Customer Reviews

Hear in the Now Frontier

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

OK, so many people say "This sucks" or some long time QR fans still say "It rocks". I won't do either, I'll offer an objective edge so that people find this useful.
It is absolutely different from 'Mindcrime' and 'Promised Land', those two were masterpieces. Having said that, you also have to admit that albums like 'Empire' and 'Rage For Order' were also brilliant. Which brings me to the point that it is VERY difficult for any band to top so many amazing albums. So for QUEENSRYCHE, this is probably the weakest release, but in NO way is it bad. It is just very different. For TONS of bands, this album would be considered a double-platinum masterpiece, I gaurantee it. But as for Ryche, it sounds nothing like anything they've written. The album has very strong points with 'You', 'Some People Fly', 'Reach', 'Hit The Black', and 'sp00L'. A couple of tracks could have been left out, but overall it is a strong record. If you expect Mindcrime, do not buy this album. But is you want to hear some cool (and very creative at times) rock, pick this up.

Dice

Yes, I think that this is Queensryche's masterpiece, their best album ever. A departure from the last few albums, shorter song length and a little more rock, it shows a new face of the band. The first single "Sign of the Times' is over a minute shorter than any song from Empire, the album that will always be compared to everything the band releases. Queensryche has always had the ability to play with the listener's emotions through their powerful lyrics and intense style of music. This is very evident here, in every song. I would highly recommend this album to anyone with even a passing interest in the band. It's an album that should appear in any music lover's collection. People that were put off by first listen, give it another shot, this is on album that grows on you.

This is the most underrated album i've ever heard. it is the odd duck of the Queensryche canon and i also believe the one that will prove the most endurable.
as i age, i find what are considered the classics - Mindcrime, Empire... - to become dated and very 80s, and although they are classics for a reason, my aging ears increasingly hear them tied to a certain time and feeling of highgloss late 80s, pre-grunge metal, something they did exceedingly well.

but this one was the change. for all the griping about trying to jump an alt-trend bandwagon, i find that what they did with this album, whatever curveball they were trying to pitch, succeeded gloriously, in some places sublimely, and i can envision myself listening to and enjoying this when and if i am in my 60s. that sounds like a denigration for a metal band, but they are more than a metal band, they are just an intelligent rockband and when i say this is their alt-country-pop album, that is said with complete seriousness and exponentially increasing praise.

if you don't like this album, keep coming back to it as time passes, because it is a mature and uplifting departure that ages like wine. the other albums seem to age more like cheese if you know what i mean.

Queensryche is my all time favorite band. That being said, it kills me to have to give merely an average rating for Hear In The Now Frontier. While it still appears that Queensryche has plenty to say, they are missing the energy of past efforts. To put it bluntly, the boys sound tired. I do thoroughly appreciate and respect any band's attempts to mix things up and break stereotypes without having to put up with statements such as "they've sold out"(think Metallica); consequently, when I purchased Hear in the Now Frontier, I was not expecting to hear clones of Operation:Mindcrime or Empire or Rage for Order etc... I did, however, expect to hear music of the same caliber. Too bad I didn't. Geoff needs to get out that fantastic voice from wherever he's hiding it, dust it off, and use it, and the music seems to be missing the complexities that made the band my #1 favorite. I am disappointed in this effort, but I guess all great bands have put out less than stellar albums from time to time. I guess it eventually had to happen with Queensryche.

This project from Queensryche has been pretty much ignored and that is sad. There are some VERY good songs on this cd. The song "Hit The Black" is a pure Queensryche metal song that hits you right in the face. There is a very cool song that Chris Degarmo sings called "All I Want" that has a nice structure to it that fits in very good on this album. Other highlights are "The Voice Inside","Miles Away" and "Spool".

This album is NOT Empire or Operation:Mindcrime. With that said, you cannot go wrong with this release as this seems to be an album they had fun making. You can tell from the way the songs go from Heavy to a bit slower to VERY heavy("Hit The Black"). Some of the other albums like Mindcrime is heavy from the start. Nothing wrong with that as Operation:Mindcrime is still my favorite from the band but Hear In The Now Frontier gives you another look at what they can do with their talents.

Check it out and play this one loud!!!

Folks, this cd is so under-rated. I am a huge QR fan, having listened to them since their infancy. I was initially disappointed by this release, but recently dusted it off and jammed to it in my car. The state of rock radio with rap-metal clones, post-grunge empty headed metal, etc. convinced me to go back to the music I loved. Queensryche being my fave. If I had reviewed HITNF when it came out, it's rating would have suffered, but like all art forms, time needs to pass for true appreciation. Other than the horrible "All I Want", these songs are both catchy, yet still rock. The lyrics remain strong due to the creative Chris DeGarmo and the sound, while stripped down, still resonate with surprizing power. Please listen to "Saved" with volume turned high to fully understand my point. Buy this disc and give it two or three listens before reviewing. Give it time.

I bought this cd before having read any of the reviews here on amazon. And I'm happy for it too. This is one great cd and I don't understand why there are so many negative reviews. Go figure.

This album did not offer hits. Instead it had something for you to think about. "Hero" was my personal favorite - because it fits with a certain time in my life. That is what this release offers. Somethng to relate to. The music is pared down and it does disappoint a little... but the sign of a band that will stay around is one that is not afraid to experiment. Rush is a wonderful example of this. I love each Rush CD for itself - there is a cohesiveness, but they are all different from one another. Like Queesnsryche. I do hope this band will be around for a long time because I enjoy the evolution.

Who says a band has to stick to a certain sound and can't simply make a good old fashioned facinating rock album? Queensryche gives the grunge sound of their 90's Seatle cousins a progressive edge with excellent results. When I first got this album I didn't think much of it. In fact it would be two years before I listened to it again. It seemed to lack substance and the sound seemed to be 90's grunge which previous Queensryche classics like Mindcrime, Empire, Rage, and Promised Land were miles away from. I got a used copy off here and I gave it a try. After a few listens this album really does grow on you. While certainly lacking the core sound that made Queensryche famous the album has many great riffs and musical turns. The lyrics are as good and may even be the best of any Queensryche album. If this was intended to be Chris Degarmo's swan song then he went out on top. Highlights for me are Sign of the times, Spool, Saved, All I Want, and The Voice Inside."Hear in the Now Frontier" isn't a classic like Mindcrime, and Promised Land but it holds up well if you can put your preconceptions and bias away. Give the album a chance. Ten years from now I feel that this will be the most underated album in Queensryche's catalog!

We really needed another alterna-wank band. Desperately. I mean, there is such a dirth of them right now that QR had to step in, dumb down, and fill the void. Maybe the next album will be hip-hop! Then, they can do without the inconvenience of instruments altogether. Think of the possibilities! I think I'm going to be ill.