings a very similar feel to the classic Ryche.
I just meant the situation that people don’t think Gowan can replace DeYoung just like the Queensryche situation. You’re reading into it too much. Not saying Gowan was similar at all.
@@iamagr8hunter I do really like the latest from Styx. The Mission feels like classic Styx and they haven't had an album this strong since Edge of the Century.
Brad Bowman I’ll have to check it out. Thanks!
I'm sure "Critical" was a slip of the tongue haha top shelf review none the less
Yep...Human of course! Thanks!
Anyone know why Chris DeGarmo left?
He wanted to spend time with family and just lost inspiration musically.
I see you have hit a milestone....excellent content....I have a request though....I was just finishing a q and a video where you mentioned long hair and spiked bracelets............PICTURES PLEASE........
....... the BEST. album so far in the Post Queensryche era........ a Major Huge fan since the original EP and ..... this new album is what I have been waiting since EMPIRE album !!!!! LOL
Saw *live*, tour with Scorpions & QueensRyche.🔹 Both bands, played with power, passion. Like the * Rock* Legends, they *R* .
I liked the vocal before I knew who Geoff Tate was. You could hear his decline more even more defined than that of Geddy Lee of Rush (no disrespect, Rush is my all-time favorite band). What I am saying is that I can love Queensryche because of the sound and not the person, including Journey, Foreigner, Alice In Chains. I wish Queen had found a voice similar to Freddie, just sayin.
I listened to the album once all the way through. It was enjoyable enough. But I don't know if I see myself revisiting it. I might play a good track or two again. But doing it all the way through again? Eh...I dunno.
I agree. This is the sound we were all searching for throughout the dog days of TateRyche. Any little morsel of the classic sound was a rarity during those dark years. Todd joining the band has been a tremendous shot in the arm. From the jump, they are born again hard. This new album is the most refined and best yet for Queensryche 2.0. Enjoy your honest and accurate review!
Pete based upon your review, I picked this up and was pleasantly surprised. It was very good. I kept asking myself Is Tate back singing on this album?
You popped up in my recommended and seeing that this is a review of new Queensryche...I'm glad I checked it out.
I agree with much of what you've said. I like Todd. I did like the one solo album of Geoff's that I picked up years ago.
So...I subscribed...
I just listened to the first three tracks. It sounds like classic Queensryche. Todd sounds just like Geoff ,if I was not told they have a different singer,I would not of known.
I thought I hadn't seen a video from you in a while and I've unsubscribed..... that wasn't me!
Anyway I'm back on board but you might want to keep an eye on that.
Great review as always
This album reminds me more of Rage for Order than the Warning or Mindcrime, which is fine with me since Rage is my favorite. Todd does an outstanding job on the old material, I just wish they could get Chris to come back.
great video Pete i picked up the limted edition box set 2 Cds includes a patch Fridge magnet Bottle opener love your Videos i keep watching
Nice review the album was very good. heavy songs and nice flow. it rocked! 🎸🤘
Hey Pete, that was a review, plus, a mini "rant" on giving the new singer a chance. We got a 2 for 1!. :-)
i gave it my first listen and can hardly wait for the second. This CD flat out Rocks i love this band with out Geoff Tate.
Great stuff. I agree with everything you said 👍
Best album since Promised Land
I'm definitely going to check this one out!
I LOVE Your Spirit Pete!
Nice review, but I'd like to to know about some review details I believe you left out. What was your thought on the production? The guitar tone, has it gone back to the classic tone from 1st 4 albums? How's the drumming compared to Scott? I know Todd can play great, what your opinion on the different style of drumming? What did you think of the songwriting? Is it solid, IYO? Any ballads? Thanks
All these details will be included on the track by track review on the website later this week.
All I hear is about Geoff Tate. Maybe an indepth review later?
Look for our track by track review on the website later this week
🎸😎👊
First view, first comment!
You need to have a medal for this
@@crazykrizu74 I agree, I do. Please post it to me.
With all the great eurometal thats out there why listen to this stale 80s club act!
Blow me.
@@pr0_gabby656 Not going to indulge your homosexual tendencies ! Sweetie! Lol!
Go away ass clown.