Revisiting the 2013 self-titled Queensr˙che album today. Putting aside the hot mastering, the songs really have really stood the test of time for me. There was a looseness and genuine passion in these tunes and in the playing that really resonate with me as a listener.
What spurred this is a recent performance of "Don't Look Back," one of my favorites from this album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgWM7LeWR-0&t=195s It was really nicely done, particularly since Rockenfield and Lundgren (who recorded the track) are now replaced by Grillo and Stone, respectively.
Obviously, my biggest passion for this band is the original lineup and its catalog. But I really enjoy this album a lot. In some ways, I feel like it is the best crop of songs the TLT-era has produced. Don't get me wrong,
Condition Human,
The Verdict, and
Digital Noise Alliance have their high points. But there's this vibe on the 2013 self-titled that just sits in a spot for me.
In retrospect, they might have played with the track order a bit (maybe put a more aggressive opener), and fleshed a few things out more, but given the time constraints they were under, it was pretty damn cool.
On a side note, the cover artist for my new book,
Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensr˙che (1981-1997), loves the cover concept myself and Brian Naron came up with, and is getting to work on illustrating the cover. It will be a wrap-around cover, and it should look amazing once he's done with it. I'll share it as soon as it is final. Pre-orders for the book will probably be late-October, perhaps early-November. No sense doing it TOO early (it will publish in March), but I was adamant I wanted it up for pre-order this fall. Also, we just secured a photo set that will blow peoples' minds. Can't wait to share this with everyone.
With my touring history book in March 2024, Halfin's killer (but expensive) photo book coming out in November 2023, and Tate's forthcoming autobiography/memoir, there will be plenty of new Queensryche books going around. Tate mentioned a month or so ago how hard it was to write a book. Ha! Yes, yes it is. Looking forward to reading what he comes up with. I have many of those public journals he wrote on the Tribe tour saved and looked at them from time to time. It'll be cool to see what format he takes with his book.