PROMISED LAND

Wow, I never would have expected this from Queensryche, this makes Mindcrime look like a pop album in terms of darkness and mood. I liken this to Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. Thematic, but not directly conceptual, mood laden atmospherics, ambient stretches, spooky vocals and harmonies, and an atmosphere that is overall pouring with darkness and depression.

Starting with an ambient piece the album leads into the chugging progressive I Am I. It is powerful, and memorable. Then you have the rocking Damaged, which is possibly the album's weakest moment (it is still a solid song, and doesn't give off the filler vibe.) Out of mind and Bridge are acoustically driven downers, and I quite enjoy them. the title track is at times frightening, and very emotional. Disconnected is funky in the way that Have a Cigar was funky. Then you have Lady Jane, which is literally haunting, and Geoff Tate does his best Roger Waters impression (he does a damn fine job) leading into a shocking solo, between dark bass and piano driven parts. The lyrics are dark, and very interesting. I really want to say this is progressive metal's Wish You Were Here. Empire gave almost no foreshadowing into what Promised Land would be.

My Global Mind is more metallic, and kind of grabs you, leading into the bass heavy mid tempo melodic metal they seem to be straddling in their later years, only it is done so well, here. And the overall feel is much less melodic than you might fear. The word dark is thrown around a lot, but it is deservedly so. This is a downright depressing album, and I love it. One More Time Is rocking in the sense that Welcome To The Machine was rocking. the vocals on this track are breath-taking. And it is another bleak song on one very bleak album. With multiple emotive solos that rake you in and don't let go. Wrapping up this affair is the soft piano ballad Someone Else?. it has one of Tate's best vocal performances, and is an excellent end to one of Queensryche's best albums. I recommend you listen to this with headphones.

I don't want to give this album 5 stars, and 4 stars seems a bit too low. I'll give it 5 on the basis that someone else who will be in the same position as me will probably go the former. A weak 5(about 4.5-4.6) star album, which is quite impressive, indeed.

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