DEDICATED TO CHAOS

Queensrÿche's last effort, American Soldier, was one that, despite all of the negative hype surrounding it, I actually enjoyed quite a bit. Although nowhere near the heights of Operation: Mindcrime or Empire, I thought it was a generally high-quality concept album with a few excellent songs that were on par with the band's classic material. Dedicated to Chaos has been met with even more negative attention than 2009's American Soldier, and (unfortunately) I agree with it this time around. This is an extremely weak effort that is far too uninspired and generic to impress even the most die- hard Queensrÿche fan - really a shame after the massive step forward that was American Soldier. Dedicated to Chaos is a very low point in Queensrÿche's discography, and I can only hope that they recover from this artistic disaster next time around. Unless generic metal riffs, straightforward song structures, and uninspired lyrics are your preferred poison, I'd have a tough time recommending this to even the most hardcore Queensrÿche fans.

The music on Dedicated to Chaos is similar to Queensrÿche's sound on their previous few albums. Expect grunge-tinged alternative metal with very few influences from progressive metal and traditional heavy metal - this truly sounds nothing like the band that made Operation: Mindcrime, and those who are expecting a traditional/prog metal album should look elsewhere. Although I'm certainly open to the band's ever-evolving sound and change in direction, I can't help but feel that they've lost a bit of their inspiration along the way. The vast majority of Dedicated to Chaos consists of generic riffs and surprisingly uninspired vocal performances from Geoff Tate - a bit shocking when considering what a powerful and emotional vocalist he can be. There really are only a few songs on this album that are decent ("Around the World", "Hard Times", and "Big Noize" come to mind), and even they aren't great or anything. Dedicated to Chaos also sports some of the band's most horrendous lyrics to date - just take one listen to "Hot Spot Junkie" and you'll catch my drift. How could this be the same band that previously wrote genius concept albums with stories that compete with the best ever written?

One annoying feature about Dedicated to Chaos is the horrible-sounding production. The mix sounds just terrible to these ears, with everything (particularly the drums and bass) mixed so loud to the point that it lacks emotion. Guitar parts are nearly inaudible at times, and the vocals are mixed too high as well. Giving already generic music an uninspired and generic production is not a plus in my book.

Dedicated to Chaos is not a successful album from almost every aspect. The uninspired arrangements, weak lyrics, terrible production, and simplistic compositions make this possibly the worst Queensrÿche effort to date. It will take a real boost of inspiration to recover from this disaster. I hate to do this to one of my once-favorite bands, but the most I can give out here is 1.5 stars. If not for the few decent tracks, you could easily subtract that extra half-star. Dedicated to Chaos is only for the most die-hard of Queensrÿche fans, and I have a feeling that even they will be disappointed. Along with Morbid Angel's recent disaster, this can currently be considered the biggest let-down of 2011. Sorry guys - I really wanted to like this album. Maybe next time.