Queensryche Album Teaser

[Met-Al]

I don't think the clips are so short that you can't get the vibe the band is going for with the album. Personally, I think the songs are sounding pretty good. I get the impression that they're going for an updated version of the style that made them an underground sensation in the mid-80s. Some people will most likely argue that the band will end up sounding more like the bands that they've influenced, but is that such a bad thing at this point in their career? Judas Priest have been doing the same thing since Turbo, and they haven't lost their status as one of the greats. Finally, though Tate and DeGarmo were the main songwriters in the band, it doesn't mean that the members of the current lineup don't have any songwriting chops. I'm certainly not expecting them to capture the magic they had with Operation: Mindcrime, but I do think they can make the kind of album that fans of their early material will enjoy.


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

 

[Jasonic]

Judas Priest have been doing the same thing since Turbo

Sorry, but I don't get this at all.......

Aside from Angel of Retribution, Turbo, Ram It Down, Painkiller, and Nostradamus were all unique in their own right.

Painkiller actually gained them MANY thrash fans when it was first released.

Priest continuously reinvents themself in a certain way.

I think Angel was the only one where it was just "Biz as usual"

Sorry - But you would contest my claims of the same about Dream Theater, should I make them.

 

[The Invisible Guest]

Is there a Tate camp?

Honestly, I'm not sure this is worth dividing up into camps. You have one guy who's a douche vs. three guys who have never done a thing without the douche. Combined, they haven't written a song worth writing in more than twenty years, and it's been nearly 25 years since their seminal album. I say we all camp together and leave the writing of great Metal to guys who don't have an AARP card in their wallets.

Yeah, that's where I am at with both factions of Queensryche. There a lot of bands out there that are worthy of spending time and money on .. Queensryche is not one of them.


Britt

 

[Met-Al]

I have to disagree with you on the points you made, Jason. To my ears, Turbo was Priest's attempt at fitting in with the Billy Idol craze that was going on at the time, Painkiller was their attempt to jump on the Megadeth bandwagon of 1990, Jugulator was their "Pantera" album, and Nostradamus was their way of showing that they could compete with the European power metal bands of the day. The only exceptions were Ram It Down (which I would agree is a unique album), Demolition (their failed attempt to make peace with the fans who were turned off by Jugulator), and Angel Of Retribution (another unique album, though with some familiar elements).

By contrast, Dream Theater may be changing their sound to fit with the times, but I truly believe that they haven't ended up sounding like the bands that they have influenced in the process. There is nothing on the last three Dream Theater albums that makes me think, "Wow! They're just copying Circus Maximus and Pagan's Mind now!" I get the impression that the new Queensryche is checking out the bands that they've influenced and are thinking, "We can do that!" For a band that has lost its principal songwriter and is trying to make up for a lot of lost time, I support the move.


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

 

[Jasonic]

Ok, I misinterpreted your original post.
I thought you were implying that Priest have been making the SAME album since TURBO.

Carry on.............

 

[Purveyor Of Evil]

If the new QR sounds too similar to early QR, then they aren't creating their own sound with Todd. If they sound too different with Todd, then they aren't doing enough to sound like early QR. They can't win no matter what they fucking do. I'm as excited as all hell over QR for the first time in 22 years. Damn it, I'm giving them a shot. There is no way in hell this new album could ever be worse than anything post Empire.

 

[mattbrood]

If the new QR sounds too similar to early QR, then they aren't creating their own sound with Todd. If they sound too different with Todd, then they aren't doing enough to sound like early QR. They can't win no matter what they fucking do. I'm as excited as all hell over QR for the first time in 22 years. Damn it, I'm giving them a shot. There is no way in hell this new album could ever be worse than anything post Empire.

THIS

 

[DustyV]

and of course the music is going to sound somewhat "modern". It is 2012 afterall, lol..... Sounding "modern" isn't a bad thing as long as the music is good..
I think Todd sounds amazing on the samples, and those samples blow away the last few FULL albums of QR, LOL....

 

[ashaman7122]

I have to disagree with you on the points you made, Jason. To my ears, Turbo was Priest's attempt at fitting in with the Billy Idol craze that was going on at the time, Painkiller was their attempt to jump on the Megadeth bandwagon of 1990, Jugulator was their "Pantera" album, and Nostradamus was their way of showing that they could compete with the European power metal bands of the day. The only exceptions were Ram It Down (which I would agree is a unique album), Demolition (their failed attempt to make peace with the fans who were turned off by Jugulator), and Angel Of Retribution (another unique album, though with some familiar elements).

By contrast, Dream Theater may be changing their sound to fit with the times, but I truly believe that they haven't ended up sounding like the bands that they have influenced in the process. There is nothing on the last three Dream Theater albums that makes me think, "Wow! They're just copying Circus Maximus and Pagan's Mind now!" I get the impression that the new Queensryche is checking out the bands that they've influenced and are thinking, "We can do that!" For a band that has lost its principal songwriter and is trying to make up for a lot of lost time, I support the move.


