JD Roberts of MuchMusic’s Pepsi Power Hour talked to Geoff Tate (and a silent Chris DeGarmo) about Queensryche in 1986. That means you get the rock-solid Rage for Order haircuts. Not only that… but Geoff actually comments on the hair!
rage for order
REVIEW: Queensryche – Speaking in Digital: A Conversation with Queensryche (1986 promo)
QUEENSRŸCHE – Speaking in Digital: A Conversation with Queensryche (1986 EMI America promo interview LP)
Here’s a nice little rarity for you, a full-length Queensryche interview disc from the Rage For Order era. Promos are a funny thing for reviewing (and this is our second Queensryche promo review). These records were never made for sale, therefore nobody reviews them. Nobody…but us. Is there any rock knowledge or collector’s value to be gleaned from this disc? Let us find out.
It’s an attractive record, Geoff Tate’s digitally distorted face in black & white. No Try-Ryche, but a neat digital Queensryche logo. The interview is conducted by radio DJ Ralph Tortoro. A very low-key Geoff Tate begins by answering general questions about the beginning of the band and their independent EP. Chris DeGarmo is a bit more engaged and adds the details. Shy Michael Wilton speaks up only on occasion.
You’ll also get bits and pieces of music: Snippets of “Queen of the Reich”, “Warning”, and “Gonna Get Close to You”. There are four full songs too: a massive “Screaming in Digital” (so hot on vinyl!), “I Dream in Infrared”, “Chemical Youth” and “The Whisper”.
Interesting things I noted while listening:
- They hadn’t settled on the name Queensryche for the band until they had to print up the first EP, forced to make a decision.
- Maiden was one of their favourite bands to cover according to Chris.
- Tate clearly didn’t like being called “metal” even back in 1986.
- “NM 156” from The Warning is hailed as the track that showed the way of the future of Queensryche.
- Steve Harris loved The Warning and asked for Queensryche to open for Iron Maiden.
- Rage for Order is a “loose concept” album, examining order over three levels: order in relationships, political order, and technological order.
- Other questions remain unasked.
The new digitally enhanced Queensryche of 1986 was destined to confuse people in the short term, gradually winning over fans as time went on and people “got” the album. If you want to deepen your understanding of its themes, this record will help. There’s more too; we won’t tell you everything. As a fan, you should be able to decide if Speaking in Digital is the kind of thing you want in your rock and roll reference library. The young, shy Queensryche interviewed on this LP are as cold as the machines that are striving for order in the lyrics. It’s a dry but interesting listen.
3/5 stars
REVIEW: Queensrÿche – Condition Hüman (2015 Japanese edition)
NEW RELEASE
QUEENSRŸCHE – Condition Hüman (2015 Century Media Japanese edition)
As if it was not abundantly clear on their last album (2013’s self-titled), Queensryche seem to have no intentions of abandoning their heavy metal roots again. Furthermore when you have a significant lineup change, such as a new lead singer, you can’t just stand still. You have to keep progressing forward. The ‘Ryche used their last album to re-ground their sound, but for a followup you need more than that. Condition Hüman pushes the boundaries out once more, but not without keeping the metal intact.
Indeed, “Arrow of Time” sounds as if the quintet had been ingesting nothing but classic Iron Maiden for breakfast. Swift and viscous, “Arrow of Time” gets the job done in the requisite four minutes but not without exploring the exotic side of metal riffing. Imagine an alternate reality where Queensryche did not go in the highly technological direction of 1986’s Rage for Order album. Envision instead a timeline in which they followed The Warning (1984) with an album that continued to progress, but also go heavier at the same time. That album would have been Condition Hüman. “Hellfire” demonstrates this as well; the song would have fit on a heavier version of Rage.
“Guardian” demonstrates this even more clearly. With the vintage-style screams and vocalizations (Todd La Torre for MVP), metal riffing, but also Mindcrime-like progressive rock, Queensryche have hit upon a satisfying balance. Songwriting credits are various combinations of all five band members; all but “Eye 9”, written solely by bassist Eddie Jackson (a first, I think). The album has a cohesive sound, like five guys all pulling in the same direction. The production, by Zeuss, is punchy. Queensryche have always employed elements such as sound effects and programming, and Condition Hüman has these fixtures as well.
Moving on, “Toxic Remedy” is Mindcrime-like, but denser and massive sounding. Pay attention to the way Todd La Torre layers his vocals on “Toxic Remedy”. He has arranged the vocals in his own way; this is not a carbon copy of something else. “Selfish Lives” is the same. Yes, there are hooks and melodies that sound very Queensryche, but Todd is showing off his own personality more than before. And he’s not taking the easy way out on any of it! Sounds like he is really pushing his own limits, especially on “Selfish Lives”. It’s quite remarkable how lucky Queensryche were to find a compatible guy like Todd, who is also able to stretch it out.
