Rage for Order

Queensrÿche | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Records
• ASIN: B000002U9T
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,997 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Walk In The Shadows

2. I Dream In Infra Red

3. The Whisper

4. Gonna Get Close To You

5. The Killing Words

6. Surgical Strike

7. Neue Regel

8. Chemical Youth (We Are Rebellion)

9. London

10. Screaming In Digital

11. I Will Remember

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Queensryche's third album shows an increasing musical maturity that would come to full bloom in the subsequent Operation: Mindcrime. The material is more complex, blurring the line between progressive rock and heavy metal. Though some of the songs sound dated and a little overwrought, this can be forgiven given when Rage was recorded. And there is some great stuff here: you won't hear "Gonna Get Close to You", "Chemical Youth", "I Will Remember", or "Screaming in Digital" on the radio, but they're definitely worth listening to. As to the band photos on the back of the CD, just remember that there was a time when that look was cool. -- Genevieve Williams

Product Description

Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve and includes four bonus tracks. EMI. 2008. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite QR album. A good dose of intelligent cyber metal, November 8, 2003

By 

M. B. Link "wildfirelink" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rage for Order (Audio CD)

Rage For Order(1986). Queensryche's second studio album.

Around the mid-80s, glam metal was starting to take over as the popular form of metal music. As tuneful and catchy as it was, glam was often very simple and pompous, sometimes to the point of being just plain silly. However, there were a few groups who cared more about creating interesting music rather than party anthems and songs about rock 'n roll. Queensryche was one of those bands. 1986 was a turbulent year when it came to metal bands. Many of them either went all out with the thrash sound (Metallica, Slayer), or employed keyboards and synthesizers into the mix (Judas Priest, Iron Maiden). Queensryche fell under the latter. Its sound is very time period oriented, complete with all kinds of synths and studio effects. RFO is more polished than Iron Maiden's 'Somewhere In Time' album, but not quite to the extent of Judas Priest's 'Turbo'. However slick the production may be, underneath it all are solid songs. Here's a look at RFO track by track:

1) Walk In The Shadows- A phenomenal straight ahead rocker with a main emphasis on the vocals. Great opener. *****

2) I Dream In Infrared- A slower melodic track with plenty of guitars as well as backing keyboards. Very excellent. *****

3) Whisper- This track is a steady psuedo rocker showing off on the guitars, and my favorite track on the album. I love the synth effects used here. *****

4) Gonna Get Close To You- Although this song is very un-metal-like, it's a haunting stalker number which will be sure to stick in your head long after you've listened to it. *****

5) The Killing Words- A synth-heavy gloom ballad of sorts. One of the best that Queensryche has ever written. Should have been released as a single. *****

6) Surgical Strike- Sounds almost like a few of the tracks off the next album Operation: Mindcrime(1988). Very fastpaced and contains some incredible moments with the guitars. *****

7) Neue Regel- A slow anthemic rocker in which the vocals take front stage. Pretty good. ****

8) Chemical Youth (We Are Rebellion)- Fast rocker which serves as a foretelling of the next album's story. Good but musically it doesn't stand out. Still, Queensryche shows a great lyrical sophistication here not found on any other rock group. The whole album displays this really well, but here is a prime example of excellent storytelling within a song. ****

9) London- Starts out slow and melodic and builds into a vocally strengthened rocker. Later on, it bears a resemblance to Rush's 'Tom Sawyer'. *****

10) Screaming In Digital- As the name implies, there are quite an abundance of synth effects used here, but it is properly backed up with a haunting and powerful vocal performance. At this point I'm beginning to wonder if the vocals are better on this album or the next. Both show incredible talent. ****

11) I Will Remember- The album closes with a quiet accoustic ballad, quite unlike the rest of the album, but very well done nonetheless. Another winner. *****

There are also four extra tracks in this remastered edition: An alternate version of 'Gonna Get Close To You', an accoustic remix of 'I Dream In Infrared', and live tracks of 'The Killing Words' and 'Walk In The Shadows'.

Even though Operation: Mindcrime is probably the most recognized album by all the fans, Rage For Order is no less brilliant. It may not contain a well crafted concept story throughout, but RFO serves as a strong set of individual songs each dealing with their own psychological themes. 5 stars for perfect musicianship, production, and songwriting. I'm having a tough time deciding which of the two albums is better. Mindcrime is more technical and brilliant, but Rage is my personal favorite one and probably the best album to come out in 1986. Fans of Queensryche and rock in general should find this underrated masterpiece to be a fitting addition to their rock collection. RECOMMENDED TO ALL FANS.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars most underrated (and best) record, July 14, 2003

By 

S. Baker "sdbaker70" (Phoenix, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rage for Order (Audio CD)

While I was a big fan of "Queen of the Reich", this one was an amazingly incredible suprise in the summer of 1986, when bubble-gum hair-bands were in full force. Unlike the somewhat inaccessible 'The Warning' (1984), this one combined all of the previous narrative elements of Queensryche's music in a collection of relatively short, catchy, and brilliantly-produced tunes. There was both sci-fi imagry and psychological distres right alongside edgy love songs - it was an utter crime that some of these songs were not released and promoted as singles. Quite simply, 'Rage for Order' is the perfect Queensyrche record:

1. Walk in the Shadows. Short and sweet, with a dark and catchy melody and one of Geoff Tate's most amazing vocal performances EVER (matched only by their debut, "Queen of the Reich" (1983) and "Neue Regel" from this record), this is the only song that has retained a place in the live sets since 1986. (Note: A nice live version is included on this remaster.)

