The Queensrÿche Discography Thread

[TAC]

In my opinion the album doesn’t sound cohesive and really doesn’t flow well, like TAC said it feels disjointed.
 

I don't get this at all.  I think it is far more cohesive than anything else they have done, Mindcrime included.  And it is certainly their most diverse album. You get a little bit of everything, with the sounds and styles not staying the same from song to song.  Listen to Damaged, Promised Land and Someone Else?, and then find me another record by the band with three full length songs that different from one another.

And the flow is immaculate.  It really does take you on a journey.

Well the whole thing is lost on me, save for a couple tunes. I don't get it. At. All.

Probably a "me" thing.

[millahh]

After having listened through on the train today, I think the most under-rated part of the album is the incredibly tasty fretless bass playing throughout.  Tasteful, interesting, and used to it's maximum effect, but without being obvious or obtrusive.  Makes me want to give fretless another try.

[ZirconBlue]

My first exposure to Promised Land was a radio show where the album was getting a debut.  King Biscuit or something.  Anyway, I taped the show off the radio and listed several times.  One thing stressed by the band during the show was a suggesting that the album was made to be listened to on headphones. 

When I got the full album on cd, I liked it OK, but it took seeing them live that tour for it to really click.  That turned me into a big fan of the album (and the opening band, Type O Negative

[KevShmev]

I apologize if I missed this being mentioned amongst the various reviews that were like reading short stories , but some of the unique vocal effects on this album are totally awesome.

Examples:

-"The ever present IT" part of I Am I where the "it" echo comes in a few seconds later is actually the first word of the next line.
-The "...with no direction for re-assembly" line in Damaged.  The repeating of the word "direction" is a very cool effect.
-Pretty much everything about the vocals in Disconnected.
-One of the favorite moments of this album for me and my brother was always in My Global Mind - "Welcome to the information nettttttttttttttt-(main guitar lead comes back in)---WORK!" So awesome.

[Zoom E]

My first exposure to Promised Land was a radio show where the album was getting a debut.  King Biscuit or something.  Anyway, I taped the show off the radio and listed several times.  One thing stressed by the band during the show was a suggesting that the album was made to be listened to on headphones. 

When I got the full album on cd, I liked it OK, but it took seeing them live that tour for it to really click.  That turned me into a big fan of the album (and the opening band, Type O Negative

I believe the radio show was Bob Coburn's Rockline. He played every song but the title track. I recall being completely underwhelmed, as not a single song jumped out and grabbed me. Over time I came to appreciate Promised Land but I still don't rate it anywhere close to the albums that preceded it.

Great write-up, Brian!

[TAC]

Rockline was the absolute greatest show in the history of radio.

[Mosh]

I was able to catch Rockline in its last few years, such a good show.

Another great write up Samsara. 

Promised Land is where I'm less familiar with Queensryche. I heard the album once and thought it was kinda weird without anything to latch on to. Listening to it again and learning about the background has helped my appreciation a ton. I can definitely relate to those who weren't sure what to think at first but love it now. I'm not in the "love it" stage yet, but I could see myself getting there. The atmosphere on this album is incredible, something QR were always good at but they kick it up a notch here. I really dig the acoustic stuff, it's more atmospheric and less commercial than Silent Lucidity, even if it was written in the same vein. Chris DeGarmo lays down some really tasteful solos too.

I Am I was a horrible choice for a lead single and even opening track. It's so disjointed and out there, I can't see how anyone would listen to that and be compelled to buy the album. Feels more like a studio experiment than a fully fleshed out song. Luckily, the rest of the music combine studio effects and soundscapes with decent songwriting.

[jammindude]

I had given up on QR after the IMO disappointing Empire.

Actually, I should briefly talk about that album first, because I missed it. I actually really liked the first single Empire...but on hearing the album JCW and ARN just hit me like nails on a chalkboard.  I really hate those songs to this very day.  Ruins what is otherwise a pretty cool album. Even Silent Lucidity is a very cool ballad with a bit of a creepy vibe to it. I dont consider that ballad to be anywhere close to the almost Bieber level of sell out that JCW and ARN are. 

The album is OK, but far too radio friendly for my tastes, and a big letdown after RFO and OMC. 

PL is another story.   From the moment I first heard I Am I, I really felt like the weird dark QR that I had come to know and love was back.     It started my theory that Empire was just grabbing a paycheck so they could afford to make the album they *actually* wanted to make....but that's me being bitter about those terrible radio singles. 