Another album highlight is the rhythmic “Eye 9”, the aforementioned Jackson composition. This Queensryche-meets-Queens of the Stone Age track blows the doors wide open in terms of direction by putting the rhythm first. It sounds like Queensryche, yet nothing like any prior Queensryche, simultaneously. “Bulletproof” puts a new slant on the Queensryche power ballad, keeping the emphasis on the power. La Torre makes it his own — listen to the last note he sings. Sends chills up the spine. Speaking of chills, crossing the acoustics with the heavy chunky riffing on “The Hourglass” did exactly that. There are Pink Floyd influences coming up to breathe from time to time on Condition Hüman. This is most obvious on “Just Us”, which is also very much like the slightly psychedelic acoustic side of Led Zeppelin. Queensryche have never done anything like “Just Us” before. “Silent Lucidity” this is not. The soulful singing at the close of the song is also unlike anything on a prior Queensryche song.
For fans of the technical, fast side of Queensryche, “All There Was” will scratch that itch. With that pulsing technological rhythm and “Needle Lies” tempo, you are in for a ride. Don’t forget the blazing guitar histrionics. The final album track is “Condition Hüman” itself, 7:48 of dramatic progressive metallic rock. Check out the “Astronomy Domine” section after the fifth minute, just before it goes into that deliberate Mindcrime riff. If I had to pigeonhole the sound of this album, it would be “progressive metallic rock”, but pigeonholes are lazy. Still, as Commander Pavel Chekov once said, “If shoe fits…”
Holding out for the Japanese edition of the album, the bonus track “Espiritu Muerto” is the bonus track worth waiting for. Going sludgy for 3:40, but topped with a soaring chorus, the bonus track is in the mold of the album but different just the same. It’s a long album though, and adding more material (even if good) can sometimes push a CD just a bit too far in terms of attention span. “Espiritu Muerto” is close to this line, but because it has enough personality of its own, it’s worth staying around for.
If any of these songs sound intriguing to you, check out Condition Hüman. Fans who wonder where Queensryche could have gone had they adhered to heavier roads will find much to enjoy. They have never taken the easy way with any of their albums, but it is hard to imagine a fan of early ‘Ryche who won’t find something here to love.
4/5 stars
REVIEW: Queensryche – Road to Promised Land (1995 EMI promo)
QUEENSRŸCHE – Road to Promised Land (1995 EMI promotional “best of” CD)
20 years ago, good buddy T-Rev let me know this little treasure had arrived in his store (first discussed in Record Store Tales part 120). Released to promote the 1995 Promised Land tour, Queensryche’s Road to Promised Land AKA Arrived! was a neat little greatest hits package released well before their actual Greatest Hits several years later. This is a promo CD released by EMI in the United States, and it covers every Queensryche release to date.
From the original EP is not “Queen of the Reich”, but “The Lady Wore Black”. The ballad starting the set is an odd but explainable choice. Queensryche were playing “The Lady Wore Black” on tour, but Geoff Tate didn’t enjoy singing “Queen of the Reich” and tried to avoid doing so. Being so full of powerful metal drama, even as a ballad, “The Lady Wore Black” can work as an opener. Then “Take Hold of the Flame” follows, one of the best Queensryche songs of all time (from the first LP The Warning). Unfortunately that is the only inclusion from The Warning, although it is certainly a must. Geoff Tate used screams as a art form on this song like no other. You want metal drama? They opening tracks are Metal Drama 101.
Two tracks are selected from Rage For Order, and they are fairly obvious choices: “Walk in the Shadows” [“WALK WITH MEAT!“] and “I Will Remember”. It is a given that both are high quality songs, from an album that can be difficult to pick individual hits. The opening part of the CD feels rushed, with the critical first EP and two albums giving up only four songs. Keep in mind that these albums now make up a large bulk of Queenryche 2015’s set, although that wasn’t the case in 1995 with their original singer.
From the brilliant landmark concept album Operation: Mindcrime are three selections: “I Don’t Believe in Love”, “Eyes of a Stranger” and “Revolution Calling”. Once again these are fairly obvious choices, being the three singles from the album. Strangely, “Eyes of a Stranger” was not edited down and is the full 6:39 cut, complete with album outro. Their most successful LP yet, Empire, was also give three inclusions. “Best I Can”, “Jet City Woman” and “Silent Lucidity” were three great singles. I wonder why the title track “Empire” wasn’t used? I think it’s more identifiable than “Best I Can”.
