Formerly known as Chris F5
Member
- Mar 12, 2003
- 1,430
- 10
- 38
QUEENSRYCHE "AMERICAN SOLDIER"....
- Thread starter Wherewolf
- Start date
halcyonwayband@aol.com
Guitars - Halcyon Way
- Nov 9, 2003
- 1,062
- 0
- 36
I think it's a decent album - but it doesn't rock. It's very laid back, very atmospheric, not very metal at all. I hear some Promised Land, HITNF, and O:M II but only in the melodies and the mood. Far from their best stuff....and I think a lot of it will be like paint drying live. But I don't think it's the turd that people are making it out to be.....you just have to take it for what it is IMHO.
Listened to it and thought it was actually stronger than the new OSI and Devin Townsend. To me, thats really saying something as Devin was my favorite artist since at least 03'. But somewhere there was a drop off in quality. The last 3 songs are the weakest on the album and I thought they kind of dropped the ball by choosing Parker Lundgren, a mere kid, to fit in as the "touring guitarist". He's doing all of DeGarmo's solos including Best I Can and Silent Lucidity. Those were reserved for Wilton when Stone was still in the band. A touring guitarist should be a support person and not have an increased role as a permanent member. QR's idea of that is just plain strange when you look at Mike Stone's significant contributions to Mindcrime 2 as well.
Anyway, the studio album works. Not sure about the live presentation though. Lundgren is probably the weak link. Tate will be championing him since he is engaged to his older daughter. He even took Wilton's solo in Hand on Heart during Tater's solo tour last year. If he steals even more solos, I can see Whip walking away from the Ryche. Lundgren or Dorker Lundgren isn't a virtuoso by any means and won't be able to pull off harder solos like Anybody Listening perfectly either.
The addition of Jason Ames isn't bad he adds with the keyboards but Lundgren urgh!
Sorry for the rant.
Anyway, the studio album works. Not sure about the live presentation though. Lundgren is probably the weak link. Tate will be championing him since he is engaged to his older daughter. He even took Wilton's solo in Hand on Heart during Tater's solo tour last year. If he steals even more solos, I can see Whip walking away from the Ryche. Lundgren or Dorker Lundgren isn't a virtuoso by any means and won't be able to pull off harder solos like Anybody Listening perfectly either.
The addition of Jason Ames isn't bad he adds with the keyboards but Lundgren urgh!
Sorry for the rant.After listening to it for a while, I like the album. It does seem similar to Promised Land or Q2K. First song isn't bad. I could do without the welcome to the show stuff though. 2nd song really isn't a song. Didn't like it. The song with the little girl was just plain strange. I was a bit ignorant. I wasn't sure if it was a girl singing or a veteran's wife with a little girl's voice. Haha. I did enjoy the other songs. Tate did let loose a few times. And some of the guitar playing was inspired. I think the only 2 QR albums I hate are Tribe and Hear in the Now Frontier. Interestingly enough, those were the last two albums DeGarmo was a part of. Imagine that. So I am not one of those fans who clamor for Chris to come back. I do plan on seeing them in Clearwater in May. It does annoy me a little that everywhere I look they have Ruth Eckerd Hall listed in Tampa. It isn't in Tampa. It is in Clearwater. It is not even all that close to Tampa. Baffling.
Like most I'm not happy with the band's direction. I do like the concept of the cd though. I'm glad the band supports our military. It's good the songs are based on actual soldier's experiences. I do wish it rocked more though.
In related news, they played their first show of the tour yesterday in Seattle and premiered I Dream In Infrared and One And Only. Hand On Heart was also on the setlist. Wilton did all the solos himself even Jet City Woman, which I think was a first for him. Found that particularly interesting. Lundgren really is a rhythm guitarist now unless he improves they'll probably throw him a bone or two later on during the tour. I still think he's here to stay since he's literally an extended member of the Tate family. They wouldn't throw him out even as a hired gun.
Rycher
Oskee Wow Wow!
That is funny Rycher!!!!!! LOL!!
