Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album

[Setlist Scotty]

I want a new shelf
One to hold up my books
One that’s not really ugly
But one that’s good in looks

I want a new shelf
One that’s made out of wood
One that won’t fall down
But stays on the wall as it should

[Adami]

If it's not about a shelf, then why am I so board?




Sorry. I'm so sorry.

[jammindude]

Reach for a graphic novel
Setting sights on a sci-fi theme

[nick_z]

In no certain order, I am pretty comfortable with the below as my 10 favorites by the band.

I Dream in Infrared
The Killing Words
Neue Regel
The Mission
Suite Sister Mary
Anybody Listening?
Damaged
Out of Mind
Promised Land
Lady Jane

This is a great list and one I could easily get behind.

Inspired by the Neue Regel discussion, I put on Rage for Order...it's crazy, but even after all these years, every time I listen to it I seem to like it a tiny bit more. Every time. Unbelievably great album.

Regarding "Neue Regal": for a long time, this was not only my favorite QR song, but my favorite song ever. I would go so far as to say the second half of RFO is not only my favorite batch of QR songs, but also their most cohesive musical statement to date.

I think I can agree with this. My favorite Queensryche will always be O:M - there are so many iconic moments on it, it's not even funny. However, if I had to explain the uniqueness of the band to someone, I'd probably pick Rage for Order. The very definition of a grower, and such a flawless (well, minus the wardrobe choices, I guess  ) confluence of musical influences and bold production choices into a cohesive package.

[TAC]

I could not figure out RFO when it came out. I loved Warning so much, I was like WTF when RFO came out. And those outfits...
It has aged great, but it stuck out like a sore thumb in the 80's.


My QR Top 10...


Roads To Madness
NM 156
Deliverance
Queen Of The Reich
The Mission
Suite Sister Mary
No Sanctuary
Take Hold The Flame
Eyes Of A Stranger
The Killing Words

[KevShmev]

I don't get the Road to Madness love.  I listened to Warning again yesterday and really enjoyed it, but that feels like a song I keep waiting to get better and it never does. 

[TAC]

I don't get the Road to Madness love.  I listened to Warning again yesterday and really enjoyed it, but that feels like a song I keep waiting to get better and it never does.

Sometimes you make no sense at all.

[KevShmev]

I don't get the Road to Madness love.  I listened to Warning again yesterday and really enjoyed it, but that feels like a song I keep waiting to get better and it never does.

Sometimes you make no sense at all.

You're killing me with words.

[DoctorAction]

I really wish they'd remix The Warning. Really like the songs but it's just gagging for some modern juice and more aggressively upfront guitar.

[TAC]

I don't get the Road to Madness love.  I listened to Warning again yesterday and really enjoyed it, but that feels like a song I keep waiting to get better and it never does.

Sometimes you make no sense at all.

You're killing me with words.

It's over.

[WardySI]

Inspired by the Neue Regel discussion, I put on Rage for Order...it's crazy, but even after all these years, every time I listen to it I seem to like it a tiny bit more. Every time. Unbelievably great album.

For me this could be said of any the Queensryche albums from EP-PL and the very reason they have remained my #1 since discovered them

Love myself a list particularly a QR list so in no particular order and ALWAYS subject to change, my fave dozen atm would probably be...

The Lady Wore Black
Breaking The Silence
Eyes Of A Stranger
The Whisper
En Force
Neue Regal
Empire
NM156
No Sanctuary
One More Time
Hand On Heart
Anybody Listening

[Deathless]

I don't get the Road to Madness love.  I listened to Warning again yesterday and really enjoyed it, but that feels like a song I keep waiting to get better and it never does.

It's a really cool song (and it was a treat to see it live when they performed it with Todd a few years ago) but now that I read your comment I agree. It's a little... bloated? Like it could have been cut shorter, or if it was changed a bit it may be better.

[T-ski]

Appears the band is dropping a new song tomorrow (June 23).

[Lowdz]

I could not figure out RFO when it came out. I loved Warning so much, I was like WTF when RFO came out. And those outfits...
It has aged great, but it stuck out like a sore thumb in the 80's.


My QR Top 10...


Roads To Madness
NM 156
Deliverance
Queen Of The Reich
The Mission
Suite Sister Mary
No Sanctuary
Take Hold The Flame
Eyes Of A Stranger
The Killing Words

I talked my mate into buying RFO when it came out because I’d loved The Warning so much. We put it on and had a wtf moment. I felt so bad for him I bought it off him. Very soon after it was one of my favourite albums.