I love every note of PL from start to finish, and I have nicknamed it "Rage For Order....with a budget".   Brilliantly weird, dark, creepy, album.  Only Damaged sounds mildly like a single, but what a great single.   I;m happy that they didnt release it first, and instead decided to make a "statement" with I Am I.   "If you were expecting Empire part 2......bite me!"   I just love the attitude and approach of the entire album.   Maybe my #2 all time QR album.   (You cant out do the original RFO, even if this is better produced)

[PowerSlave]

I stumbled across this tonight while screwing around on youtube. Not sure what to think about the Stone's cover, but they did it well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klQ42M5b4h8

[Kwyjibo]

In my opinion the album doesn’t sound cohesive and really doesn’t flow well, like TAC said it feels disjointed.
 

I don't get this at all.  I think it is far more cohesive than anything else they have done, Mindcrime included.  And it is certainly their most diverse album. You get a little bit of everything, with the sounds and styles not staying the same from song to song.  Listen to Damaged, Promised Land and Someone Else?, and then find me another record by the band with three full length songs that different from one another.

And the flow is immaculate.  It really does take you on a journey.

You said it yourself in the bolded part. For some people this works, for me it doesn't. Not saying that you can't have diversity and still being cohesive, but it's not Promised Land for me. The mood is perfect but the flow is clumsy and a couple of songs don't work for me.

But don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is a bad album, in fact it's a good one, I just don't see it as the best that QR has ever done, I rank it far behind.

[Samsara]

In my opinion the album doesn’t sound cohesive and really doesn’t flow well, like TAC said it feels disjointed.
 

I don't get this at all.  I think it is far more cohesive than anything else they have done, Mindcrime included.  And it is certainly their most diverse album. You get a little bit of everything, with the sounds and styles not staying the same from song to song.  Listen to Damaged, Promised Land and Someone Else?, and then find me another record by the band with three full length songs that different from one another.

And the flow is immaculate.  It really does take you on a journey.

You said it yourself in the bolded part. For some people this works, for me it doesn't. Not saying that you can't have diversity and still being cohesive, but it's not Promised Land for me. The mood is perfect but the flow is clumsy and a couple of songs don't work for me.

But don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is a bad album, in fact it's a good one, I just don't see it as the best that QR has ever done, I rank it far behind.

This is an interesting discussion. I think Promised Land has elements of cohesiveness, but it's certainly not cohesive like Mindcrime (nor would I expect it to be). I think what hurts PL in regard to cohesiveness is that it begins by following a narrative, but then that narrative gets interrupted a bit, depending on your point of view. If you look at the track list trying to follow it as a character, there are some spots where it can be argued it deviates a bit (Out of Mind, Lady Jane, My Global Mind). I can make a pretty good argument that it does NOT deviate (which is how I personally look at it -- that it does not, and it flows really well), but I can totally see, at least lyrically, how it might not for some people.

Musically, I don't put it on the seamless level of Fates Warning's A Pleasant Shade of Gray (that record, to my ear, is very similar in vibe to Promised Land), but I think the music and lyrics work together very well.

So, in short, I can totally see the argument that PL lacks a cohesiveness, but I think it depends on how you're interpreting the narrative of the album.

I stumbled across this tonight while screwing around on youtube. Not sure what to think about the Stone's cover, but they did it well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klQ42M5b4h8

Yup, I mentioned that in the write-up. I quite enjoyed it when I first heard it. That video upload is from Setzer. He's the latest in a long line of folks that were bit with the QR live show collecting bug. He does a nice job with his YouTube channel.

[Mladen]

This thread inspired me to relisten to the good old Queensryche albums for the first time in several years.

In fact, I think I might see this thread as a perfect opportunity to FINALLY pay attention to the albums after Promised land - aside from the self-titled one, I've hardly ever listened to those.

[Grappler]

This thread inspired me to relisten to the good old Queensryche albums for the first time in several years.

I've been doing the same thing - despite being my favorite band for a period of time, I completely shelved a lot of these older records in 2012, and recently shelved the two most recent albums from the band.  For whatever reasons, I just didn't feel like listening to them, and haven't had any interest in the new albums for a while.

