My expectations are extremely high for this one. Maybe it's because QR has released disappointment after disappointment and this is pretty much their last chance.
But "last chance"
for what? I mean, I had written them off in the past, and didn't buy DtC (well, I did eventually find a used copy for a couple of bucks WAY after the release date, but you get what I'm saying). No interest in buying their material. No interest in their live show. Nothing. Because I knew they couldn't deliver anything I was interested in, and they had consistently proven that over a long period of time and had finally gotten to the point where it was clear they had no intention or ability of delivering anything I was interested in with Tate at the helm.
In a way, I guess I'd have to say I
can't really view this as a "last chance" kind of album because, even if it ends up not being very good, they are doing things that I am intersted in again. Let's assume the worst and say that Redemption is the only decent song on the album, and the rest of it just falls short. I'd still follow them because (1) I've seen a
desire to deliver things that I like, and I'd be willing to give them a bit more time to see if they find their way in terms of writing new music that interests me, and (2) they've shown that they can bring the goods in a live setting again, and I am now re-interested in seeing them live again.
But I don't really believe they'll deliver a bad or even a mediocre album. Honestly, I'm not so optimistic as to believe that Redemption is the worst song on the album and that the rest of it will blow my mind. But I like Redemption a lot. And if it is a fair representation of what the album will sound like (and I think it likely is), I am confident I will like the album a lot, even if Redemption is just kind of middle of the road for the album, and there are some songs that are as good, and some songs that don't measure up. That will still be a "good album" in my opinion. And that's fine. I don't expect Queensryche to be my favorite band anymore, and I don't really care. If they put out good albums again, that'll be just fine with me. And I think they're capable of doing that.