[Lowdz]

In no certain order, I am pretty comfortable with the below as my 10 favorites by the band.

I Dream in Infrared
The Killing Words
Neue Regel
The Mission
Suite Sister Mary
Anybody Listening?
Damaged
Out of Mind
Promised Land
Lady Jane

This could be the first time Kev and I agree on music 😁😁 but then I read other people’s top 10s and agree with theirs too. Too many incredible QR songs.

[pg1067]

Neue Regal is in contention for being the best Queensryche song.

Prove me wrong. 

I smell a QR countdown!

Note how quickly I responded to this 13 day old post!


My tentative top 10:

1. Suite Sister Mary
2. Eyes of a Stranger
3. Neue Regel
4. Deliverance
5. Queen of the Reich
6. Anybody Listening?
7. Warning
8. Speak
9. Prophecy
10. Raods to Madness

[KevShmev]

I smell a QR countdown!

I can see a scenario where we do it and the Kelly Gray era somehow gets talked about way too much.

[TAC]

Yeah, I don't see that at all.

[ytserush]

Last weekend I went to an aerial performance of the U.S Navy Blue Angels at Jones Beach on Long Island, NY, which attract tens of thousands of people each year of all ages and ethnicities. Anyway, before the show we were walking along the boardwalk and there were giant speakers every 200 feet or so playing music like Billy Joel. Anyway, out of nowhere comes on "Anybody Listening?" I couldn't believe it. I was one of probably a small number of people who knew that song. And I actually happened to be wearing a QR shirt.

Heard that in a grocery store once. Freaked me out. I'm sure I've heard something crazier, but I can't think of another one at the moment.

[WardySI]

Sorry if missed and already posted but couldn't see it...

New Queensryche single In Extremis is out;

https://youtu.be/h_NZeFKbKaA

[jammindude]

Sorry if missed and already posted but couldn't see it...

New Queensryche single In Extremis is out;

https://youtu.be/h_NZeFKbKaA

“Not available”

[bl5150]

Sorry if missed and already posted but couldn't see it...

New Queensryche single In Extremis is out;

https://youtu.be/h_NZeFKbKaA

“Not available”

That should change when it ticks over to the 23rd in your part of the world

The song is okay I guess but not doing much for me.  The style is in keeping with recent albums but something about it just sounds very un-Queensryche to me .............might be the drumming from Grillo.  Anyway will wait and see what others think.

[The Realm]

The new song did very little if anything for me. Gave it 3 listens.

[WardySI]

It's Todd Ryche material as should be and not going recreate anything nor close to classic Ryche (nothing much is!), but I gotta say after a half dozen listens this falls into place and is bloody good stuff!  I didn't hear it at first but now hear a slight 00's-era Maiden vibe to it and well, that's a good thing!

Damn gonna be too long a wait until October and sure hope the album lives up to this one \m/

[Deathless]

Sorry if missed and already posted but couldn't see it...

New Queensryche single In Extremis is out;

https://youtu.be/h_NZeFKbKaA

“Not available”

That should change when it ticks over to the 23rd in your part of the world

The song is okay I guess but not doing much for me.  The style is in keeping with recent albums but something about it just sounds very un-Queensryche to me .............might be the drumming from Grillo.  Anyway will wait and see what others think.

I enjoyed it but it reminds me more of Condition Human than the last release. I am curious to see how the guitars turn out as Parker was really coming into his own as a songwriter and doing a nice job with Michael W. This album is all Wilton (and Eddie and Todd I suppose).

[emtee]

Very cool song! Really like it.

[T-ski]

It’s the most Maiden sounding song I’ve heard from them. Grillo’s drumming is the biggest departure for the QR sound by far, much more power metal then Scott.

Nothing earth breaking for sure, but it’s not awful either.

[Samsara]

re: Top-10

I have been thinking about this. Probably going with this:

1. Anybody Listening?
2. NM 156
3. Screaming in Digital
4. Roads to Madness
5. Damaged
6. Eyes of a Stranger
7. Empire (so overplayed but still such a dark, mid-tempo crusher)
8. Neue Regal
9. Promised Land
10. spOOL

Here it is by album (top-3, although with the EP and the original lineup "EP" of Tribe, I just take 2):

EP

Queen of the Reich
The Lady Wore Black

The Warning

NM 156
Roads to Madness
Take Hold of the Flame

Rage for Order

Screaming in Digital
Neue Regal
Walk in the Shadows

Operation: Mindcrime

(this is really hard, because I really do think its a full album listen each time. very rarely do I just listen to a song)