This thread has me going back and really listening to the albums again and reminding me of how much I loved them.  I broke out Promised Land the other day and have immersed myself it in lately.  Yesterday, I ran through the next few albums coming up, which I hadn't heard in years.

[Lowdz]

This thread inspired me to relisten to the good old Queensryche albums for the first time in several years.

In fact, I think I might see this thread as a perfect opportunity to FINALLY pay attention to the albums after Promised land - aside from the self-titled one, I've hardly ever listened to those.

I will have little to contribute for much of it also, but do t think I will bother to register to those albums. There is little there of any interest to me.

I am looking forward to Brian's write ups though  expecting some juicy stuff in the next one...

[Samsara]

Hey, I don't want people to think I have some sort of huge A-HA moment regarding Queensryche lined up. I can understand why people may think that, but I really don't. DeGarmo's initial departure, and his next one in the midst of recording Tribe have both been speculated for years, and likely conclusions drawn after all that speculation and facts from the lawsuit. I'll put it all together, for sure. But there's no smoking gun.

Fact is, Chris has never publicly spoken on why he left. So, I'll paint the picture, which I personally believe to be pretty accurate, but it's nothing that we (at least on my old forum back in the day) haven't covered before.

I don't want to shoot the thread in the foot, but I also don't want people believing there is something more waiting to be revealed. There's not (at least on Chris). I may have some pretty cool stuff people don't know to share about Mindcrime II, and some other things following that, however. 

[Dublagent66]

CD's departure was a huge let down for me.  He was the backbone of their sound.  However, I'm glad that Wilton stayed and is still there.  The last 2 albums have renewed my interest as a longtime fan.

[Kwyjibo]

I'm one of the very few that loves Q2K, so looking forward to that one, although I'm probably on vacation when it is discussed.

For all those that never cared about the Tateryche records, there's some good stuff, although it's buried in a lot of mediocrity. If you put the best songs of that period on one disc you get a really good QR record imo.

[WilliamMunny]

CD's departure was a huge let down for me.  He was the backbone of their sound.  However, I'm glad that Wilton stayed and is still there.  The last 2 albums have renewed my interest as a longtime fan.

This!

[bosk1]

For all those that never cared about the Tateryche records, there's some good stuff, although it's buried in a lot of mediocrity. If you put the best songs of that period on one disc you get a really good QR record imo.

I agree.  But there is just so much wasted potential there, because there are quite a few songs that are almost really good, but for subpar singing by Tate, or subpar lyrics by Tate, or...you get the picture.  American Soldier, for example, would be right up there with their best for me if Tate's "singing" didn't kill it.

[PowerSlave]

For all those that never cared about the Tateryche records, there's some good stuff, although it's buried in a lot of mediocrity. If you put the best songs of that period on one disc you get a really good QR record imo.

I agree.  But there is just so much wasted potential there, because there are quite a few songs that are almost really good, but for subpar singing by Tate, or subpar lyrics by Tate, or...you get the picture.  American Soldier, for example, would be right up there with their best for me if Tate's "singing" didn't kill it.

I've always steered clear of AS, but I'm very interested in hearing the thoughts of you folks that have taken enough interest in it to have a strong opinion, either way. I may delve into the record depending on what you guys have to say about it when the time comes.

[TAC]

Someone made me a copy of AS and I liked it and found it a very focused album. But then Samsara ruined it for me.

How's that for a tease! 

[njfirefighter]

Promised Land was the last "Great" record by the band consisting of material I could enjoy all the way through without skipping a song. I loved the album right away upon release and still do. The Promised Land tour has the distinction of being the greatest concert I have ever attended (out of over 300) Front row at Camden Pavilion in NJ. For anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to view that tour I would seek out a show on you tube, you might get the whole album a little better after watching the tour footage.   

[Samsara]

Someone made me a copy of AS and I liked it and found it a very focused album. But then Samsara ruined it for me.

How's that for a tease! 

We'll get there! A lot to unpack with that record. But many more before it!

[jingle.boy]

I might as well just quote some of the comments already, as they capture a lot of what I feel:

Oh I agree that PL didn't sound grunge, but it has a dark and somewhat miserable tone to it which fit the grunge mood.

I've always liked PL a lot, but I don't rate it as high as a lot of the diehards do.  It's a great listen but nothing in comparison that everything the two that came before it.

And it is certainly their most diverse album. You get a little bit of everything, with the sounds and styles not staying the same from song to song. 