2. I Dream in Infared. It was clear that Queensyrche made an attempt at commercializing their music with this record, and as such, many fans fault them for the introduction of love songs. Nonetheless, as with many of their love songs, this one has an edginess that keeps it real. (NOTE: There is an all acoustic version, orignally included as a b-side to a 1991 single, included with the 'Empire' remasters.)

3. The Whisper. The guitar runs on this tune, along with the vocal performance, makes this one of the best and most underrated Queensryche tunes ever. (Why has this not retained a place in the live set.)

4. Gonna Get Close to You. The fact that this atmospheric, psychological piece about a stalker was released as a single and sole video from the record may explain why it never took off. Still, I would hardly call it a weak song. (NOTE: The 12" version here on the remaster is not particularly interesting.)

5. The Killing Words. This is another great, catchy ballad with excellent production, although the keyboard intro does sound a bit 80s.(NOTE: an updated semi-acoustic live version is included on this remaster and an MTV-unplugged version is included on the 'Hear in the Now Frontier" remaster.) That said, it is one of their best ballads and should have been released a single.

6. Surgical Strike. This is the straight-ahead rocker of the record and a political statement about soldiering. That said, it is definitely the weak point and sounds a bit out of place.

7. Neue Regel. This is a piece of pure power and simply one of the best vocal performances by Geoff Tate ever. Lyrically, it establishes the thematic narrative characterisit of the "second side" of the record.

8. Chemical Youth. This is the musical and lyrical predecessor to "Revolution Calling" on the much-lauded, and perhaps over-appreciated, 'Operation: Mindcrime' (1988).

9. London. Is this a ballad? If so, it is certainly NOT Bon Jovi, Poison, or the like. I cannot say more about Geoff Tate's vocal performances on this record - dare I say, over the top on this tune.

10. Screaming in Digital. For fans of 'Operation: Mindcrime' and "NM156" from 'The Warning' left off, this wonderfully manic rocker about a cyborg is, when combined with the next tune, a concept-record within a record.

11. I Will Remember. The record ends with a mellow tune that has frequently found a place in the live shows (NOTE: a version from MTV unplugged in 1991 is included on the 'Hear in the Now Frontier' remaster), which is curious considering its required connection to the previous tune ("And we wonder how machines can steal each other's dreams").

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning: Operation Intelligence, March 16, 2000

By 

"legendman" (Foothill Ranch, Calif., USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rage for Order (Audio CD)

1986 was a phenomenal year for metal. If you could ignore Judas Priest's "Turbo," you might recall that Ozzy topped the charts with "The Ultimate Sin." Iron Maiden released "Somewhere in Time," their most musically complex collection. Megadeth gained respect with "Peace Sells" while Metallica peaked with "Master of Puppets." Anthrax unleashed its classic "Among the Living," Slayer pushed (rather tore) the envelope with "Reign in Blood," and Queensryche, that five-piece band out of the future spawning grounds of grunge, soared past its Priest/Maiden roots with the raw, hard but colorfully progressive "Rage For Order."

1984's "Warning" set the stage for "Rage For Order," but while the former seemed just a bit restricted by thin production if not overshadowed by the emergence of posers like Motley Crue (which held it in check while Q's peers like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden were gaining in popularity to rather mixed results), "Rage" broke the rules long before progressive metal bands like Dream Theater came to be. "Rage" explores man's deepest thoughts ("I Will Remember"), his existence in a faceless world of technology ("Screaming in Digital") and his place within a frighteningly fascist regime ("Neue Regel") - each concept a part of the total Queensyche mythology at that time. Sure, the occasional dip into the love tunnel surfaces now and then ("Killing Words") but the band's psychosis takes what should have been a banal pop pastiche called "Gonna Get Close to You" and turns it into yet another signature of the Queensryche experience - dark, sinister, forboding - but not evil - which always separated Queensryche from its peers. While early Iron Maiden wreaked hell's fire and Judas Priest unleashed beasts and monsters, most of Queensryche's music managed to echo at least a slight degree of positivity in the midst of what could be construed as utter personal and societal chaos in the form of songs deep, harmonic, progressive and powerful.

The voice of Geoff Tate, then the latest in a long line of vocalists that traces its inspiration to the very earliest wails of Ian Gillan (ie. Tate-Dickinson-Dio-Halford-Byron-Gillan), bests his impressive list of peers with incredible range and dynamics. His delivery in such epics as "Dreaming in Infrared" and "London" encompass metal, opera and even Broadway (without the cliches that often denigrate each). Neil Kernon's production opens the sound with the clarity of Phil Ramone ("Warning") and the power of Peter Collins ("Mindcrime") yet without the flatness of the former or the distortion of the latter. The visual package may offend some, considering the rather vampiric look with capes, leather and hair spray surrounded by psuedo Moorish/Victorian/Renaissance trappings - but the image in a way contributes to the album's theme. It works for "Rage." It would never have worked for "Empire"!

Two years later the band would release "Operation: Mindcrime," a concept album once thought to rival Pink Floyd's "The Wall" or The Who's "Quadrophenia" and thought of by most fans as their best. As great as "Mindcrime" is, however, no fan can deny the unique production, songwriting style, textures and moods that comprise "Rage For Order." "Mindcrime" may very well be better than the sum of its parts, but the sum of parts that form the nucleus of "Rage For Order" transcends the usual limitations of a heavy metal record. Intelligence and metal began to co-exit peacefully within a sentence without the usual snicker. Buy it.