Eyes of a Stranger
The Mission
Anarchy-X/Revolution Calling

Empire

Anybody Listening?
Empire
Della Brown

PL

Damaged
Promised Land
Bridge

HITNF

spOOL
The Voice Inside
Hit the Black

Tribe EP (Open, Desert Dance, Falling Behind, The Art of Life, Doin Fine, Justified)

Art of Life
Desert Dance

re: In Extremis

Not bad. It is certainly a departure, as T-Ski said. The further they go along, the further away from the classic QR sound they get. And that's fine -- it's not the same band or writers. Very power metal, which isn't surprising. I like how the solo section starts at about the 2 minute mark a lot. Puts a little teeth into it, headed into the main solo. The solo is very Wilton. Dig the rhythm part under it before La Torre starts singing. Def. a Maiden vibe on the layered vocals.

Overall, I got a Maiden vibe from the tune, and a bit of power metal, with some 80s melodic hard rock vocal stuff. Not sure what I think about it after a first listen, but it's okay.

[Grappler]

It's a cool song, though some of the vocal melodies sound like they came right out of a few songs on The Verdict.  It's probably just how Todd writes them.   I'm happy to see Casey's full inclusion with the band on this album cycle and his stick twirls are always fun to watch. 

I'd love to see them take the power metal style even further and let Casey loose on some double bass - he was so good at that in Kamelot.

[pg1067]

re: Top-10

I have been thinking about this. Probably going with this:

1. Anybody Listening?
2. NM 156
3. Screaming in Digital
4. Roads to Madness
5. Damaged
6. Eyes of a Stranger
7. Empire (so overplayed but still such a dark, mid-tempo crusher)
8. Neue Regal
9. Promised Land
10. spOOL

Here it is by album (top-3, although with the EP and the original lineup "EP" of Tribe, I just take 2):

It hurt not to have NM156 in the top 10.  I have it at 12.


Top 3 by album (I can only do through Promised Land):

EP
Queen of the Reich (5)
Prophecy (9)

The Warning
Deliverance (4)
Warning (7)
Roads to Madness (10)

Rage for Order (this order doesn't feel quite right even though it's what the ranker produced)
Neue Regel (3)
The Whisper (18)
London (24)

Operation: Mindcrime
Suite Sister Mary (1)
Eyes of a Stranger (2)
Speak (8)

Empire
Anybody Listening? (6)
Another Rainy Night (14)
Jet City Woman (20)

Promised Land
Damaged (32)
I Am I (43)

[Samsara]

It hurt not to have NM156 in the top 10.  I have it at 12.

NM 156, for me, is the genesis track for Queensryche. Tate said something of that as well years ago. When they took Waiting for the Kill, realized it needed to be MORE, and then Chris or Michael came up with the riff for NM 156 (thinking that was Chris' riff, but if it was Wilton's then Chris came up with the song's arrangement), and then the time changes, Wilton's epic solo (which he wrote for Waiting for the Kill, and obviously Chris doubled him on), and just the intense vocal from Tate, it really set the stage for the band. To be honest, for me, it's 1 and 1a with AnybodyListening? for me.

And I know people differ, but listening to The Warning in the band-intended track order where NM 156 opens things...it just brings that album to a whole different level for me. It brings it from middle of the pack to a solid #2 after Mindcrime. The theme, the circular opening of NM 156 is the same as the ending of Roads to Madness, the intensity of the opening run of songs. Just iconic. Had the mix of The Warning been what the band wanted, and the running order preserved, I'd have said QR had one of, if not the absolute finest debut albums in hard rock/metal history.

I've had it re-sequenced with the right track order for probably close to 15 years now. And then a friend had someone take the CD, and try to re-EQ it to bring up the guitars as best as possible (without the master files its obviously almost impossible). He cleaned it up pretty good, and it does sound a bit better. But man, I know it won't happen, but I'm praying that DeGarmo, Tate, Rockenfield, Wilton and Jackson get on a call next year with Capitol Records and ask them to reissue it as they intended as a 40th anniversary set. Holy Grail for me. Wilton has his cassette of the original mix (which I am assuming he had transferred), DeGarmo probably does, and I know that at least one other copy exists. So fingers-crossed one day we'll get it like the band intended.

Until then, I'll just play my re-sequenced version and rock the F out with it.

[Glasser]

My top 10.