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

Wow...just so much to disagree with here...

Billy Idol craze? Megadeth bandwagon? Did these things exist?

Nostradamus = current Euro power metal?

Demolition is an improvement to Jugulator?

Ram It Down is unique?

I just don't get it...you're gonna have to defend that shit a little better than that...what the fuck?

Rock on!

 

[General Zod]

If the new QR sounds too similar to early QR, then they aren't creating their own sound with Todd. If they sound too different with Todd, then they aren't doing enough to sound like early QR. They can't win no matter what they fucking do.

That's no one's fault but their own. Had they wanted complete artistic freedom, they could have had it as Rising West. Instead, they wanted to financially capitalize on the Queensryche brand. A brand built almost completely by two guys no longer in the band.

 

[Oblivion Ocean]

I think people seem to be overreacting both ways to a small sound clip. I don't think that from this sample you can make any serious predictive statements about the new album. It seems fair to have a general positive or negative feeling about the clip itself. I am generally positive. Does that mean I think that the new album is going to be good? Not really. I am willing to keep an open mind, and at least to my ears this seems like a good small step in a positive direction.

As for the "Queensryche sound" I am not concerned. It is all about good songwriting. If the songs are well written I could not care less about the sound/style. I love The Warning, RFO, PL and O:M and in terms of sound those are all over the map. QR used to be about experimenting with their sound. But ultimately it comes down to song writing, which is why I am skeptical. I think whatever chemistry or inspiration they had years ago is long gone. Maybe they can recapture some of that given the inspiration of current events. Like I said, while I am a bit skeptical, I will give it a listen with an open mind.

 

[Justin G]

That's no one's fault but their own. Had they wanted complete artistic freedom, they could have had it as Rising West. Instead, they wanted to financially capitalize on the Queensryche brand. A brand built almost completely by two guys no longer in the band.

Bingo.

 

[Metaldrumz]

Even if they kept the name Rising West they would be scrutinized just the same because of who the members are. I don't buy that argument at all.

 

[Justin G]

Even if they kept the name Rising West they would be scrutinized just the same because of who the members are. I don't buy that argument at all.

They would be scrutinized, but at a much lesser degree. They could have walked away from some of the baggage the QR name brings. Now they have a legacy - damaged as it is - to uphold.

 

[General Zod]

Even if they kept the name Rising West they would be scrutinized just the same because of who the members are. I don't buy that argument at all.

We can agree to disagree. Whenever a few guys from Band X go off and start Band Y, I've always assumed they did so because they wanted to do something different. It's the exact reason successful musicians do other projects.

 

[mattbrood]

That's no one's fault but their own. Had they wanted complete artistic freedom, they could have had it as Rising West. Instead, they wanted to financially capitalize on the Queensryche brand. A brand built almost completely by two guys no longer in the band.

Rising West (despite what Tate says) was never meant to be a "project" for recording or touring, they were always intending on using the Queensryche name, they just needed to fire Tate first. The name Queensryche still (miraculously) has value, so why wouldn't Wilton, SR, and Jackson be able to carry on without Tate and capitalize on salvaging what they can from the name? Van Halen did for years successfully without DLR, and they changed their sound to a more commercial form of rock. Comparing the first VH album and 5150 there is a drastic difference in styles as well as the vocals.

 

[General Zod]

Rising West (despite what Tate says) was never meant to be a "project"...

Intent is not the issue. My point was, had they wanted to avoid the double-edge sword that comes with carrying on the name, they could have chosen to do so.

The name Queensryche still (miraculously) has value, so why wouldn't Wilton, SR, and Jackson be able to carry on without Tate and capitalize on salvaging what they can from the name?

It's well within their rights to milk the fans out of every dime they're willing to part with. They've been doing so now for two decades. Why stop now?

Van Halen did for years successfully without DLR, and they changed their sound to a more commercial form of rock. Comparing the first VH album and 5150 there is a drastic difference in styles as well as the vocals.

If you want to use Van Halen as your example, would you be interested in a Van Halen album if both Dave & Eddie left? A Guns n Roses album if both Axl and Slash left? A Nevermore record if both Loomis and Warrel left. Calling this band Queensryche is just wrong. From an artistic standpoint, it's laughable. From a monetary standpoint, it's greedy.

 

[MidKnightzar]

I see what you mean Zod about band members and the band name but when I read that I instantly thought of Savatage and yeah, I would be their cd and who knows what members ( if any ) would even be on it.

Sidenote: I havent logged in here for some time so I am sorry for any pms that went unanswered. I usually just browse this forum without actually logging in.

 

[mattbrood]

I'll leave the business side of it for the courts to decide. My original point in the beginning is that based on the short clips in the video, this is the first Queensryche (whether they deserve the name or not) album I'm actually excited to hear since Empire, which is saying a lot for me because I haven't purchased anything from them since Promised Land!

 

[General Zod]

Matt... understood. However, for me, this is neither a Queensryche album, nor an album by musicians whose track record dictates that I should get excited. That said, I'll let the final product speak for itself.