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| Queensryche - Q2k Band: Queensryche Tracks: - Falling Down - Sacred Ground - One Life - When the Rain Comes... - How Could I? - Beside You - Liquid Sky - Breakdown - Burning Man - Wot Kinda Man - Right Side of My Mind Q2K - Not Great Not Bad - Just Different When I popped this cd in after a quick trip into the store I thought that I was in heaven - "Falling Down" and "Sacred Ground" totally rocked! And then we get to "One Life" and I think "okay it's different - not bad just different". As I listened more and more, well - this just wasn't the Queensryche that I knew. I still have My Favorite tracks on this one - the two mentioned before as well as "Beside You", "Liquid Sky", and "Right Side of My Mind". But come on - that's less than half of the album! I dig it out every once in a while, but it doesn't get near the play as all of the other Ryche cd's. And say what you will about them, but I actually liked Promised Land and also Hear In The Now Frontier. The website says that they have a new album coming out in the Summer - I only hope that with Degarmo back and a little time to reflect on this outing, they deliver something Truly amazing this time around... Still Strong Anyone who wondered:"What would Queensryche sound like without original guitarist and main songwriter Chris DeGarmo?" gets their answer. And that answer is(not surprisingly):they sound like Queensryche, albeit a less experimental version. In replacing DeGarmo with Kelly Gray, The Band returns to its more "Empire" oriented hard rock roots. The opening "Falling Down" could easily be from that album, as could the dream-like vibe of "Right Side Of My Mind." Gray and remaining gutarist Michael Wilton cook up a bunch of catchy, meaty riffs on "Breakdown" and "Wot Kinda Man." Forrays into Sublime mellowness, like "Beside You," plus unnecessary overproduction(mainly on Geoff Tate's powerful voice) take some of the wind out of a record that shows Queensryche aren't done yet. Q2K Shines... Most of the times, most of the fans Live under the "comparison syndrome". When ever a new album comes out from a Band they love, it is inevitably compared to the last and all the ones before. This happens with me too. Just like some many others who would be reading this review, I Love Queensryche. I have been a fan since about ten years and I Love all their works. Except a few track from here and there (HTNF) Ryche never dissapointed me. Q2K coming after the average HTNF (average Ryche is more listenable than the excellent stuff of most bands) is just smashing. Most of the fans have been very very unfair and unkind to this most overlooked Ryche work of all time. I guess one reason is due to the departure of Chris but what value did Chris add in HTNF? What did Chris achieve without Ryche? If rest of the Ryche could write classics like Right Side of my Mind, When the rain comes, One life without Chris whats the point in lamenting his departure without moving on? Q2K is excellent. Initially I did not like the album for a mix of reasons. Like others I was dissapointed that Chris left, like others I was living in a illusion that Chris wrote most of the music (you would be surprised to learn that Wilton did quite some work on Op:Mindcrime), like others I moved on and wasnt paying too much attention to the Ryche world. But recently when I dusted my Q2K and heard it in full volume, it just blew me away. The album begins with a warmup number "Falling Down" which is not a classic but not bad, its a 8/10 song. Then comes the classic "SAcred Ground", 10/10. If any self-respecting fan of Ryche does not like this song, he is lying to himself. This songs goes to show why Tate is the greatest living singer of rock music. Perhaps the only other man who could come a little close to singing at that range without loosing his voice is Mik Patton. Not even James LaBrie can reach that range. SAcred Ground is one of the best compositions of the bands, ever. This is followed by another 10/10 "1 Life", beautiful chorus. "When the Rain.." just blows you aways, mellifluous guitars, meaningful lyrics, great voice, all in all, quintessential Queensryche. Rest of the stand out tracks are, "Burning Man", great guitars by Wilton, this is one of the fastest tracks Ryche ever composed after Op:Mindcrime. Turn up the volume to this song and watch some blood fill your veins and wash away any doubts that Ryche is past its prime from your head. Beside You, Liquid Sky, Right Side.. all 10/10. In an age of meaningless, commercial, faceless, spiritless "rock" music, Q2K is a gem. All those of you who compare this to Ryches older stuff, please open up and give this album another try, you would surely come back and get this cd a 5 stars. It hurts me to see this work of art get 3 1/2 Buy Queensryche Q2k at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.comJamster - the latest ringtones for your phone! |