Rolling into Promised Land for the final three tracks, it is plain sailing to hear the evolution of the band over their first decade. Although the metal got tuned down in favour of more drama and radio-friendly elements, one thing that never changed was their urge to experiment. Indeed, the first Promised Land single “I Am I” features plenty of daring sounds. (This version of “I Am I” fades out rather than skipping directly into “Damaged”.) From cello (by Chris DeGarmo) to tribal percussion to innovative vocal effects, “I Am I” proved that Queensryche could rock progressively in the increasingly alternative 1990’s. Lyrically, they were as serious as ever but more personal. The ballad “Bridge” was about DeGarmo’s relationship with his father. Finally, the heavy-as-plutonium “Damaged” closes the CD abruptly. That’s the problem with these record company assembled promo CDs. They are not designed to play as an album. They are designed for radio use and store play. In other words the only real consideration is including all the individual tracks you want to plug. Like “I Am I”, “Damaged” too was edited for radio. They shaved three seconds off in fades, because normally these songs flow together on album.
Rating a CD like this is kind of pointless, because it was never meant to be sold. But let’s say you don’t own any Queensryche, and you saw this used while wandering the shops. Would it be a good Queensryche purchase for somebody looking for a good overview of the classic years?
Yes. Absolutely.
3/5 stars
#420: Walk With Meat
RECORD STORE TALES MkII: Getting More Tale
#420: Walk With Meat
Everybody loves misheard lyrics! “’Scuse me while I kiss this guy.” There are entire books available with nothing but commonly misheard lyrics. My dad used to think Gene Simmons was singing “a beach creature in the Ladies Room” on that Kiss classic from Rock N’ Roll Over. Misheard lyrics can be embarrassing when caught singing along, but also fun.
Perhaps some lyrics are not misheard at all. Perhaps some are intentional?
My good friend Uncle Meat pointed out a good one on Queenryche’s 1986 track “Walk in the Shadows”. This opening song from the amazing Rage For Order album has remained a fan-favourite over the years. Its progressive-rock-meets-technology vibe was very new for the time, though it was skeptically met by fans of pure guitar rock. As much as Rage For Order broke new musical ground, it was also quite complex lyrically. I even studied some of the songs (“Neue Regel”, “Chemical Youth”, and “Surgical Strike”) for a highschool English project. But what was Geoff Tate saying in the lyrics?
What? You say you’re through with me,
I’m not through with you,
We’ve had what others might call love.
Only mildly disturbing. Sounds like a clingy ex-lover who can’t face that his relationship is over.
You say it’s over now,
What’s done, what’s through?
You can’t stay away, you need me,
I need you.
Again, still clingy and slightly desperate. Nothing of any depth or hidden meaning though. It’s all right there on the page. But wait….
Ow! You got to stay with me…(Walk with me)
Oooh! Walk in the shadows (Walk with MEAT),
Walk in the shadows (Walk with me),
Ahhh, yeah! Walk in the shadows, WOO! (Walk with MEAT),
Walk in the shadows (Walk with me),
Ah, ahh, ahhhhh! Walk in the shadows (Walk with MEAT),
Walk with me!
Listen to the end of the song. You can clearly hear the “t” in “Meat” on every other line in the outro. Clearly! And notice how Geoff puts his emphasis and screams and fill-ins on the MEAT lines. He even threw in a “woo” there. How often do you hear Geoff Tate throwing “woos” into his lines? So what was Geoff Tate really trying to tell us on “Walk in the Shadows”?*
Analyzing the lyrics of the song, and digging into the album itself for more clues, I think I have finally figured out the true, hidden story behind “Walk in the Shadows” by Queensryche. The technological theme takes us into the future. That much is obvious from the album’s lyrics and concepts. “I only dream infrared,” and all the high-tech artificial intelligence hints at a future that had not existed in 1986. We are getting closer, but thankfully the robots haven’t revolted yet. Tate is obviously foretelling the future rather than singing about current events in 1986.
Some time in late ’85, when Geoff Tate was knee-deep in a vat of red wine, a bottle fell off his top shelf, hit him on the head and knocked him out cold. He awoke in a future that is still far away, even for us in 2015. The year is unknown – Geoff was still too loaded on wine to pick up a newspaper and read the date. However one thing is known – the future will be dominated by Uncle Meat. Tate wandered this future landscape for some time, and witnessed things that no-one would believe. His only option was to hide these warnings in the lyrics of a concept album. That album was Rage For Order. “Walk in the Shadows” was the opening song. That’s how Geoff Tate plays his cards — right there on the table.
