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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A few steps backwards(forwards), August 29, 2006
The reviews on here are just as predicted. Some loyal to the old Ryche and some loyal to the entire career of this band (start to ....finish). As one who tries to commit to the latter, yet is truly moved only by material up to - and INCLUDING! - Promised Land, allow me to offer a heart-felt attempt at a reality-based review; one that reports mixed results.
No, it's not the same band. There's no Chris. And really, there's no epics. Nothing truly memorable. And the intensity of the legitimacy of the PURPOSE! ...???????
But as some of you have pointed out, it still IS Queensryche, in some form. Which will always be aweseome on some level. There's still an addictive quality to the music.
Without doing another play by play, here's the real scoop on the album. The music is the best since Promised Land, but doesn't match that or any prior effort. Why? Primarily because it is weighed down by the band's terrible identity crisis about what sort of PRODUCTION their music needs. For a band who prides themselves on not following trends, that spirit is starting to get real paper thin. The music is compressed to holy hell, just like everything else out there, which squashes the mix and in turn it's hard to hear a palatable stereo image. It's just unpleasurable grain in the guitar distortion and the usual "2000's" vocal treatment - up-front, without character or dynamic, and such that one can't really hear any subtle nuance in the soundscape. So I blame the production team first. The music is never given a chance to breathe (unlike OMC I , if drowned in reverb ).
The other problem - going back to the music itself - is the songs don't get real good till the end. Too little too late. Where "Suite Sister Mary" was on I, we have Ronnie James Dio on II. Only in one of many go-nowhere 3 minute increments, the album doesn't pace its way to anything. Before you know it, Pamela Moore is beginning a sweet duet with Geoff right as the record ends. No climax and no payoff.
I follow the liner notes but as someone else put it, it takes a lot of effort just to CARE about the fact that there's a literary thematic story going on. Unlike DT's Metropolis 2, if the music isn't highly intriguing, the story loses its credibility.
One of the major saving graces is the song "Fear City Slide" - classic Ryche which erases the blemishes of recent years' releases, and tries so hard to move the band forward, to once again try to evolve...
The heartbreak is, despite all the marks against it, it really had the makings of something with potential. And it falls somewhere in between. I'll probably listen to it over and over, never really forget about it, but I'll probably never really remember it, either. For every admirable harmonized guitar lick on this album, there's the same run on another album with more conviction and direction. I enjoy this album, but I fear for its test-of-time -ness
I hesitated to write this review for fear that it really doesn't go anywhere, but all in all, my infatuation with the mighty Ryche will always call me back...and I think that says a lot.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
They've Still Got It, September 19, 2006
It's hard for aging rock stars to stay creative. Most musicians write their best songs when they're in their 20s. But somehow these guys have managed to pull off a sequel that is almost as good as the original, which came out 18 years ago. Operation Mindcrime is one of the greatest recordings of all time. To say something is almost as good is indeed a great compliment. True, it took me a few listens to appreciate Mindcrime II. But once the songs became familiar I loved it. Most great albums are that way, I think, because of the complexity of the songs. But those are the songs that don't get old too quickly. Those are the best songs. This album is like that. It's like an aquired taste. Give this album a chance and I think you'll agree.
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Far and away the best of their last three (now four) albums, April 6, 2006
Of Queensr?che's eight studio releases, my best guess is that 1% (give or take a percent) would select any of their last three albums (Hear in the Now Frontier, Q2K, Tribe) as their best. For the majority of fans, their 1988 release, Operation: Mindcrime, will forever be the highlight of their career. It was no surprise how high the anticipation was when the boys from Seattle announced in 2005 that they would be recording Operation: Mindcrime II. (For those unfamiliar with the original Mindcrime - released in 1988 and certified Platinum, I'll just briefly say that it was one of the most talked about, widely respected, and critically acclaimed albums of its time.)
"Why now?" some may ask. Lead vocalist Geoff Tate provides a frank answer in a recent interview: "I think we're in even worse shape as a society than when we wrote the original. It's something I couldn't ignore. We've lost the capacity to know the truth because everything is spin." True that.
With every member (except newcomer Mike Stone) now over the age of 40, I personally held little hope of R?che ever coming close to the brilliance of the original Mindcrime (which they recorded while all still in their passionate twenties), but I did hope the new album would surpass their last three (because, quite frankly, I was about to stop buying any of their new albums). Without key member Chris DeGarmo on board though, my hopes were slim, to say the least.
