Customer Reviews

Empire

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Chris DeGarmo has always been the key player in Queensryche (though the entire band is blessed with killer chops and melodic sense) and on Empire he proves himself also the key to the band's breakthrough success.

The song in question is, of course, "Silent Lucidity", the song that should have won the Best Rock Song Grammy in 1991 (instead, it was Sting's uninteresting "The Soul Cages"). "Lucidity" reminds people that bands lumped into the "metal" category can be capable of music of ethereal beauty, and also emotional contact. "Lucidity" also features one of the most simple, elegant solos I can remember, based mostly on just three notes. Reminds me of The Edge's simple, spare, perfectly tailored solos for U2.

The rest of the album is stirring, dense hard rock: "Jet City Woman" with its spitfire guitar work, the moodily sensual "Another Rainy Night (Without You)", the ferocious, sociologically conscious title track, and the long, narrative "Della Brown" are other standouts, culminating in another of Queensryche's resonant ballads, "Anybody Listening?", thematically close to Queen's "The Show Must Go On".

Though not the reckless adrenalin rush that was Operation: Mindcrime, Empire provided shades of subtlety and beauty first hinted at on Rage for Order, here reaching full bloom. Hear what was to be, unfortunately, the last great gasp of a band gradually being (unfairly) lumped in with the old school, one that deserves better.

I have had nothing but respect for the Seattle band Queensryche, since I purchased and listened to "Empire". This band writes and plays some of the most intelligent and thought provoking music out there. From the opening song,"Best I Can", this cd weaves a tale that captures the mind. Geoff Tate has one of THE most powerful and unique voices I've heard. From his sorrowful plea , "Don't slam the door on your way out", in "Another Rainy Night(Without You)", to his quiet reassurance in "Silent Lucidity", Tate has the power to make you FEEL what he sings. This band has got to be one of the best today, and I strongly recommend this CD to you if you're a fan or even if you've never listened to anything by them. Queensryche is most awesome.

To this day, a staggering number of people insist that to entertain is to sell out and surrender growth and innovation. Granted, the frequncy of the stars aligning just right is about as often as a snowball forming in that dark place down below, but it HAS happened, it STILL happens, but never more noticably than in the all-around musical masterpiece "Empire," from the "progressive" "metal" band, Queensryche.

Those quotations are there because Queensryche deserves more than routine catagorization. Their music is at times heavy, and often intelligent, and that's about all the description you should need. If you realize that the past 10 years of mainstream music has been a case of record companies shooting themselves in the foot, this review shall serve to educate you that this album was one of the last appearances of greatness to strike mainstream popularity - it's a good thing Queensryche got this album in before it all went down hill!

The album; dashes of Pink Floyd/Rush/Bon Jovi/Def Leppard/Wagner!
One of my favorite songs ever is the closing track "Anybody Listening?" Epic emotion, powerful vocals, sustained guitar landscapes `a la David Gilmour, operatic theatrics `a la Les Miserables. The song is an adventure, a journey, with changing keys, moods and sections. Everything that a best-song-ever should be is in this unique composition.

Then there's the song that "broke them", despite a very successful prior album ("Operation: MindCrime"). If you only know Queensryche for one song, it's "Silent Lucidity." Granted, it's a bit simpler than much of their work, but just as with "Anybody Listening?", it is a wonderful journey of the mind, "trying to explain to someone the unexplainable," in the words of vocalist Geoff Tate. It is a highly emotional ballad that fits in just fine with the rest of the band's repertoire.

Most of the album is very strong with no filler, but the other big highlights are the songs "Empire," and "Another Rainy Night." These songs deserve some of the highest praise ever, because they adhere to this intelligent-meets-popularity formula better than almost any other song. They deserve even MORE praise, because they are not ballads. They are hard rocking songs, and the former (the title track) was actually quite the popular 'hit.' Can you believe, thinking of a 'hit' as actual good music? It IS possible. These songs are in the normal verse-chorus format, with amazing solos and guitar harmonies, intelligent lyrics, creative chords, and pure heart and soul. They rock like nobody's business, but also allow many people to relate to the music, who normally would be satisfied with bands that only make 10% the amount of effort. It just doesn't get much better than this.

The hardcore fans want their "...MindCrime", but I am going to cave in here - "Empire" is my [just barely]favorite Queensryche album, and the fact that it was very popular doesn't change the fact that it deserved what it got and more. MindCrime is also great - but for once in music history, selling less records doesn't mean it must be better music! "Empire" is the epitome of "exception to the rule." Commercial music hasn't allowed for this much creativity since.

Easily one of the top - and most well known releases by a staple band in the progressive rock world. Many of these songs hint of something larger... almost as if they were each lifted from a movie soundtrack. (If you want a COMPLETE epic, check out "Operation: Mindcrime"!)

All throughout, the band exhibits their trademark "tightness", both instrumentally and vocally. The guitar work is flawless and very engaging and the truly singable melodies will haunt you even after you press the stop button. The arrangements remind you that this is NOT your standard rock band - but they are never TOO progressive as to frighten off people who are new to the more advanced styles of music. If you are looking at possibly exploring "deeper" music, this is a good start.

