Author Topic: Geoff Tate's "Operation: Mindcrime" (not Queensryche)  (Read 148158 times)

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Offline Nick

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A lot better than expected, and definitely a step up from Dedicated to Chaos, perhaps on par with some American Soldier material. That said the solo does sound quite out of place and is easily the weak link in the song. Tate doesn't sound like the Tate of old, but as with much of recent Queensryche I wouldn't say he sounds nearly as horrible as many seem to make him out to be. And it is kinda odd Todd seemed to be using more vocal effects than Geoff.

I still will likely give Redemption the edge in best first single.
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Offline ZirconBlue

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The song was a lot better than I was expecting.  I think "Redemption" sounds much more like Queensryche, but this song was pretty good, and Geoff sounded fine to me.

Offline fibreoptix

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Geoff Live with Heidi and Frank


Oh no! This is one of his worst performances yet!
Geoff, please, for your legacy if no one else's.... stop calling yourself Queensryche. :(

Offline Nel

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I really need to stop reading YT comments. How can anyone defend that horrid performance? How?!

"Well it's early in the morning. Let's see you sing great at 9 a.m.!"

Really?
Hire me. I'm talentless but malleable.

Offline The Dark Master

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Regarding the new GT song: 

The song actually sounds decent in many respects, which is a plesant surprise.  The riff is nice and crunchy, I actually like the keyboards (although they sound a bit muted) and it seems like Tate and Slater actually came up with some halfway decent vocal melodies.  The song has a relatively modern metal vibe to it, and it doesn't sound as contrived as I expected.  Something about the verse, in particular, reminds me a bit of Kamelot, and since I am a huge fan of Kamelot, that is a mighty compliment coming from me.

Unfortunately, the song still has some major issues.  Tate's vocals are just shot to hell and back now, and he can't hold a note to save his life.  When he's singing the lower register parts in the verse, he sounds ok, but the vocal melodies in the chorus just fall so very, very flat.  The result is that what should be the biggest part of the song just sounds weak and neutered, and that big moment that every pop/rock song needs just never comes, pretty much due solely to Geoff's vox sounding like shit these days.  His range is decimated, and his little vocal establishments that attempt to spice up the songs just come across as forced and unnatural.  And when he does go for the big notes..... ye Gods, WTF, Geoff?  That "This Feels Right" part at the end of the second verse is cringe-inducing.

Oh and that solo.  Yea, it sounds alright, but it also sounds like it was cut and pasted from another song.  Beyond that, the chorus just runs straight on into it, giving no breathing room and no build-up to the solo.  And the solo itself has no dynamics or variety, and therefore, no emotion.  Seriously, this sounds like an amateur who thinks he's the next Yngwie ripping out a couple of quick scale licks just the show off his "skillz".

So, overall, better then I was expecting (much better, actually) but it still fails to hide the major underlying problem; that Geoff is his own worst enemy now for the simple fact that he cannot sing.

Offline Cruithne

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The new song from Tate's "Queensryche": sounds like a post-grunge song with Def Leppard's Rick Allen doing the drumming.

I don't consider this a good thing.


Offline bosk1

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The song actually sounds decent in many respects, which is a plesant surprise.  The riff is nice and crunchy, I actually like the keyboards (although they sound a bit muted) and it seems like Tate and Slater actually came up with some halfway decent vocal melodies. 

I think the reason it sounds better than the average Slater/Tate song is that Slater/Tate didn't write it.  That one was written by another outside writer, Lukas Rossi.
« Last Edit: April 08, 2013, 09:24:18 AM by bosk1 »
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Offline Nel

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I keep reading that as Slater Tater, Bosk. Which is what I think I'll be calling this Queensryche from now on. :lol
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Offline bosk1

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Works for me.
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Offline robwebster

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I've never knowingly listened to a note of Queensryche outside of Operation Mindcrime, but I've been semi-regularly checking in on this thread anyway because, frankly, this saga is beyond amazing.

I'd like to humbly suggest "Geoff Tate's Queensryche Tribute Band" as a name for his new project.

Offline Sir GuitarCozmo

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I think the reason it sounds better than the average Slater/Tate song is that Slater/Tate didn't write it.  That one was written by another outside writer, Lukas Rossi.

Funny enough, Lukas Rossi is a pretty decent singer, if Slater ends up looking for another one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lukas_Rossi

Offline theseoafs

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"Geoff Tate's Lonely Hearts Queensryche Tribute Band"

Offline ZirconBlue

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I think the reason it sounds better than the average Slater/Tate song is that Slater/Tate didn't write it.  That one was written by another outside writer, Lukas Rossi.

