I have to disagree; the fact of the matter is that Tate isn't really interested in making the sort of music that Queensryche fans want. At this point, he's just doing it out of necessity.
I'm with you. It's hard to know what Geoff is really interested in and what he isn't, because he is so inconsistent in what he says from moment to moment, and he constantly revises his own history. You never even know when he is somewhat telling the truth anymore. But he has demonstrated through his words and his actions that he isn't really interested in making the music that Queensryche fans generally want, as you said. But if he was painted into a corner before, he is even moreso now. He has to somewhat cater to the sound the fans expect if he wants to eat.
As far as the song itself, there is a lot that I am surprised to say that I like. Instrumentally, I like it a LOT. I listened a couple of times and tried to focus on what each instrument was doing, and there is a lot that is interesting and sounds great. The melodies are interesting and just sound...well, good. The guitar work, including Kelly's solo, is solid. I like the bass groove. The keyboards added some nice atmosphere in the background. And this is really the first time I have heard Simon be able to kind of do his own thing and be a bit creative on drums, and I like what I heard there as well (assuming it is him playing on the studio track--given Geoff's M.O. the past few albums, I do not want to assume). I really wonder who wrote the music. I am not sure if Slater is still doing the lion's share, if the band is writing, or if Geoff is using other outside writers. But this isn't bad at all.
Then we move on to the vocals... I like the bridge and chorus a lot. But another way of saying that is, I like the parts of the song that everyone NOT named Geoff Tate are singing. The melodies on the chorus and bridge sound pretty good. The lead on the verse is typically flat, uninteresting 2000s Geoff Tate, sadly. And his voice sounds as burned out and strained as ever. He sounds a bit better than on D2C and FU. I would probably say his voice sounds about as it did in the American Soldier era. But the problem is, even that level is just...not good. It's a studio recording, for crying out loud! If he can't manage to sound any better in studio with everything a studio environment provides, then the man really should hang it up. He is singing from the throat and just sounds so thin and strained. Ugh. As has sadly been the case for too long, Geoff Tate is the weakest link in his own music. Sad.
I'm willing to wait and see what the actual QR bring us on the new album, because I saw a lot of potential on the s/t album two years ago. There's no way that they'll be exactly like the Queensryche of old, but I think they can evolve into a band that's still really great and musically consistent (i.e. Andi Deris-era Helloween).
I lost faith a while ago. The last album was really good, despite some flaws in writing. But the band has done far too little for far too long. I just don't know if they have it in them. If we get something good, that's terrific. But I'm not holding my breath. I've sort of moved on.
Topic: Geoff Tate's "Operation: Mindcrime" (not Queensryche) (Read 148713 times)