It was startling how anxious I was right before listening to this album. I wondered nervously if the old (intense) feelings that the original aroused in me would come back. Would R?che be able to work their black magic and draw people into another tormented alternate reality again? I won't answer that question, but I will gladly say that Operation: Mindcrime II is far and away the best of their last three (now four) albums.
I considered summarizing the story and plot, but then decided I didn't want to spoil it for anyone, because that's half the fun of great concept albums - figuring it out. I will tell you the bare essentials: the story takes place 18-20 years after the original; Nikki has been doing time in prison while Dr. X has grown rich and powerful; after Nikki is released from prison, he's hell bent on revenge against Dr. X. If you want to know more (including the identity of Mary's killer), buy the album.
Musically, Mindcrime II is an intriguing mix of contemporary Metal and the early Progressive Metal (with lots of guitar solos and duets) that Queensr?che pioneered. It manages to sound both fresh and familiar at the same time. And most importantly, the spirit of the new album feels the same as the original.
The album explores several themes, with two of the most interesting and prevalent being the roles revenge and forgiveness play in our lives. How well does revenge work as a means to an end? Is forgiveness an alternative strategy? Lead vocalist Geoff Tate states in an interview that the whole album is really a study in revenge and what it does to a person.
Two other themes the album deals with are the ability to change and the impact love can have, as epitomized in the songs "If I Could Change It All," "A Junkie's Blues," and the last track, "All the Promises."
I believe any fan of the first Mindcrime will delight in this follow-up. It's diverse, thought-provoking, and emotional. What I'm not sure of is if it will appeal to many new fans. Compared to most Progressive Metal bands these days, it's not the heaviest music around, and not only is it musically (and story-wise) a mix of the old and the new, it is meant to be listened to as a whole. All 17 songs are arranged so that they flow into each other. As Tate says in an interview, "I'm proud of the fact that this album doesn't make any compromises - it's really an anomaly in an age where people have short attention spans and don't listen to albums. The songs are strong enough to stand on their own, but the album was written to be played from start to finish - to be experienced as a whole - not shuffled around randomly."
The album starts with a moody instrumental lead in, then there's a short piece where we learn that Nikki is being released from prison, and then we get to the first song: "I'm American." Right away, you know that R?che's long absent cultural acrimony is back, this time lashing out at the culture of entitlement. The song, with its hardcore and punk-rock influences, is very different from any other song R?che has ever done. Admittedly, I didn't like it when I first heard it, but it's grown on me and I'm actually fond of it now.
The album proceeds from there much like the first Mindcrime - the story unravels and the songs and interludes vary from hard and aggressive to soft and mournful. There are repeating musical motifs throughout, and you'll hear bits a pieces of melodies from the original Mindcrime - just enough to let you know this is the continuation of that album/story. Geoff Tate's singing fits the album well. His vocals are older and deeper, reflecting perfectly Nikki, who is himself around 40 years old now. It may sound like there's less passion at times, but that's how it is growing older - you're a little wiser, a little more even. There is a welcome return of guitar solos throughout, and even the Latin chants make a return ("If I Could Change It All").
Ronnie James Dio makes a guest appearance as Doctor X on the song, "The Chase." He and Tate sing an operatic duet that's just plain great. The second half of the album has an ethereal, haunting sound to it that is quite moving. Pamela Moore (aka Sister Mary) returns to sing on "If I Could Change It All," and also the last track, "All the Promises," which is a beautiful, sad duet between her and Tate. This ending song is quite the contrast from the loud, aggressive conclusion to the original Mindcrime. The song fades away like a melancholy dream, the lyrics a shrewd reminder of what is truly important in this day and age of war and terrorism and non-stop entertainment.
It's obvious the band members put a lot of work into this album: it is meticulously put together; the guitars and vocals are strong; and it all pays tremendous dividends. Clocking in at 59:42, Mindcrime II is 29 seconds longer than the original. How does it compare to the original? That's an unfair question. Nothing could compare to the first Mindcrime. That said, Mindcrime II has surpassed all of my expectations and, in my opinion, is good enough to be a nominee for 2006 Album of the Year at <a href=http://tmetal.com>TTM</a>. (I won't speculate on its odds of winning, but I think if there was a category for Comeback Album of the Year that it would win hands down.)
After the first Mindcrime, it seemed to me like Queensr?che got lost in the desert and didn't know where to go. Fortunately, they found their way out of the desert, and they did it not by running away from their past, but by accepting it - embracing it even. And that's a lesson we can all learn from.
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