Queensryche - Queensryche

I go way back with Queensryche. The first Queensryche album I owned was their EP. And I've bought every major release since then, not including the last one with Geoff Tate. I'm not going to get into the current dispute with Tate other than to say this record makes it very obvious which band deserves the name Queensryche.

This is easily their best work since Empire. New singer Todd La Torre sounds a lot like Tate from 15 years ago, enough so that it doesn't really occur to the listener that this isn't the old Queensryche. The songs are all solid, sounding like a mix of tunes that could have been on The Warning and Empire. The only thing missing is a big hook. There is no "Take Hold of the Flame" or "Jet City Woman" with a big hook to pull in the casual listener. It's a solid record of mostly mid-temp rockers with more of a metal edge than they shown on anything since Promised Land. It is a little short though, clocking in at 35 minutes. You can almost listen twice in an hour, which isn't necessarily a bad thing!