|
Artist: Queensryche |
|
|
Queensryche return with
their new concept album around the theme of wars, 'American Soldier'.
It has been painstakingly researched by lead singer Geoff Tate, who has
interviewed dozens of war veterans and active servicemen, including his
own father. The swaying 'Sliver' opens the album, with what sounds to be an army sergeant barking orders. The track has a great beat and almost descends into nu-metal with its "I'M GONNA TELL YA WHAT'S UP!" barked vocals (not a bad thing for this track) and overall is a solid start to the album. 'Unafraid' follows, with a spoken word intro and more sound-bites from Tate's interviews scattered over a crushing riff, mixed in with Tate's soaring vocals. This track obviously deals with the courage of the soldiers, as they talk about why they go into combat.....the chorus, meanwhile, could be a crowd pleaser in the stadiums! 'Hundred Mile Stare' is probably my favourite track on the album, the pace is slowed down to epic proportions, and the track has an Eastern, sparse feel, conjuring up images of being in the desert. Geoff Tate's vocals sound a lot like Axl Rose on this track, too. 'At 30,000 ft' (not a longer cover of Saxon's '20,000 ft', by the way), is a mid-paced workout, which beefs up at the chorus, and tells the story of a pilot looking down on destruction in a war from his viewpoint, and how it affects him. Probably one of the weaker tracks on the album. Track 5, 'A Dead Man's Words' is another tune with an Eastern feel, and trundles along nicely to a grumbling bassline. Tate's vocals really work well with this kind of song, although its a bit too similar to the previous track. 'The Killer' is up next, another great track with an excellent bass line, and an excellent refrain...."who will be the killer?" gets stuck in your head......one of the most memorable tracks on the album, this one! 'Middle of Hell' slows the pace down slightly, with some stirring guitar lines, and is another track with an epic feel. There's even a touch saxophone in there as the song draws to a close! 'If I Were King' begins with another interview extract, a young soldier speaking about the time one of his friends was killed in battle alongside him, and how it has affected how he looks at life. This theme carries on into the song, which has an uplifting chorus and is actually quite poignant, as Tate states he "won't waste my life asking questions". 'Man Down!' continues the theme of remorse for dead comrades, and is the heaviest track on the album. This would be a great track to hear live! The drums carry the song through and the mid-section has a catchy, memorable riff. 'Remember Me' deals with the families left behind, and is another track that begins with an interview extract. The extracts are weaved into the tracks in a clever way that doesn't detract from the tune. Tate's voice is particularly strong, and the track contains another killer guitar solo! 'Home Again' follows, and is the ballad on the album, taking the form of a letter written by a soldier to his family back home. Cleverly, the soldiers child's reply is part of the song, like a question and response, which works well. The pace is slowed right down. This also arguably has the best vocal performance on the album as well from Geoff. The album ends with 'The Voice', which returns to the Eastern themed guitar, er, theme....again with an epic feel. This track wouldn't be out of place on the soundtrack to a big Hollywood disaster movie .... brilliant, stirring stuff and a great end to the album. Overall, this is a top notch album, and although not hitting the heights of the band's opus 'Operation Mindcrime', has a couple of classic tunes and none of the tracks seem like filler material. The concept is interesting and current as well as being original. Recommended!! Review by: Dan Armstrong |
|
|
Tracklisting:
1. Sliver |
|
|
All content copyright of The Mayfair Mall Zine unless otherwise stated. |
|