In fact, I think I might see this thread as a perfect opportunity to FINALLY pay attention to the albums after Promised land - aside from the self-titled one both LaTorre albums, I've hardly ever listened to those.

CD's departure was a huge let down for me.  He was the backbone of their sound.  However, I'm glad that Wilton stayed and is still there.  The last 2 albums have renewed my interest as a longtime fan.

Promised Land was the last "Great" record by the band consisting of material I could enjoy all the way through without skipping a song.

My sentiments exactly

I loved I Am I and Damaged right out of the gate.  Really liked most of everything else... I guess at the time I really didn't know WHAT to expect from QR.  So, I just listened to (and enjoyed) the album for itself - nothing more, nothing less.  Some songs improved with age and repeated listens, but (imo) there aren't any clunkers here. 

Those claiming it's the "best"... that's a bold statement.  I can understand it being one's favorite, but surely you can put your own tastes and subjectivity aside to recognize that O:M and Empire are "better" albums than this?

[jammindude]

Not Empire for me.  It grew on me.  When it first came out, I hated it.  Now it's mid-tier.  Probably a tie with Warning.

[El Barto]

I'm not much of a QR guy anymore so I haven't checked in here before, but that was a fine writeup for PL. Didn't know any of the behind scenes stuff. I have a road trip coming up next month so maybe I'll blast through their dicog over a couple of days. It'd be interesting to do that with these writeups on hand.

In any case, looks like I'm the oddball in that I thought this was a very good album and a very good comeback from the disappointing Empire. It's not that I hated Empire or anything, I loved one or two songs, but I didn't hear anything special in it. Seemed fairly predictable and commercial, honestly. Which is why I thought the completely different direction of PL was a huge improvement. Nothing at all predictable here. Whereas my favorite QR album took years to grown me, and I really hated it at first, this one clicked right away. I was glad to hear them back to playing music I liked.

And was this the tour with STP? If so, man, that was a weird one for me.

[PowerSlave]

And was this the tour with STP? If so, man, that was a weird one for me.

The two times that I seen them on this tour was with Type O Negative.

[Kwyjibo]

I'm pretty sure that they didn't have a support act in Germany, or it was so bad that my mind erased every memory of it.

[Cyclopssss]

I'm not much of a QR guy anymore so I haven't checked in here before, but that was a fine writeup for PL. Didn't know any of the behind scenes stuff. I have a road trip coming up next month so maybe I'll blast through their dicog over a couple of days. It'd be interesting to do that with these writeups on hand.

In any case, looks like I'm the oddball in that I thought this was a very good album and a very good comeback from the disappointing Empire. It's not that I hated Empire or anything, I loved one or two songs, but I didn't hear anything special in it. Seemed fairly predictable and commercial, honestly. Which is why I thought the completely different direction of PL was a huge improvement. Nothing at all predictable here. Whereas my favorite QR album took years to grown me, and I really hated it at first, this one clicked right away. I was glad to hear them back to playing music I liked.

And was this the tour with STP? If so, man, that was a weird one for me.

Pretty much my exact sentiments. I absolutely loved I am I, Damaged, My global mind, Lady Jane, Someone Else?. All top notch songs for me. It's after this the big nosedive for the band began in my opinion.

[Samsara]

I'm not much of a QR guy anymore so I haven't checked in here before, but that was a fine writeup for PL. Didn't know any of the behind scenes stuff. I have a road trip coming up next month so maybe I'll blast through their dicog over a couple of days. It'd be interesting to do that with these writeups on hand.

In any case, looks like I'm the oddball in that I thought this was a very good album and a very good comeback from the disappointing Empire. It's not that I hated Empire or anything, I loved one or two songs, but I didn't hear anything special in it. Seemed fairly predictable and commercial, honestly. Which is why I thought the completely different direction of PL was a huge improvement. Nothing at all predictable here. Whereas my favorite QR album took years to grown me, and I really hated it at first, this one clicked right away. I was glad to hear them back to playing music I liked.

Thanks, El Barto. Appreciate it.

And was this the tour with STP? If so, man, that was a weird one for me.

As far as I know, QR never toured with STP. On Empire, they had Warrior Soul and Lynch Mob (along with a couple of others depending on the leg) and on PL, at least in the states, it was Type O Negative.