“Walk in the shadows, walk with MEAT.” Geoff had seen a glimpse of our planet’s glorious future. Walk with him and you will see – the future is walking with MEAT. You couldn’t get any clearer. Once you hear that not-so-subtle “T” in “Meat”, the rest slowly reveals itself, like a puzzle with the edges already finished.
I for one welcome our new Meat overlord!
* There is no evidence to suggest a connection to the Joey Tempest Conspiracy (TM).
*^ This footnote is in no way an attempt to keep reminding you of the Joey Tempest Conspiracy (TM), in an effort to foreshadow future posts.
*^^ It actually is.
REVIEW: Queensrÿche – Queensrÿche (2013 Japanese edition with bonus tracks)
QUEENSRŸCHE – Queensrÿche (2013 Avalon Japanese import)
I purchased and reviewed the domestic “deluxe edition” of Queensryche (2013) in July of this year. I initially gave it a 3.25/5 stars, but I have since revised that score to 3.5/5. The album continues to appeal to me greatly months later, which is more than I can say for most Queensryche discs since Promised Land. At the end of that review, I cryptically added, “Oh, and the live bonus tracks absolutely smoke.”
Since nobody likes a tease, I’ve decided to focus on all four live tracks for this review. For the very reasonable price of $32 USD plus $3 shipping, I had a sealed copy of Queensryche sent to me from Japan, so I now have all four live tracks. If you want the short report: They’re good enough that Queensryche should consider releasing a full live CD/DVD. I’d buy it based on these four tracks. But nobody comes to mikeladano.com for the short version.
“Queen of the Reich” is the first song I ever heard from the original Queensryche, as I suspect is true for most of the band’s fanbase. Right from the opening scream, I feel that this is the band that represents Queensryche. Every note is nailed, as is every scream. On this song Todd La Torre can do no wrong, but not just that. I would say that his versions are, in general, fresh sounding. He is reverent to the originals, but I also hear his own voice. I must also commend Scott Rockenfield. His drums are heavy as fuck, and his bass drum precisely punctuates every beat.
“En Force” is a welcome surprise. In 2001, Eddie Jackson told me that it was considered in the running for the Live Evolution album but did not make the cut. The good news is the guys still know how to play it! This has never been my absolute favourite track from The Warning, but to hear it live with all the screams intact? That’s something I never thought would happen again.
“Prophecy” is a difficult song, and although Todd doesn’t sing it album-perfect, I have to ask myself, who else these days can sing these Queensryche songs like this? Not too many singers. I just hope Todd doesn’t blow out his voice. I’m sure this kind of singing takes its toll.
Last is the classic “Eyes of a Stranger”. This is the only bonus track not from the stone ages of the Ryche, the only representation of Operation: Mindcrime. It is actually this track, in many respects, that shows off the talents of Todd La Torre. It is another side of the spectrum, and Todd pulls this off as well. Look, I know Geoff Tate’s the original, etc. etc. I get that. Focused on the here and now, this is how I’d like to hear Queensryche sound. Heavy, slightly progressive rock music with shredding vocals. That’s what I like, and Queensryche deliver on these four bonus tracks.
Lastly, a word about Parker Lundgren. I remember when Kelly Gray joined the band, on Live Evolution he lent a different sound to the band. It was good, just different. Parker fits much more seamlessly. He doesn’t attract attention to himself by playing things differently, he played it the way you remember it.
Yeah, so I bought the album twice. You knew I was going to. For the bonus tracks:
5/5 stars
More RYCHE:
- Geoff Tate’s Queensryche – “Cold” (2013 single)
- Queensryche – Q2k (Expanded edition)
- Video game review: Queensryche’s Promised Land (1996)
- Queensryche / Type O Negative – Toronto Ontario, July 27, 1995, Molson Amphitheatre
- Geoff Tate – Geoff Tate (2002)
- Exclusive interview with Eddie Jackson (2001)
- Queensryche – Empire (20th Anniversary Edition)
REVIEW: Queensrÿche – Queensrÿche (deluxe edition 2013)
QUEENSRŸCHE – Queensrÿche (2013 deluxe edition)
So after all the hubbub and commotion and he-says she-says, both Queensryches have finally released their albums. The consensus is pretty clear: fans prefer the original band to the original singer. The sales figures speak for themselves. Queensryche has more than doubled the sales numbers of Frequency Unknown, and charted in the 20’s rather than the 80’s. The judge that will settle the case of who gets the Queensryche name in November said that the market would decide. If that’s indeed the case, Tate can look forward to a solo career.
In the meantime Michael Wilton, Scott Rockenfield and Eddie Jackson carried on with Parker Lundgren and Todd La Torre, and basically did what fans have been asking: revert to an earlier sound.
