Some of you might not know this, but Tribe was originally supposed to have the song "Justified" (on the Sign of the Times The Very Best of Queenryche compilation) and a different version of "Hostage" (the demo of the song -- which that demo is MUCH better and included a ripping Wilton solo instead of the boring one done by Mike Stone with a harmonizer on the officially released version -- found on Mindcrime II).
You add those two songs, cut off "Losing Mysh*t" (which was the only track written by that guy Mike Stone who toured with them, and would NOT have been on the record had DeGarmo stayed with the band), and you easily can see the classic Ryche sound and vibe. It's a natural progression for the band, and sorta bridges the gap between Promised Land/Hear in the Now Frontier, and more chunky riffing.
So I agree with those that say the album is vastly underrated...IF you cut out that terrible Stone track. I listen to the album with that track deleted and enjoy it very much.
Those of you who don't "get" Promised Land -- put it on with headphones, and go into listening to it with this thought in mind...Queensryche formulated its sound as a hybrid between Judas Priest and Iron Maiden with Pink Floyd. If Mindcrime is more toward the Priest/Maiden vibe, then PL is their crack at a Floyd-esqe album...with Empire being the natural fit between the two sides.
That might help you have a better appreciation for what they were trying to do. It's also an album about achieving fame, success and everything people strive for, and finding out it's not all that great, and dealing with the fallout from that and a midlife crisis.
The really sad thing about Queensryche is that Chris DeGarmo really was the brains and creativity behind the band. He came up with most of the music, did most of the arrangements, at least half the lyrics and vocal melodies, etc. Wilton had some bad ass riffs and solos and Tate had about half the lyrics and vocal melodies, so the three-headed monster made the band's sound. But Chris was the glue that kept it all together.
By themselves, the four remaining original members just can't get on the same page or relate to one another, without someone else providing the template for them. It's a shame. But it goes to show you, without DeGarmo, it really is NOT Queensryche. It's Tate's solo outfit.
Anyway, just been on a Queensryche tear lately. Been awhile and wanted to shout out some appreciation. Long live the original (and only) QUEENSRYCHE. Accept nothing else other than the original five guys. Because THAT was the band.
Topic: Queensryche (original band only) appreciation thread (Read 15788 times)