1) Suite Sister Mary
2) Speak
3) Screaming in Digital
4) En Force
5) One and Only
6) Child of Fire
7) Damaged
8) Walk In The Shadows
9) The Mission
10) The Whisper

This is not a hard top 10 but pretty representative of my love for QR. I love the first ep so that's in its own category. The best Todd Latorre era album is the first one by a mile for me.

[jjrock88]

I can try and give a QR top ten but like Paul said, so many great songs and can change daily.

1) Queen of the Reich
2) I Don't Believe in Love
3) NM 156
4) Eyes of a Stranger
5) Silent Lucidity (one of the greatest ballads of all time)
6) The Whisper
7) Promised Land
8) Roads to Madness
9) Take Hold of the Flame
10) Lady Wore Black

That's my list for today lol

The new song pretty good.  Not a classic QR sounding song by any stretch but a good modern metal song.  I don't have any interest in the new QR but it's for sure an enjoyable metal song.

[TAC]

It hurt not to have NM156 in the top 10.  I have it at 12.

NM 156, for me, is the genesis track for Queensryche. Tate said something of that as well years ago. When they took Waiting for the Kill, realized it needed to be MORE, and then Chris or Michael came up with the riff for NM 156 (thinking that was Chris' riff, but if it was Wilton's then Chris came up with the song's arrangement), and then the time changes, Wilton's epic solo (which he wrote for Waiting for the Kill, and obviously Chris doubled him on), and just the intense vocal from Tate, it really set the stage for the band. To be honest, for me, it's 1 and 1a with AnybodyListening? for me.

And I know people differ, but listening to The Warning in the band-intended track order where NM 156 opens things...it just brings that album to a whole different level for me. It brings it from middle of the pack to a solid #2 after Mindcrime. The theme, the circular opening of NM 156 is the same as the ending of Roads to Madness, the intensity of the opening run of songs. Just iconic. Had the mix of The Warning been what the band wanted, and the running order preserved, I'd have said QR had one of, if not the absolute finest debut albums in hard rock/metal history.

I've had it re-sequenced with the right track order for probably close to 15 years now. And then a friend had someone take the CD, and try to re-EQ it to bring up the guitars as best as possible (without the master files its obviously almost impossible). He cleaned it up pretty good, and it does sound a bit better. But man, I know it won't happen, but I'm praying that DeGarmo, Tate, Rockenfield, Wilton and Jackson get on a call next year with Capitol Records and ask them to reissue it as they intended as a 40th anniversary set. Holy Grail for me. Wilton has his cassette of the original mix (which I am assuming he had transferred), DeGarmo probably does, and I know that at least one other copy exists. So fingers-crossed one day we'll get it like the band intended.

Until then, I'll just play my re-sequenced version and rock the F out with it.

Sam, I know you've posted it before, but what was the intended running order? Nevermind..I see it on wiki. NM 156 opens and they move Warning down to before Roads.


I am so used to Warning the way it is. I don't think I could reorder it at this point. I've been listening to it the same way for 38 years. (Just saying that makes me want to puke! )


I actually loved how NM 156 close Side 1. It was like it was laying in wait and then BAM! I honestly don't think I could love the album more than I do by changing the order. Warning is one of my favorite all time albums.

[WardySI]

NM 156, for me, is the genesis track for Queensryche. Tate said something of that as well years ago. When they took Waiting for the Kill, realized it needed to be MORE, and then Chris or Michael came up with the riff for NM 156 (thinking that was Chris' riff, but if it was Wilton's then Chris came up with the song's arrangement), and then the time changes, Wilton's epic solo (which he wrote for Waiting for the Kill, and obviously Chris doubled him on), and just the intense vocal from Tate, it really set the stage for the band. To be honest, for me, it's 1 and 1a with AnybodyListening? for me.

And I know people differ, but listening to The Warning in the band-intended track order where NM 156 opens things...it just brings that album to a whole different level for me. It brings it from middle of the pack to a solid #2 after Mindcrime. The theme, the circular opening of NM 156 is the same as the ending of Roads to Madness, the intensity of the opening run of songs. Just iconic. Had the mix of The Warning been what the band wanted, and the running order preserved, I'd have said QR had one of, if not the absolute finest debut albums in hard rock/metal history...

Proof was when they opened the Live Evolution shows with NM156.  Simply badass and no argument the perfect opener and just made sense.  Have been opening my own version of the Warning with NM156 since \m/ 

Certainly would be nice to get a 40th celebration of the Warning and even if as a second CD as part of a Deluxe release get that original version out there.