Instead of going through this album song-by-song, I thought I would try something different. Instead I’d like to just talk about what I like and don’t like about Queensryche. You can feel free if you disagree if you like. Uncle Meat couldn’t bring himself to review the album. He hated it so much he rated it 0/5 stars. He said that the hiring of a Tate clone only makes Queensryche look like a bunch of douchebags. His opinion was that this act alone put Tate on top, even if he did release the dreadful Frequency Unknown. He asked me to say this on his behalf:
“This is like the winner of the Queensryche Karaoke contest. Worst album of the year, of any genre.”
So there’s that. I respect the criticism about the Karaoke contest. But lemme tell you folks, even if La Torre’s Tate is uncanny, it’s also welcome to my weary ears. I like hearing a Queensryche album where the singer is actually hitting the notes. I’ve heard Tate fans talk about electronic processing on La Torre’s voice. Well, that’s pretty much rooted in the 1986 Rage For Order sound.
If I had to nail Queensryche down to a specific era, it would be Warning-Rage-Empire in that order. Not terribly original, no. I’ll let it slide though, and for this reason: when a band like Queensryche, who have musically been adrift at sea for a long time (barring the odd triumph like American Soldier), they need to re-ground themselves and regain the faith and trust of the fans. Priest did something similar with their Angel of Retribution album. Various songs sounded pretty bang-on for specific eras of the band. And you know what? That worked for me. It was what I needed. They saved the double concept album for the next record.
So, if Queensryche can progress from here, I’ll be happy and forgive them for the lack of originality. I’ll let it slide for one album. I’m also a little disappointed in the brief running time of 35 minutes: 9 short songs plus 2 intros. None of the tracks are longer than 4 1/2 minutes.
I find pretty much all the songs to be of equal quality. That is, all of them are good, some of them are better than good, none of them are poor. I’ve waited to listen to this album 5 or 6 times before I tried to review it. After that many listens, none of the songs are particularly jumping out at me more than others. But none are turning me off. All have moments of greatness here and there, sometimes in the guitars, other times the drums, or the vocals. La Torre is definitely stunning at times on this album. It’s also fantasic to actually hear Scott Rockenfield playing the drums on a Queensryche album, and sounding like Scott Rockenfield. He has a unique sound, one of his own, as does bassist Eddie Jackson.
As for the new boy Parker Lundgren? Sure, he played on some of Dedicated to Chaos, but now you can actually hear him. He meshes better with Michael Wilton than anybody else the band has had since Chris DeGarmo.
Which brings me to my final point. I still miss DeGarmo. This is nothing against Michael, Scott, Eddie, Parker or Todd. DeGarmo had some kind of magic. Look at all of Queensryche’s hits. See who wrote most of them. Queensryche absolutely miss DeGarmo, more than they do Tate.
In closing, I enjoy Queensryche a lot more than Frequency Unknown, or many albums since Promised Land. Do I like it more than Rage? Warning? The EP? No. It’s good, no mistake, but it’s not at that level. Whether they are capable of ever getting there again remains to be seen. My attention is peaked; I’ll definitely check out the next album, which the band have already started writing. In fact I’m looking forward to the next one, and hopefully the next one after that.
Oh, and the live bonus tracks absolutely smoke.
3.5/5 stars
FYI: The Japanese edition contains an additional bonus track, which is “Eyes of a Stranger” performed live by the new lineup. All four live tracks are taken from the same gig. Reviewed separately.
REVIEW: Queensryche – Empire (20th Anniversary Edition)
QUEENSRŸCHE – Empire (2010 EMI 20th Anniversay Edition)
20 years? Wow, they sure flew by for me! When Empire first came out I bought it on cassette, and even back then I thought it was a bit too commercial. That’s not to say Empire is a bad album, but coming off Mindcrime and the killer first single “Empire”, I expected something heavier.
Now with the benefit of hindsight, you can really hear a band coming into their own identity. Empire is kind of the end of the old “heavy metal” Queensryche and the beginning of the newer more diverse Queensryche. The next album, Promised Land was a another stride further away from sheer metal, but more successfully achieved.
This box set, very nice looking and all, would have been better released as an individual live album, because disc one is identical to the previous Queensryche remaster version. The bonus tracks are the same. (“Last Time In Paris” from the Ford Fairlaine soundtrack, “Scarborough Fair” from the “Anybody Listening” single, and “Dirty L’il Secret” from the much later “I Am I” single. Yes, “Scarborough Fair” is a Simon and Garfunkel cover. Much more gothic though!)
