EMPIRE

Queensryche was perhaps my favorite band when this album came out and I bought it at midnight when it was released. I listened to it too many times to count and even liked it to a certain degree. To be sure it was not the brilliance of Mindcrime, but it was much more coherent and listenable in its entirety than some of its progenitors like the Warning. It has the very derivative and huge hit Silent Lucidity which everyone and his brothier (including me) learned to play on guitar, it has Della Brown which harkened back, weakly, to the drama of previous rainy slow burners like Lady Wore Black or even Suite Sister Mary. It was not the best of Queensryche's work, but it was the breakthrough album that allowed a headlining tour that included Mindcrime in its entirety.

Despite that, it is probably the weakest of the albums that are worth owning (s/t EP through Promised Land). Tate's vocals are strong, the guitar work is good, but there's very little risk or adventure. The follow up album, Promised Land continues with the polish, but takes more chances and offers more rewards.

All that said, this is an enjoyable album to listen to. All of the songs are good, the production and sound are strong. Perfect example of a 3-star album.