I gave up on QR after HITNF...used to be a HUGE fan....I am sad to say I am over them. They are still good live but I wont go see them anymore...Geoff isnt able to hit those high notes anymore so its a bummer....
I gave up on QR after HITNF...used to be a HUGE fan....I am sad to say I am over them. They are still good live but I wont go see them anymore...Geoff isnt able to hit those high notes anymore so its a bummer....
Pellaz
Tigron of Immanion
If you go see them on the tour, be sure to get one of Parker Lundgren's guitar picks!
LMFAO!
LunaTEKKE
Madness Reigns
- Mar 23, 2006
- 1,220
- 8
- 38
I finally listened to the CD this weekend almost 3 weeks after buying it. Back in the day, I would have had at least 10 spins of a new QR album/cassette/CD within the first 24 hours of release.
That's pretty much my take as well. I think they started off with an interesting concept, but the music doesn't do the lyrics justice.
When you listen to classic songs like The Lady Wore Black, Roads to Madness, The Mission, or Eyes of a Stranger, the music and lyrics really feed on each other to create an emotional response. Unfortunately, on American Soldier, the music falls flat.
Also agree with other posts that the song with Geoffs daughter is a train wreck. I wonder if no one was honest enough to tell him that or if he just chose not to listen. A brief spoken part might have worked, but the duet was a disaster.
That's pretty much my take as well. I think they started off with an interesting concept, but the music doesn't do the lyrics justice.
When you listen to classic songs like The Lady Wore Black, Roads to Madness, The Mission, or Eyes of a Stranger, the music and lyrics really feed on each other to create an emotional response. Unfortunately, on American Soldier, the music falls flat.
Also agree with other posts that the song with Geoffs daughter is a train wreck. I wonder if no one was honest enough to tell him that or if he just chose not to listen. A brief spoken part might have worked, but the duet was a disaster.
Diamond45
Terminate Bad Music
Thread bump....
I finally got around to listening to American Soldier. Like others on this thread, American Soldier doesn't do much for me at all. I like the idea of the album and praise Geoff and the rest of the band to try to tackle an important subject.
That being said - I haven't liked the sound of Queensryche since Promised Land. I cannot stand Here in the Now Frontieruke:. Seems like Queensryche lost that unique sound around the time that Nirvana started rising on the charts circa 1991. Before that Queensyche had a distinctive sound that you can say "that's Queensryche" and not some other band. But for about the last 15 years or so, they sound like so many other "modern rock" bands that they sound so generic and bland.
And on American Solider - I like Geoff, but Emily.... YUCK! The rest of the album is OK, but Home Again is not one I'll ever listen to again. I'd rather listen to nails on a chalkboard than listen to Geoff's daughter Emily attempt to sing.. ewwwww! . How old is she anyhow? Sounds like she's 12 or thereabouts.
Agreed 110%.
I finally got around to listening to American Soldier. Like others on this thread, American Soldier doesn't do much for me at all. I like the idea of the album and praise Geoff and the rest of the band to try to tackle an important subject.
That being said - I haven't liked the sound of Queensryche since Promised Land. I cannot stand Here in the Now Frontier
uke:. Seems like Queensryche lost that unique sound around the time that Nirvana started rising on the charts circa 1991. Before that Queensyche had a distinctive sound that you can say "that's Queensryche" and not some other band. But for about the last 15 years or so, they sound like so many other "modern rock" bands that they sound so generic and bland.And on American Solider - I like Geoff, but Emily.... YUCK!
The rest of the album is OK, but Home Again is not one I'll ever listen to again. I'd rather listen to nails on a chalkboard than listen to Geoff's daughter Emily attempt to sing.. ewwwww! . How old is she anyhow? Sounds like she's 12 or thereabouts.Agreed 110%.
Diamond45
Terminate Bad Music
Yes, it was that bad.
Agreed. Mindcrime II was very weak. Tried to play on the concept of Mindcrime I (which worked well) but they didn't execute well on Mindcrime II.