Funny enough, Lukas Rossi is a pretty decent singer, if Slater ends up looking for another one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lukas_Rossi




Oh, that guy. 

Offline wolfking

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The song actually sounds decent in many respects, which is a plesant surprise.  The riff is nice and crunchy, I actually like the keyboards (although they sound a bit muted) and it seems like Tate and Slater actually came up with some halfway decent vocal melodies. 

I think the reason it sounds better than the average Slater/Tate song is that Slater/Tate didn't write it.  That one was written by another outside writer, Lukas Rossi.

Wow, I didn't know that,  wow. 
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline bosk1

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I love how on setlist.fm for the show Geoff did on 4/6, underneath each song they say "Queensryche cover."  :lol
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Offline SeRoX

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The new single is better than I expected but by their older standard it's still bad. It may sound highly subjective but Tate's vocal is just terrible here. It's like, oh yeah music is pretty good, nicely done arrangement, beautiful solo but the vox destroys everything.
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Offline bosk1

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The new single is better than I expected but by their older standard it's still bad. It may sound highly subjective but Tate's vocal is just terrible here. It's like, oh yeah music is pretty good, nicely done arrangement, beautiful solo but the vox destroys everything.

I completely agree with all of that.
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Offline The Dark Master

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The song actually sounds decent in many respects, which is a plesant surprise.  The riff is nice and crunchy, I actually like the keyboards (although they sound a bit muted) and it seems like Tate and Slater actually came up with some halfway decent vocal melodies. 

I think the reason it sounds better than the average Slater/Tate song is that Slater/Tate didn't write it.  That one was written by another outside writer, Lukas Rossi.

Really?! So even with his buddy Slater, Tate needed yet another yes-man songwriter to produce a halfway decent sounding single?  Pft, that's just pathetic (not that I'm surprised, this sort of behaviour has been Tate's modus operandi since O:MII. ) 

Based on the samples and this single, the album may have a few good moments, but over all it just sounds like a slightly rocked up version of the same drivel Tate and Co. have been spewing since 2006; slightly metal-ish rock with spoken word verses and really, really flat and weak choruses.  His voice is his own worst enemy at this point, and all his bad habits and neglect of his instrument have caught up with him.  Granted, the song is not bad, but if this is the best he can do, then I'm not impressed.

Karma's a bitch, Tater.

Offline Lowdz

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Over at Melodicrock.com there is a post comparing Tate's original Jet City Woman vocal and the re-record. Not sure of the validity but shall we say it's interesting...
Doesn't sound like the vocal on the iTunes samples from a few weeks ago because that was awful. Very naughty if he has just stolen his original. The music still sounds weak and crap on the re-record.

https://soundcloud.com/shando316/jet-city-woman-re-recording-vs

and that version of EoaS is fine- if you take Tate out of it.

Offline Phoenix87x

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Over at Melodicrock.com there is a post comparing Tate's original Jet City Woman vocal and the re-record. Not sure of the validity but shall we say it's interesting...
Doesn't sound like the vocal on the iTunes samples from a few weeks ago because that was awful. Very naughty if he has just stolen his original. The music still sounds weak and crap on the re-record.


It really wouldn't surprise me in the least if he would try and pull something like that.

Offline Lolzeez

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That song was absolutely horrid.

Offline Pelata

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Surprisingly, I like "Cold" better than "Redemption"...  :huh:

Offline wolfking

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Over at Melodicrock.com there is a post comparing Tate's original Jet City Woman vocal and the re-record. Not sure of the validity but shall we say it's interesting...
Doesn't sound like the vocal on the iTunes samples from a few weeks ago because that was awful. Very naughty if he has just stolen his original. The music still sounds weak and crap on the re-record.

https://soundcloud.com/shando316/jet-city-woman-re-recording-vs

and that version of EoaS is fine- if you take Tate out of it.

This is weird, the first line 'but without you' is definitely re-recorded, as the word 'without' sounds different, but then the next line sounds quite close to the original, he could indeed be doing a dodgy but just in places.
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline Lowdz

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They could be alternate takes I guess. He just can't sing that well anymore.

Offline Pelata

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That "I can't breathe..." line in JCW is a little deceiving....it's not "Queen Of The Reich" high, but it's certainly not a cakewalk note...

Offline jammindude

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Wow.....

I mean, even if he hypothetically was BETTER than he used to be, there would still be *SOME* kindof variation to the re-record version.   SOMETHING to give away that it's a different take.   But there is NO VARIATION WHATSOEVER.     He just took the exact same take and overlayed it over new instrumentation.    This is almost as bad as getting caught lip syncing at your own show....which hasn't happened yet, but I'm convinced it's next.
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Offline wolfking

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I still only heard the sample but as I said, that first line is definitely a new recording, not so sure about the next one though.
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline jammindude

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I still only heard the sample but as I said, that first line is definitely a new recording, not so sure about the next one though.

