I dont hear anything on the Verdict that reminds me of QR nor early QR . If it wasnt called QR id never know it was them, You think its "metal" and that connotes to you old QR but I dont hear the QR sound in it , but enjoy bro its all good ,
The theatrical balladry of Dark Reverie, the twin guitar layering on Man the Machine, the quirky, cerebral, yet groovy nature of a song like Propaganda Fashion, idk it's all still there, just in a modern and heavier form. A song like Arrow of Time off Condition Human also would've felt very much at home on The Warning imo. Very much got that signature twin lead and triumphant, yet subtly understated chorus. It doesn't matter if it reminds one of QR though, because I still think the last 3 albums are good on their own merits, some production issues aside.
Enigma, I'm right there with you on this. Nobody has to
like Todd-era QR. And, sure, there are plenty of elements you could point to that are different now from the classic era. That is inevitable. But you are dead-on about the similarities. If you froze me in a time capsule after HITNF, woke me up in 2021, and played me Tribe, and then the three Todd-era albums, and just told me that Chris left and only contributed to about half of Tribe, and didn't tell me anything else, I'm pretty sure my reaction would be: OK, I totally hear the evolution in their sound from the classic line-up era, to Tribe, to the s/t>Condition Human>Verdict. I think any fan not named Epicview would go, "Yeah, sounds like QR to a modern edge to me." Yes, some elements of their sound and their writing changed. But the band
always did that. That was one of the things I loved about them when I discovered them during the classic era and they were my favorite band: their sound changed and evolved from album to album, and often reflected what was going on in the music industry at the time, without necessarily
being that. So, yeah, a lot is different about the Todd-era albums. But the connective tissue is there to where it sounds like QR. The thing to remember is, love or hate Todd and Parker, they are both immense fans of the band's classic era, and have really done their homework and put in the time to emulate what made the band's sound what it was. Now, if you want to say that the
emotion is gone, and it sounds like someone trying to mimmick QR, I think that's fair. I disagree, but I get where you could feel that way. But it does sound like what should have been the natural evolution of QR, and it sounds
good.
agreed Scott really is an important ingredient and a truly unique sounding drummer its obvious hes not on the verdict the drums sound slappy and regular, after Peart I thought Scott was the best
Honestly... am I the only one who doesn't really hear it? The drums on the albums he was on aren't really anything out of this world to me. They provide that grounded, rock solid foundation. The drums on The Verdict actually feel more intricate and progressive to my ears, with Scott mostly having some pretty straight, but very punchy beats. I still appreciate what he brings to the QR sound, but I don't think it's something particularly unique.
Well...yes and no. Through Promised Land, Scott was one of my favorite drummers. He may not have been able to touch Peart in terms of technicality. But he was still a beast, and one of the most talented and creative drummers in metal. On HITNF, he severely simplified things, and that was intentional on that album.
After that...I'm not really sure what happened. Quite often, he sounded like a "dumbed down" version of himself. And I don't mean that as an insult. But a lot of the technicality, the power, and the groove that was signature Scott just wasn't there a lot of the time. Not sure why. But in his prime, I consider him to have been a
very special drummer, and a crucial part of the signature QR sound. The drumming is definitely different now. But at least I feel they have done a fair job of keeping it technical and trying to at least capture that early vibe.
May I ask what QR OMC song sounds like Rainbow, Rush or Scorpions in 1985? or what album at that time sounded like and was story like OMC was with full video story and the singer playing the main character? I saw Maiden with Paul D and saw JP on the Hellbent tour forward I saw most every band of the genre at that time, I saw and heard nothing like QR, I saw QR in 1983 onward. Im not seeing the comparison at all , The verdict I hear a lot of Ratt to Love Hate even. Im curious as an old folk ...as I dont see it?? QR really didnt fit in any box. Nothing sounded like the Warning even or RFO , OMC was for my generation truly unique Floyds The Wall the only other unique thing going at the time to me
Revolution Calling is just total Scorpions in that twin guitar lead, as well as that style of harmonised vocal parts in the choruses. An album like Blackout, with songs like No One Like You, very much fit the bill as to what QR did later. Spreak and The Needle Lies are like a contemporary twist on something like Kill the King or Hellion / Electric Eye with a little more cold dystopian melancholy. Again, Iron Maiden did Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (might not have been the same level of rock opera grandeur but you can tell that it was on that route) before Operation Mindcrime (not to mention Rush's 2112, which also has much more of that rock opera feeling to it). The Warning to me feels very similar to more cerebral 70s Judas Priest material but with a de-emphasis on the blues elements and it's not a million miles away from contemporary bands like Iron Maiden (a sort of NWOBHM vibe in general on songs like Deliverance), Warlord or Diamond Head either.
This is where you kind of lose me. I mean, I'm not entirely sure what your point is, but you seem to be trying to say that Mindcrime was nothing special and trying to downplay its significance. I disagree with that. Yeah, there were concept albums/rock operas before it. And in many ways, maybe Mindcrime, on paper, is "just another rock opera." But it had a HUGE impact. And it WAS groundbreaking at the time. Honestly, I don't think you can name another concept album/rock opera that had a bigger influence on metal concept albums that came after. Yes, other bands have made them "bigger and better." But you would be hard pressed to find many that weren't influenced in some way by Mindcrime. To take DT as an example, they have been quite open about the fact that Mindcrime was a HUGE influence on SFAM.
I'm not really sure why you also keep saying that Seventh Son was "before" Mindcrime, as if that has any significance. It doesn't. Yes, it was released technically about a month before Mindcrime was. But think about it--one month. It isn't as if Mindcrime somehow took elements of Seventh Son as inspiration. It was already written and recorded long before the public heard a note of Seventh Son. So, again, I'm not sure what significance you are trying to imply.
I also am not sure why you keep making the Scorpions parallel. Not sure I hear it. I mean, yeah, you've got that twin guitar attack. But so did Maiden. So did Priest. I think QR did
somewhat pattern themselves after that pattern. But I'm not really hearing Scorpions more than any of those other bands. I have no idea whether they consider Scorpions to be an influence. But either way, again, I'm not sure what the point is. They absolutely did have influences. All bands do. And as with a lot of successful bands, IMO, they took those influences and gradually made them their own, and came up with something that increasingly became more and more unique. ...at least until Chris left and Tate eventually took over.
Topic: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album (Read 707101 times)