The live album is from the same tour (but not the same show) as the Operation: Livecrime album. Think of this as representative of Queensryche’s non-Mindcrime live set, so if you have both albums you kind of have one complete show. It’s a good live album, although without the Mindcrime material to balance it, it is way too Empire-heavy. 7 of the 10 tracks are from Empire. That’s not me complaining really, just an observation of the feel of the set, as an album. For non-Empire material, you get the awesome “Walk In The Shadows,” “Roads to Madness”, and “Take Hold Of The Flame”, representing the first couple Queensryche full-lengths.
(As an added note, the Operation: Livecrime reissue also had one additional song not on this, which was “The Lady Wore Black” originally from the first EP.)
The live stuff sounds great, very clear with a good performance by the band. Tate is in peak voice at this point — he nails all the notes in “Take Hold”! The whole band sounds really good, especially in the backing vocals department. It also sounds pretty live and not messed with, which is my preference. I’m sure there are backing tapes, Queensryche do use them, but the overall feel was one of spontaneity. The liner notes claim there are no overdubs whatsoever.
If you’re not familiar with the Empire album and you’re buying it for the first time, you are definitely going to be familiar with most of the album’s six singles:
- “Empire”, the dark forboding tale of drug trafficking, with killer spoken word-style vocals from Geoff Tate.
- “Best I Can”, the power pop rock song, with uplifting (but cheesey) lyrics.
- “Silent Lucidity” one of the three songs that defined the term “power ballad” in the summer of 1991. (The other two were “More Than Words” by Extreme and “To Be With You” by Mr. Big.) A great song with brilliantly sparse-yet-lush arrangement. Still stands up today!
- “Jet City Woman”, my personal favourite simply for that unstoppable bass groove.
- “Anybody Listening?”, the epic album closer, and one of the all time best songs Queensryche have ever written.
- “Another Rainy Night”, not one of the better songs, in my opinion. Kind of repeats the pop rock stylings of “Best I Can” but with lyrics about missing some girl.
There are also buried treasures within the album tracks. “Resistance” feels like a polished-up Mindcrime outtake for sheer tempo and mood. “Della Brown” is unlike anything the band ever attempted before, an atmospheric tale of a homeless woman that foreshadows the direction of Promised Land.
The band were really gelling at this point, and an album like this makes me really wish Chris DeGarmo was still in the band. He wrote or co-wrote almost every song, and his backing vocals really enrich the record. Everybody was playing great, though, and big props to Eddie Jackson for his killer bass sound.
The package includes an Empire poster, booklet, and five postcards featuring stills from the “Empire” music video.
To sum up, there is absolutely nothing wrong musically with this album, or the bonus live album. This is a 5 star album for music, for packaging, for sound, and all that stuff. I have to deduct one star simply because the first disc is just the same Empire I already owned and I think the live disc on its own could have been released alone for the 20th anniversary of Empire.
4/5 stars (5 for music -1 for rebuying the album, again!)
Mike Ladano: Exclusive EDDIE JACKSON interview, part I
Mike Ladano: Exclusive EDDIE JACKSON interview, part II
Mike Ladano: Exclusive EDDIE JACKSON interview, part III
Mike Ladano: Exclusive EDDIE JACKSON interview, part IV
CONCERT REVIEW: Queensryche / Type O Negative – Toronto Ontario, July 27, 1995, Molson Amphitheatre
I’m a pack rat. I keep everything. I just dug up this vintage concert review. I wrote this the day after the concert, so memories were fresh! I’ve made some minor cleanups, but otherwise this is completely as-is, warts-and-all, somewhat embarrassing and a bit too long winded. For what it’s worth, enjoy! You might never find a more detailed write-up of the Promised Land tour!
QUEENSRYCHE / TYPE O NEGATIVE – Toronto Ontario, July 27, 1995, Molson Amphitheatre
(written by Mike Ladano, on July 28 1995, never published)
On July 27 1995, Queensryche, possibly the only great progressive rock band that is still progressing, conquered the Molson Amphitheatre in triumph. The road has been long and hard for these boys, they put out their first vinyl in 1983. Despite all the changes in rock today, Queensryche came out and put on one high-tech wonder of a show that rocked and stimulated.
The band opened with the taped intro of “9:28 am”, the opening track of the Promised Land CD. Their stage was bare, except for two platforms, a keyboard and a drum kit. The drum kit was encased in plexiglass, which seemed unusual at the time. [I know now that this was to keep the drums from bleeding into other microphones on stage.] One could pick out dozens of lasers, lights and effects just waiting to be used. Behind the stage were two monstrous projection screens, much like the band used on the Empire tour.
After the intro, Chris DeGarmo, Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson and Scott Rockenfield roared onto the stage with “I Am I” which was accompanied by a video of Geoff Tate wandering though a desert encountering all sorts of strange mirages based on the lies of the American Dream. Then the Tatemeister himself appeared on stage, wearing suit and tie, and being hounded by a half dozen journalists harassing him all over the stage. It was, of course, all part of the show.