???

If you're talking about that sample....the "first line" is the original recording from Empire.  The second line is the supposed "re-recording" and the third line is both of them playing simultaneously, thus proving (IMO) that he didn't re-record his vocals *AT ALL* and is just splicing his original performance over newly re-recorded instrumentation. 
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Offline wolfking

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Over at Melodicrock.com there is a post comparing Tate's original Jet City Woman vocal and the re-record. Not sure of the validity but shall we say it's interesting...
Doesn't sound like the vocal on the iTunes samples from a few weeks ago because that was awful. Very naughty if he has just stolen his original. The music still sounds weak and crap on the re-record.

https://soundcloud.com/shando316/jet-city-woman-re-recording-vs

and that version of EoaS is fine- if you take Tate out of it.

This is weird, the first line 'but without you' is definitely re-recorded, as the word 'without' sounds different, but then the next line sounds quite close to the original, he could indeed be doing a dodgy but just in places.
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline Cruithne

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This is almost as bad as getting caught lip syncing at your own show....which hasn't happened yet, but I'm convinced it's next.

Yeah it has. Go and find the video of Queensryche performing Empire at Rocklahoma (May 27 2012). He lip syncs most of the chorus, only coming in right at the end of the phrases.

Quote
They could be alternate takes I guess. He just can't sing that well anymore.

The processing on the vocal tracks of the original differs from the modern one hence why if you listen to them one after the other they sound subtly different, but the fact that there's absolutely no chorus effect when you lay one on top of the other is damning - they're the same take.

Offline abydos

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Over at Melodicrock.com there is a post comparing Tate's original Jet City Woman vocal and the re-record. Not sure of the validity but shall we say it's interesting...
Doesn't sound like the vocal on the iTunes samples from a few weeks ago because that was awful. Very naughty if he has just stolen his original. The music still sounds weak and crap on the re-record.

https://soundcloud.com/shando316/jet-city-woman-re-recording-vs

and that version of EoaS is fine- if you take Tate out of it.
Wow, this sounds nothing like the itunes version of his vocals.

Offline bosk1

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This is almost as bad as getting caught lip syncing at your own show....which hasn't happened yet

Yes it has.  He's been lip synching parts of songs for YEARS.  Where have you been?
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Offline jammindude

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This is almost as bad as getting caught lip syncing at your own show....which hasn't happened yet

Yes it has.  He's been lip synching parts of songs for YEARS.  Where have you been?

Geoff lip syncs?    Source??

And if that's true...couldn't he have used a better take?   If he even sounds like crap for the recorded lip sync track, then things are even worse than I thought!
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Offline bosk1

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This is almost as bad as getting caught lip syncing at your own show....which hasn't happened yet

Yes it has.  He's been lip synching parts of songs for YEARS.  Where have you been?

Geoff lip syncs?    Source??

I've personally seen it at every show I've seen since the Promised Land tour, but it's fairly well-known as well.  Again, I've never seen conclusive proof that he lipsyncs entire songs, but he definitely does on parts of songs that are too difficult for him or where he wants to catch a quick rest.  I think it started with him electing to pipe in heavily-effects-laden parts in songs like Screaming In Digital and the end of I Am I, and rather than just let that part play, he would mouth along with it as if he were singing.  Then they began piping in background vocals, as a lot of bands do, and he feel into the habit of sometimes dropping out and lipsyncing to the harmonies when he needed a rest, which is pretty common.  You can see it on live clips if you YouTube enough.  Or just Google it, and you'll see other fan reactions as well, such as this one from an old Blabbermouth article:

Quote
I gave up on them many years ago after going to the tour they did with Maiden and Halford and seeing Geoff Tate f-in lip syncing to Take Hold of the Flame. He couldn't hang with Rob and Bruce. For me, Queensryche has been dead ever since.

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=104610

Or check out the second and third choruses of Empire here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EHhK80GnwI
The video is a bit deceiving because the audio is a fraction of a second behind the video as it is, but you can definitely tell he is faking the choruses, especially when he tries to come in at the end of the second chorus and you hear his real voice suddenly much louder than the backing track.  Again, I've seen him do it as well, and it is particularly noticable on that song because sometimes, his timing is completely off from the audio.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2013, 11:13:38 AM by bosk1 »
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Offline Lowdz

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Geoff's All Stars in all their glory.

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=188636

I think we can see why Drover bailed.
I thought Sarzo was a better guitar player than that. Pitiful.
« Last Edit: April 12, 2013, 01:56:45 PM by Lowdz »