A nice twist on the unexpected...

ARTIST: Queensryche
RECORDING: Take Cover
RELEASE: 2007
LABEL: Rhino
WEBSITE: http://www.queensryche.com

Queensryche's origins were as a power metal band with some gothic and progressive overtones. During their heyday in the late '80s and early '90s, Queensryche recorded what was often called thinking man's metal. Albums like Rage For Order, Operation: Mindcrime and Empire were more than just happy party metal or fantasy Dungeons & Dragons quests. Queensryche matched their breathtaking metal with thought provoking lyrics that discussed issues like crime, poverty, fascism and corruption. Clearly, this band was not Motley Crue or even REM. Although the band's popularity waned for a time in the '90s when fellow Seattle bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden ruled the radio airwaves with an iron fist, Queensryche enjoyed a resurgence when metal became popular again in the late '90s.

One of the things that I like about the 'Ryche is their penchant for the unexpected. Their recent release Take Cover is a fine example of how they march to their own drummer (in this case, Scott Rockenfield). When Queensryche decided to record a CD of cover tunes, it would have been easy for them to cover obvious influences like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Dio. And while they did record a fairly faithful version of Black Sabbath's "Neon Knights", the rest of Take Cover takes a sharp left turn to cover prog, folk-rock and even pop. Standout tracks include the opener "Welcome To The Machine" (Pink Floyd), "Almost Cut My Hair" (CSN) and "Red Rain" (Peter Gabriel). Listening to these tracks, it's easy to see why Queensryche dared to venture down a less traditional road with their own music than their peers did back in the day... or even do now (for the most part). Make no mistake: Queensryche covers these tracks in their typically heavy fashion. That said, the influences shine through... even with the fairly drastic makeover in the recording studio.

And for my lefty friends, the closing track "Bullet The Blue Sky" is a revelation. Amidst a backdrop of incendiary guitar work from Mike Stone and Michael Wilton, frontman Geoff Tate takes a U2 classic and uses it as a vehicle for a very current political rant. It must be heard to be appreciated... truly jaw dropping. For those who think heavy metal is nothing but a primitive genre of neo-neanderthals, Queensryche proves them wrong. The band's intelligence and unbridled passion makes Take Cover another jewel in their crown.


Matt's Rating: 9

Matt's Scale:
0- Horrid: run while you can!
1- Awful: what were they thinking?
2- Bad: you didn't pay for this, did you?
3- Sub-Par: many flaws
4- Not Bad: but needs work
5- Average: decent, but you may want to buy something better first
6- Fair: nice, worth the price of purchase
7- Good: worth listening to repeatedly
8- Very Good: inspired performance
9- Excellent: nearly perfect and/or groundbreaking
10- Epic: defines the artist, genre and/or era

Postscript: I believe of our very own board member Dr. X took his name from Queensryche's Operation: Mindcrime saga.

Very interesting indeed! I will definately check this out. I always had great respect for QR as technical musicians but I found the majority of their songwriting(maybe not subject but structure) a bit boring. I am an old school fan of the speed metal guitar though. Speaking of which, anyone have some contemporary groups to recommend in that vein. I am a woefully out of touch 40 year old that could use some help. I have stumbled upon some new stuff recently though... Disturbed....Sevenfold....killer stuff.

Thanks for the Review. I have enjoyed many concerts and hours/days of listening to Geoff Tate and the gang. Their operation mind crime concert was second only to Pink Floyd in entertainment value. I was fortunate to see Queensryche traveling with Dream Theater a couple years back. That was a concert that had some of the best quality musicians the genre has to offer.
Thanks again for the good and thorough review. It is on my list to pick up.

Check out DragonForce and Hammerfall. Based on what you've said, I think you'll like both bands.