The band segued from there straight into “Damaged”, just as they do on record. The press ripped off Tate’s suit, leaving him in a pair of bicycle shorts. The band continued to rage through this song, complete with distorted vocal effects from the album.
The band took a breather there, playing their acoustic hit single “Bridge”, a “Cats In the Cradle” story about Chris DeGarmo’s father. Again, this came with constant bombardment of images on the backing screens. It was extremely difficult to stay focused on any one thing on stage, however, Geoff Tate is a very animated frontman; moving and contorting about, acting out his words, while he and the video screens fight for attention.
From here, the band took a trip down memory lane that I’ll not soon forget. Upon entering, I said I wanted to hear old obscure Queensryche. I wanted to hear “Neue Regel” and “NM 156”. The band went right into those songs, as well as “Screaming In Digital” from Rage For Order. For these songs (which used distorted computerized vocals before Trent Reznor had even envisioned such a thing), Tate sang like a computer or a Dalek from Dr. Who. Then, when a burst of power was needed, the distortion would come off, and Tate would rip his lungs out with vocals from hell.
Geoff Tate’s voice was stronger here than the way I remembered it from the video footage of the Empire tour, which was nice to see. He did falter, especially on those incredible highs, but this was also refreshing: It meant he was not relying on backing tapes. The entire band played well, never straying too far from their recorded album parts, but just enough for there to be an audible difference.
“My Global Mind”, a song about the information superhighway and the artificial ties it makes between nations, contained some disturbing film footage: Saddam Hussein, and children starving in Africa.
I always said Scott Rockenfield was Queensryche’s version of Rush’s Neil Peart, and last night he proved this. With his hair shorn, and receding hairline revealed, he now not only sounds like Peart but looks like Peart! Encased behind the plexiglass, he played with precision and power, even more so than on the album. Chris DeGarmo had also cut his hair short(er) which was disappointing. He used to have Godlike hair!
The band kicked into overdrive, playing tunes from the landmark Operation: Mindcrime album. Their heaviest material came on even heavier live, with more power in the bass, drums and vocals. From that album, they played in sequence: “I Remember Now” (a taped intro with the same cartoon video footage that they used on the last tour), “Anarchy-X”, “Revolution Calling”, “Operation: Mindcrime”, “Spreading the Disease” (Geoff Tate sticks microphone in his pants and makes interesting movements), “The Mission”, and to close off the Mindcrime portion, “Eyes of a Stranger”. For this conceptual section, Tate came out dressed as the album’s protagonist Nikki, in leather pants and jacket, shedding the shorts.
“Empire”, which came across as brutally heavy live, was accompanied by the drug-dealing video footage from their MTV video, but with added stuff as well, which made it more fun to watch.
Queensryche played the entire Promised Land album from start to finish [but not in sequence] which came as a surprise to everyone. What came as even more of a surprise was how well this densely layered recording came off, live.
The title track, “Promised Land”, was most interesting. As a film played of Tate and his family buying a home (and of course not being able to afford it), the roadies ripped apart the stage and set up something else in darkness. Then, the lights came on. On stage was now a bar, a few tables with a ton of patrons (roadies and the drummer [Johnny Kelly] from Type O Negative), and a tiny little stage off to the side, where a second drum kit now sat.
The band walked through the bar dressed in matching suits, just like any lounge act. They played some piano-based barroom jazz number until, now assembled on that tiny postage stamp sized stage, they rumbled into “Promised Land”. Tate sat at the bar, wearing pink shirt and beige pants (matching his get-up from the video footage), singing this song of disillusion. This was also the first live appearance of his saxophone. Just like on the album, he would play sax breaks in between verses.
Although this is one of the most serious songs you would ever want to hear, this was the last show of the tour, and it was time for the road crew to cut loose with some comedy. One of the bar patrons slow-danced center stage with a blow-up doll through the entire 8 minute song!
The videos came back on as the bar set was torn down, and again replaced with the plastic-encased drum kit. The band rumbled into “Disconnected”, with more saxophone.
Before “Out of Mind”, Tate began with a speech about people who might be viewed as different. “You…your hair’s not the right length. And your hair’s just…not the right colour. What would you do if one day, those men in white coats came knocking on your door?”
From behind, a butt-ugly roadie dressed as a nurse in a yellow wig put Tate into a wheelchair. (Normally, an actress plays the nurse, but like I said, this was closing night!) Tate sang the song from the chair, using a mirror as a prop. He would sing into the mirror while a hidden camera filmed his reflection, and projected it onto the big screens.
