Queensrÿche
Empire

THE REVIEW

Wandering around the site, I am immensely surprised to find that no one has ever talked about "Empire", the fourth work by Queensryche, released in 1990, an album spectacular in every respect from the Seattle band.

So, since I have nothing better to do until late afternoon, I will try to explain this work in a way that I hope won't be too boring and, above all, won't cause me to stick to the back of the chair in this sultry afternoon in the Po valley. I start from the premise that I have known Queensryche only recently, and the first album to land in my player was "Operation Mindcrime". I bought it on friends' recommendation, but it almost slid off me harmlessly, as my ears were full of English-influenced prog music, and I was still struggling to digest American rock. So, I put it back on the shelf with the other albums to gather dust and forgot about it.

The turning point came with this year's Monza edition of the Gods of Metal, where the American combo was among the bands performing on Saturday. I don't understand what triggered in me, but I decided to delve deeper to avoid being unprepared for their rainy performance. I asked Wikipedia for their discography, and then the mule did the rest. Among all their works, I was decisively struck by Empire, an album of a thousand facets with a very varied sound, at times commercial, but rich with ideas arranged divinely by the musicians.

It starts with "Best I Can", and immediately the atmosphere appears heated with the guitars of Chris De Garmo and Michael Wilton amiably chasing each other, supported by Geoff Tate's magnificent voice, an incredibly gifted singer whose enviable vocal range reaches very high, and whose acting skills add vital energy to the songs. Then it continues through "The Thin Line", "Jet City Woman", and "Della Brown", which remain episodes of progressive stamp with hard rock nuances that are still delightful to listen to.

Then we arrive at the most sentimental episode of the entire album, "Another Rainy Night (Without You)", chosen as one of the singles, which remains, in my opinion, incomplete and resembles a filler song, yet it ferries Queensryche into the triptych of the most successful songs on the entire album. The title track, "Empire", stands out as an authentic sonic punch where the two guitars create a truly remarkable wall of sound with a very beautiful and unforgettable central solo, followed by "Resistance" and the beautiful ballad "Silent Lucidity", an intensely passionate song that starts quietly but reaches very high peaks with an over-the-top Geoff Tate delivering a truly fabulous vocal performance, almost hair-raising.

Then closing with "Hand on Heart", "One and Only" and "Anybody Listening?", which put an end to the band's best-selling album in their career, capable of winning 3 platinum records and selling over 3 million copies.

Subsequently, starting with their next "Promised Land", Queensryche will tend to increasingly emphasize the melodic and progressive component in their works, proving to be a highly inspired band in composing music and positively surprising their listeners with every new record release.