It's alright
B. E Jackson | Pennsylvania | 06/24/2010
(2 out of 5 stars)
"I really don't get Queensryche. I'll be the first to admit it. Their music just sounds incredibly generic and secondrate to me, making other heavy metal acts such as Metallica and Iron Maiden look like the true geniuses they are.
The problem lies in the bands ability to write songs. They can't write them, or at least, not in a satisfying and creative way. Just in a generic, dumbed down kind of way.
The "Sister Mary" suite is probably the poorest excuse for a multi-part sophisticated metal song I've ever heard. The vocal melodies are good enough to get the job done, but on the flipside, they offer absolutely nothing in the way of creativity. The entire 10-minute suite doesn't offer hardly anything at all, in fact. No amazing guitar solos, no exceptional songwriting to speak of, and certainly no originality. Just... good lyrics I suppose, and nothing more.
I used to think Operation: Mindcrime was a significant improvement over Empire, but I'm not so sure now. Both albums are fairly even.
"