The band closed their set with a predictable final tune. Of course, it had to be “Silent Lucidity”. For this song, five large transparent curtains came down on stage, concealing the drums and Chris DeGarmo. Suddenly, laser projectors came on, and presented amazing dream-like images onto those curtains, giving the illusion that they were suspended in air.
The crowd, as expected, went absolutely bonkers for this song, singing along to every word. Bowing, Queensryche left the stage in triumph….
…And returned with their early classic, “Take Hold Of the Flame” from their very first full-length album, The Warning. Of course, this went over amazingly. There were some diehard fans in this audience who knew the words to even the most obscure music that Queensryche could throw at them.
Queensryche ended their encore with perhaps the greatest song they have ever written: “Someone Else?” Chris DeGarmo played piano, Michael Wilton played some quiet backing guitar, and Scott Rockenfield added some cymbals. It was hard not to be blown away by Tate’s extremely emotional voice during this piece. If anything, Tate is even more emotional live than on record.
And that was the end, the band finally leaving in triumph, for real this time.
According to some in the audience, Queensryche’s stage show topped Pink Floyd. Believe it. This was, by far, the greatest rock show I have ever seen. I can’t imagine anyone, even Queensryche themselves, topping this. This was not heavy metal: This was theatre, and it was so fucking refreshing to see in this back-to-basics era of grunge blockheads like Pearl Jam and Nirvana.
All hail the mighty Queen of the Reich.
We missed the first few tracks from openers Type O Negative, but we could hear them just fine while eating. They opened with “Blood and Fire” from their new album, Bloody Kisses. We caught them halfway into the second tune, the incredible “Christian Woman”. They then played an older tune about suicide [title long forgotten]. Said vocalist Peter Steele: “This is a song about suicide, which we fully recommend. I know when I get old and my body is no longer useful to society, I am going to throw myself off a building, and hopefully land on someone I hate.” Gotta love them Type O Guys. [Sadly, Peter Steele never had the chance to get old.]
They played only two more songs, “Too Late: Frozen” and of course “Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)”. Speaking of scary, these guys were not all that pleasant to look at. Josh Silver, the keyboard player, has got to be the ugliest son of a bitch on the face of the Earth. Peter Steele looks like he sleeps in a coffin. Musically however, these guys were better live than on album. On record, they come across somewhat wimpy. Live, they are heavier and more energized.
5/5 stars
Mike Ladano: Exclusive EDDIE JACKSON interview, part I
Mike Ladano: Exclusive EDDIE JACKSON interview, part II
Part 125: Syphon Remix (It’s T-Rev Appreciation Day…Again!)
RECORD STORE TALES PART 125: Syphon Remix
(It’s T-Rev Appreciation Day…Again!)
Trevor’s in the habit of texting me whenever he sees something that I may want. Which is more often than I can afford, as it happens, so I have to pick and choose! I just received another box of goodies from T-Rev last week. Inside I found the contents below:
Gotta love picture discs eh? I’ll never play that Ozzy EP (all songs are also on his Prince of Darkness box set) but it sure looks cool. (Look at Jake E. Lee! Oh, Jake.) Didn’t even know it existed. That Grim Reaper one, I’d never seen the album cover before. Never even knew what it looked like! Sure love that title track though. And I’m well on record for loving the Rage For Order LP by Queensryche!
Also in the box was a rare 12″ single by Kim Mitchell. You know, the guy who teased your brains with Max Webster, and then your taste buds with “Go For Soda”.
Trev and I are both Kim and Max fans, but undoubtedly he’s the bigger fan than I am. So it was with utmost gratitude that I accept this record: “Go For Soda (Syphon Remix)” / “Love Ties”. This was from his own personal collection. As far as I know, neither of us have seen another copy. I spoke to my buddy, that guy Craig Fee who works at that radio station Dave FM, and he’d never heard of it, let alone encountered it in his vast travels.
Anyway, Trev found this one, back in the record store days! I don’t know when or where but maybe he’ll pop in with his remembrances! But this is the kind of thing we lived for. Finding something rare, cool, and previously unknown.
There’s no credit for who did the remix, essentially an extended version. The song has a different intro and is beefed up from 3:26 to 4:59. It’s a UK import, from Bronze records. Mitchell’s stuff is released by Anthem over here in North America. Bronze released Motorhead and Girlschool records in the 1970’s, I wonder if they commissioned this remix themselves.
So thanks Trev for another treasure. This is the kind of thing that Trev was prone to finding. I recall he had an etched Megadeth picture disc, and he also somehow scored me a double Bon Jovi 12″ single with 3 rare live tracks.
Must be the keen eye of a skilled Record Store Guy! I salute you sir.
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