Although this is Queensryche's "lightest" album, it is also one of their best. The songwriting on almost every song (with the exception of "Hand on Heart" and "One and Only") are masterpieces. This album is just as good as "Operation: Mindcrime", although in a much different light. I have listened to this CD for almost ten years and I have yet to grow tired of it. Most people who do not like this disc like the "harder" works done by the band, which this disc does not provide. But, it does provide some of the most intelligently written songs in a very long time.

Ah, Queensryche, one of my favorite bands ever. They make great music, and write lots of great songs about the rain. They have not one, but TWO songs that mention rain! Maybe more, at least I hope so. This album has one of the best songs ever, "Another Rainy Night Without You". It's so emotional, and you can almost see the rain coming down. Queensryche hails from Seattle, a place where it rains a lot, and if your girl leaves, you're going to have to go through a lot of rainy nights without her. I love rainy nights, so it'd be okay by me. If you love great music with empassioned vocals, and rainy lyrics, "Empire" is the album for you!

For those of you out there who are already die-hard progressive rock fans, I'm just preaching to the choir here, so you might as well just stop reading. But, for everyone else...I am fairly new to the whole progressive rock scene, having long shrugged it off as being pretentious and verbose. That is not at all fair. Despite this, Queensryche is a band I've always liked, but never known much about. I have definitely missed out. Queensryche is a very talented band, with complex musicianship and intelligent lyrics. And, some of their best stuff can be found here. "Jet City Woman" is a classic, and rightfully so, "Silent Lucidity" is a Pink Floyd-like ballad that is just amazing. "Resistance" and the title track are probably not as well-known, but still very good. Then, there's my personal favorite, "Another Rainy Night (Without You)". Why this was left off the greatest hits album is beyond me. I would have to say that this is probably one of the best songs I've ever heard. Geoff Tate's amazing vocals are at their peak here. This guy will make you feel. The rest of the songs I have not mentioned (mainly "Hand on Heart" and "Della Brown") are also good, making for what is simply one of the best albums ever made. I don't have "Operation Mindcrime", so I can't fairly make a comparison, but I was more excited about getting this one, so it's quite possible that it's even better than "Mindcrime". Queensryche may not be as mindblowingly good as, say, Dream Theater (admittedly, the only thing they have on DT is Geoff, and that isn't by much), but they are a classic band that every fan of rock/metal should check out. My next QR buy shall be "Operation Mindcrime".

Many of the Queensryche fans who loved the band for their heavy metal days despise this album, but that doesn't change the fact that one of the most listenable rock albums of the 90s. Yes, Queensryche went commercial, but they maintained their high standard of excellence that made them so distinguished when they were a brash heavy metal band. Geoff Tate sings in lower ranges this time around (making the band's music more accessible to those outside of the heavy metal crowd), and his emotional clarity and skill that made him one of the best metal singers carries over and makes him one of the best rock vocalists. The band shows tremendous versatility in crossing over to the mainstream. Chris DeGarmo, the group's principal writer, has a keen sense of balancing commercial appeal with quality. It really shows here.

"Anybody Listening?" is my favorite song here. Slow and heavy, it is an introspective examination of the loneliness and sadness that accompanies life in the spotlight. It ranks "up there" with my other favorite 'Ryche songs, "Roads to Madness" and "Eyes of a Stranger." "Silent Lucidity" (about dream control, of all things) is the group's best-known song, and it resonates emotion with simple yet exquisite musicianship, validating the fact that a band smacked into the "heavy metal" genre can still write beautiful music. In fact, all the songs here evince astute emotional expression. Although I've never liked "One and Only", the rest of this album is truly some of the best hard rock you'll ever hear.

Empire was probably re mixed by the musicians with ther damaged earing, so the midband and hi frequency are on the brighter side of reality and became verry agressive at high volume. Silent lucidity is a good example with is harsh trebble.
The cd format sound much more analog than the 24/96 dvd audio but the midband frequency is more darker (and much more listenable).
The old cd format is more pleasing to lisen to and much well recorded than the new dvd audio mix.
The problem was (i think) the re-egalisation of all the songs, not the dvd audio format.

sebastrophile

Empire is one of the best of teh pop metal/power metal albums around. Ranging from commercially pleasing melodic hooks to powerhouse bass guitar/bass drum chest-thumping rhythm parts, from low, baritone, reflective vocals to soaring, operatic changes, and dynamics from quiet "lucidity" to hard-grooving power metal.

"Empire" has got to be Queensryche's most refined and mature sounding project to date. THIS IS NOT A BAD THING! It's alright to have a purified, aged sound as long as it is premium music, which is what we have here.

If you're looking for less-refined, raw metal, this album is probably not for you. However, I recommend listening to this one until you understand what it's about, beyond just the lyrics or the surface music. Listen to the emotion and virtuous writing from the inside out.