Pellaz
Tigron of Immanion
Hmm, clearly I need to listen to that song with the duet on it.....
Anything THAT bad needs to be heard once.
And only once.
Anything THAT bad needs to be heard once.
And only once.
PurpleCrayonWriter
Just a Kid at Heart
My wife and I saw them at The Intersection in Grand Rapids a week or two ago. We were in the front row. Literally. No more than five feet away from Geoff and Michael Wilton.
I have to say two things about this concert:
1. The highlight was seeing Geoff Tate's daughter come out and sing the duet with her dad. Her voice wasn't that great. And she looked scared spit-less. But it was real. It was the most unexpected and emotional part of the entire performance.
2. A friend of mine -- who saw them from the back of the room -- said they looked tired. He was 30 or 40 feet away and he could see that. From our vantage point, they looked totally worn out. Worse, they appeared to be going through the motions. The crowd was into Rage and Empire. It was lukewarm to Solider, mostly because every song sounds the same in concert.
If we hadn't been front row center, we would have been bored to tears. There was more energy in the crowd than there was on the stage -- and that's because the crowd was full of drunken women shouting and talking even during the quiet songs -- or, rudely, when Geoff tried to explain one of the songs before they performed it.
I've seen Queensryche a half dozen times or more, stretching back to when they warmed up for Metallica in the late 1980s. I saw them in 1990 or '91 perform all of Mindcrime and most of Empire. I saw them on their Promised Land tour. I saw them on their Tribes tour. And I've seen them now.
Their songs and their stage show have declined year by year. Their energy level has dropped off markedly.
I'm done with Queensrcyhe. They were an electrifying band at one time, easily one of the best in the world. Today, the only rise they get out of the audience is when they reach back -- way back -- into their repertoire to pull out songs that are two decades (or more!) old.
It's sad. really.
Bill
I have to say two things about this concert:
1. The highlight was seeing Geoff Tate's daughter come out and sing the duet with her dad. Her voice wasn't that great. And she looked scared spit-less. But it was real. It was the most unexpected and emotional part of the entire performance.
2. A friend of mine -- who saw them from the back of the room -- said they looked tired. He was 30 or 40 feet away and he could see that. From our vantage point, they looked totally worn out. Worse, they appeared to be going through the motions. The crowd was into Rage and Empire. It was lukewarm to Solider, mostly because every song sounds the same in concert.
If we hadn't been front row center, we would have been bored to tears. There was more energy in the crowd than there was on the stage -- and that's because the crowd was full of drunken women shouting and talking even during the quiet songs -- or, rudely, when Geoff tried to explain one of the songs before they performed it.
I've seen Queensryche a half dozen times or more, stretching back to when they warmed up for Metallica in the late 1980s. I saw them in 1990 or '91 perform all of Mindcrime and most of Empire. I saw them on their Promised Land tour. I saw them on their Tribes tour. And I've seen them now.
Their songs and their stage show have declined year by year. Their energy level has dropped off markedly.
I'm done with Queensrcyhe. They were an electrifying band at one time, easily one of the best in the world. Today, the only rise they get out of the audience is when they reach back -- way back -- into their repertoire to pull out songs that are two decades (or more!) old.
It's sad. really.
Bill
General Zod
Ruler of Australia
It's not surprising. Very few Metal bands age well... especially those who have tasted commercial success. Part of the problem is the 2+ hour set time, so they can forgo an opening act and collect the full price of the ticket. It also doesn't help that Tate is dragging around an extra 50 pounds of body fat.
Zod
Bear
Got Shred??
whatever... And your staying with me at PPUSA? Hmmm might have to re think that... I have seen the Ryche 21 times and will be seeing them again next month... They rule and last year Geoff was hitting some of those high notes but you wouldnt know since you dont go to see them anymore....
I need a roomate at PPUSA, any takers
Bear
AngraRULES
Member
Why are people still bothering with Queensryche anyways? I don't get it. Yes, they used to rule. They're done now. Give up, already, it's not worth it.
Similar threads
