" for download from their official facebook page.The track is very telling- while it is a well crafted song in it's own right, it represents a very different musical direction than the sound from the band's heyday before the departure of guitarist Chris DeGarmo in 1997- which will no doubt disappoint many fans who have been hungry for another prog-metal magnum opus like their 1988 "Operation:Mindcrime
" production.I have to hesitate to label this track as "Progressive Metal" - it really is not. On the "progressive" side of the coin- I can see it as an experiment with different styles, but is it metal? Not really, in my book.
The track does, however, stand up well as a more pop-rock oriented song. The band seems to have taken a cue from U2's "Achtung Baby
" album. It stands out as a solid, hook driven song.Clearly this is not going to appeal to old-school Queensrÿche fans, perhaps it will bring in newer fans- or perhaps the band doesn't really care about how many albums they sell any more, maybe they've just decided to record whatever they feel like experimenting with in the time they have left in their careers.
Personally, I miss the old Queensrÿche - the well crafted concept albums, the melodic metal sound coupled with well thought out concepts- albums that played more like a heavy metal opera than just a collection of songs. I will miss that part of their career. Naturally, losing a talented songwriter of Chris DeGarmo's caliber had a profound effect on the band- but you have to give them credit for working hard at building a different identity rather than becoming a tribute band rehashing their own past.
So with that, let's look at some of the old stuff from when they made their mark with "Rage for Order
," "Operation: Mindcrime", "Empire
," and "Promised Land
"...and of course, no Queensrÿche collection is complete without "Take Hold of the Flame
" from their album "The Warning
" - this is one that most metal vocalists should hope to be able to sing some day...
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