Queensryche Brings Us into the “Digital Noise Alliance” With Their 16th Album

My dear readers, I need to be upfront with you. Queensryche is a band I’ve always held close to my heart. I guess you could say my husband courted me with the amazing album, Operation Mindcrime. I was hooked the minute he played it for me. After seeing them on the Empire tour, they rank in the top spot of concerts. The sound, the showmanship, it all was fantastic! For me, after the album Empire, something was missing. As things continued in that progression, I found myself skipping over the newer albums, even more so with the departure of singer Geoff Tate.

Fast forward to an interview our intrepid owner / editor did with Todd La Torre. I was really intrigued by him, and I especially loved his outlook on music and it’s creation. After reading that interview, I decided I’d give the new lineup for Queensryche, with La Torre handling the vocals, a second listen. I hadn’t listened to anything new from them in years, so I was quite curious. After all, this is his fourth album with the band, having been their front man for about ten years now.

Digital Noise Alliance is nothing like I expected. La Torre’s vocal style is similar to that of Tate’s, but different enough to be his own. Add to this, the two original members still with the band, guitarist Mike Wilton and bassist Eddie Jackson, there is wonderful blending of old and new. A band can choose to advance their sound, or stick with what they know. To be able to stay in the game thirty plus years, there needs to be a balance of the two. With this album, Queensryche has found it.

There are explosive openings in many of the songs, powered by the guitar of Wilton, punctuated with the powerful vocals of La Torre. The opening song, “In Extremis,” has a great build up in the opening. With the deeply intellectual lyrics, written by Wilton, Jackson, and La Torre. Queensryche has the reputation of being “a thinking man’s band”, and they don’t disappoint with the thought provoking lyrics throughout.

The other hard hitters on the album, include “Behind the Walls,” with it’s ebbs and flows of volume, and operatic opening, and lyrics that create visions of drowning. After watching the video, which I highly recommend, the torment of the lyrics, felt real. Then there’s the seven minute requiem, “Tormentum”, with its slow intro, that crescendos into a hard riff, a bit different than most of Wilton’s other work on this album. Most of this track is guitars solos, slow, and heavy ones, showcasing the abilities to keep the old, and bring in the new. At the end, there’s a little gift, a cover of Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell.” I’m always skeptical of covers, but this one is firmly in my approved file!

Overall, this album has renewed my faith in one of my all time favorite bands. It’s definitely poised to be one of their biggest releases in many years. Take a look at the logo on the cover, there is a DNA double helix intertwined with it. Just like DNA is the basic building block for life, Queensryche has gotten back to the basics, to their DNA, and giving it a twist. It’s become a winning combination!

I’m Music Magazine Photogra[her/Writer Michele Hancock