I probably should have mentioned Type O in the touring portion of the PL write-up. I'm not a big fan, so to be honest, it didn't even cross my mind.

[Setzer]

I stumbled across this tonight while screwing around on youtube. Not sure what to think about the Stone's cover, but they did it well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klQ42M5b4h8

Yup, I mentioned that in the write-up. I quite enjoyed it when I first heard it. That video upload is from Setzer. He's the latest in a long line of folks that were bit with the QR live show collecting bug. He does a nice job with his YouTube channel.

I just re-watched that yesterday, and only NOW do I realise that when Geoff is asked about when their "CD-ROM is dropping" (at 3:18), they're referring to the Promised Land CD-ROM game. So apparently that was slated for April '95? Or perhaps not, since Geoff also says he doesn't know anything

[El Barto]

I could have sworn I saw STP and QR as a package deal at Starplex, but I can't find any record of it. I'm pretty sure I saw this tour, but there's no way I would have sat through TO-, and I do recall a specific incident between bands. As I recall they were shooting projections on the plexy frame around Rockenfield's kit, or was that a different tour?

[Samsara]

I could have sworn I saw STP and QR as a package deal at Starplex, but I can't find any record of it. I'm pretty sure I saw this tour, but there's no way I would have sat through TO-, and I do recall a specific incident between bands. As I recall they were shooting projections on the plexy frame around Rockenfield's kit, or was that a different tour?

I don't recall any of that. AFAIK, Type O opened the PL gigs, and on HITNF they had local openers. Perhaps the package deal you are referring to is a local ticket package for that particular venue? Buy one, get the other show half off or something?

I could be mistaken, but I don't ever recall STP opening or playing with Queensryche (at least through the original lineup, but to the best of my knowledge, all the way through to the present).

[Dublagent66]

I'm not much of a QR guy anymore so I haven't checked in here before, but that was a fine writeup for PL. Didn't know any of the behind scenes stuff. I have a road trip coming up next month so maybe I'll blast through their dicog over a couple of days. It'd be interesting to do that with these writeups on hand.

In any case, looks like I'm the oddball in that I thought this was a very good album and a very good comeback from the disappointing Empire. It's not that I hated Empire or anything, I loved one or two songs, but I didn't hear anything special in it. Seemed fairly predictable and commercial, honestly. Which is why I thought the completely different direction of PL was a huge improvement. Nothing at all predictable here. Whereas my favorite QR album took years to grown me, and I really hated it at first, this one clicked right away. I was glad to hear them back to playing music I liked.

And was this the tour with STP? If so, man, that was a weird one for me.

Pretty much my exact sentiments. I absolutely loved I am I, Damaged, My global mind, Lady Jane, Someone Else?. All top notch songs for me. It's after this the big nosedive for the band began in my opinion.

Yeah, me too.  Except, I liked Empire.  It was a little too commercialized, but still had a lot of good stuff.  The Thin Line, Jet City Woman, Della Brown, Empire, Silent Lucidity, Anybody Listening.  Even though PL took a while to grow on me, I agree that it is a much improved departure from Empire.

[MirrorMask]

Not the biggest fan of this album, but I like reading about it. It's a very interesting record because it's not a total suckage, even if you don't personally like it you feel there's something deep about it, and so it's nice to read memories of it... I guess those who like the album are lucky to happen to not be among those who've felt let down by it! as it goes for any divisive album... for example I'm just happy that I happened to completely love The Astonishing.

Slightly off topic, in recent years I remember a renewed interest for Queensryche and I came up with a compilation for the "early years", the debut through Promised Land; it's something I remember hearing it quite often some years ago, going to and back from work, and as I always do, I organize my compilations as setlists, to have more fun in pretending to be at a concert.

I know it's basically just a bit more than an excuse to hear most of Mindcrime, but would you have fun at a concert paced like this?

I Remember Now
Anarchy-.X
Revolution Calling
Damaged
Walk in the Shadows
Speak
En Force
The Mission
The Whisper
Another Rainy Night (Without You)
Suite Sister Mary
Silent Lucidity
Bridge
The Needle Lies
Jet City Woman
Breaking the Silence
The Warning
I Don't Believe in Love
Queen of the Reich
=================
Best I Can
The Killing Words
Empire



It was meant to cover 90-95 minutes of a round trip, so with all the pauses in between songs, it would amount I guess to a 2 hour-ish concert.