QUEEN II

Brilliant, over the top, pompous excessivly extravagant progressive symphonic heavy metal rock album. Queen delivered a true masterpiece with this fabulous "Queen II". They played with the tought of naming the album "Over the Top", for that was the intend, make something more daring and more excessive than anything done before. As noted in other reviews the album consists of two sides, the White side is written by Brian May, with one additional song by Roger Taylor, and the Black side is Freddie Mercury's domain.

White Side The album starts with the baroque instrumental "Procession" May's guitar plays all the parts of this 1 minute song on guitar, with beautifull guitar orchestration, a great opening for this album, the outro of this song is also the intro to "Father to Son", which is mostly a heavy metal song, with great guitar play, and beautiful vocals from Freddie , the guitar solo goes from left to right, awsome and utterly brilliant, again the outro of this song is also the intro to the next song, the beautifull and amazing balad "White Queen (As It Began)" Accoustic guitar, with Freddie's voice start this song, slowely the song gets more intense, with fabulous guitar play, past midway, Brian's guitar arrangements give ita classic feel, who needs an orchestra when you have Brian on guitar, sublime how it ends, as it began.

After the three fabulous songs that started the White side, it continous fabulously with the softer and gentler, accoustic guitar based balad "Some Day One Day, sung by Brian, including some very good guitarparts, a beautifull song. "The Loser In The End" Roger Taylor's contribution to the song writing, a good song in itself, but a bit misplaced in general direction of the album, But it proofs that roger can sing.

Black Side Freddie Mercury's side of the album is the side that distinguishes this album as the definitive Queen Masterpiece it is (along-sides ANATO, actually). Starting with the pompous, completely over the top heavy metal song "Ogre Battle". Heavy noises, screams, back-played drums and guitars smoothly transformed to forward playing again, ever increasing speed, with some fabulous bass-play by John Deacon and heavy fast guitar play from Brian. brilliant opening to a brilliant second side of the album. with a bang it ends immediatly continuing with the brilliantly gay "The Fairy Feller's Masterstroke" The lyrics and music are inspired by a painting by the Victorian painter Richard Dadd, very intens bass playing, with great guitarplay and fabulous piano and vocals and sounds and what more, utter genius, together with My Fairy King, this is my favourite Queen track of all time. When the song stops, the piano continous to lay the foundation for the lovely and sad "Nevermore" which is a bridge to the centre- piece of the Black Side.

"March Of The Black Queen A prelude to what Bohemian Rhapsody will become, maybe even better. A multi-part song, in form best comparable with My Fairy king, The Fairy Fellers Masterstroke and Bohemian Rhapsody, very much condenced to fit in six minutes. The song changes franticly, alternating soft lush melodies, with dense heavy orchestrated guitarparts, and above all Freddie's very powerfull singing, with additional screams from Roger taylor, fabulous song, the last part in which freddie sings "Forget your sing a-longs and your lullabies, surrender to the city of the fireflies, dance to the Devil in beat with the band, to hell with all of you hand in hand" is also the intro to the great "Funny How Love Is carried by Freddie's beautifull voice and rhythmic guitar play, great song. The album closes with the fabulously great "Seven Seas Of Rhy" fast piano opens this song, and great canon like guitar play make up for the magnificent solo, a great piece of music to end the album with.

Superlatives are not enough for this album, this is sheer brilliance, and I have heard nothing quite like this ever again. I tried to describe some of what's happening in the album, but I completely failed, this is one of those albums that can't be described in any way, because there's so much going on.

FABULOUS ALBUM, and a DEFINITIVE MASTERPIECE not beause i'm a fan of the band, but because this album is utterly brilliant in all aspects. Listen to it yourself.