Search - Queensryche :: Live Evolution

Poor execution.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 06/17/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This is a release I'm not really sure what to make of-- Queensryche's "Live Evolution", a double disc live album assembled into four suites, each covering a period in the band's history. Conceptually, it sounds great, but the execution of the package is so poor that it really detracts from the experience.



Before discussing the performance and the setlist, I'll take a moment to discuss the presentation-- the set comes in a double digipack with more than a couple errors in its presentation-- the first suite is listed as the "EP/Warning Suite", but three of the eight song are from "Rage for Order". This then leads to the quesion as to why the mini-Mindcrime at the second half of the disc is referred to as the "Rage/Mindcrime" suite. Its not that I necessarily have a problem with this-- in fact, I really don't care much for the early material, but this sort of sloppy attention to detail really gets to me. This is further noted by the exclusion of "My Empty Room" entirely from the track listing-- its the second to last song on the first disc and by the "EP/Warning Suite" being totally out of order on record as the track listing. This sort of sloppiness is completely inexcusable.



Beyond the packaging, the sound is really hard to describe-- its kind of fuzzy, and there's what sounds like analog distortion (and something that I'd swear was an LP pop) throughout, plus the recording is somewhat muddy-- given the other problems with this, I'm betting the muddy sound was introduced after the performance.



Now let's assume you still want this set, even given its flaws, a bit about the setlist-- I can't argue much with the first disc, they picked a lot of the really strong material from the early record-- admittedly, I'd've dropped "London" and "Queen of the Reich" in favor of "I Dream in Infrared" and "Prophecy", but thats the sort of thing any fan is going to say-- they did a nice balance of popular material, live favorites, and old gems. The Mindcrime portion is fantastic, really a nice trim presentation of the album-- they skipped hit "I Don't Believe in Love" and personal favorite "The Needle Lies" but its a good overview. The second disc's "Empire/Promised Land" suite presents all four of the "Empire" singles and the "I Am I"/"Damaged" pair from "Promised Land-- I personally love "Promised Land", so I'd've loved to have seen more of that record, and there's better material on "Empire" than the singles in my assessmenet. The "HITNF/Q2K" suite virtually ignores "Hear in the Now Frontier"-- only one song, the so-so "Hit hte Black" is used, while five from "Q2K" make it. Given that "Q2K" was the last album out, I can understand this, but given I really don't care for that one and love "Hear...", its somewhat disappointing.



The performance itself is reasonable-- much of the early material receives rearrangements, in particular to lower the vocals a bit. I'm not wild about most of this stuff, but the "NM 156" and "The Lady Wore Black" performances are particularly noteworthy and the overlong "Roads to Madness" benefits immensely from trimming four minutes of fat from it. The Mindcrime stuff comes off reasonably well as well, with "My Empty Room" being a real highlight (pity it wasn't listed!). The second disc is all solid performances, but I don't really think there's much that could be done to resurrect the "Q2K" stuff. Still, the "I Am I"/"Damaged" pair are fantastic and probably worth the price of admission alone.



In the end, there's really too many flaws with this set to really justify it as a good value. If you're a fan, you'll probably want it, but everyone else can skip it."

Geoff is in decent voice.

W. Greenwood | USA | 06/11/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This CD shows a great performance. A rundown of the Pros and ConsPros--
-- there is lots of energy and an overall good selection of songs
-- Michael Wilton demonstrates his hot guitar work out in front of the mix
-- Eddie Jackson's backing vocals are always on. Screaming In Digital shows it the best.
-- Geoff Tate hits all the high notes
-- Scott Rockenfield is still a killer drummerCons--
-- The new guitarist hides behind crappy guitar effects, he's horrid
-- While he hits the high notes, Geoff Tate sounds like he has cotton or poop in his mouth the whole show.
Here is an example from "Walk In The Shadows"You shay you don't feel shafe alone tonight
Caush you feel the pressure building in your head
Our shecrets shafe for one more night
When the morning comesh rememberGeoff needed a drink of water the whole show i'm afraid.-- Geoff sang Silent Lucidity with the worst of them, it was a horrible performance. We know he can sing better than that.-- You might as well throw away the Q2k HITNF suite, it sucks.The energy of the show and Geoff's screeching highs give this performance 3 stars."

Age has taken it's toll. . .

Sibi | 10 miles from nowhere | 06/20/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Lately Queensryche has had some trouble. . with their first record company dying and Chris ( guitarist ) leaving the band. I got the CD for my father. . .but now I wish I had not.
Sure, the sound quality isnt all that great, its the vocal quality that concerns me. Poor Geoff has aged a little since their first album in 1983. It seems that he can't hit the wonderful high notes I've come to know and love. Sure, it isnt going to sound exactly the same. . .but its just soo different. In Spreading the Disease, he doesnt hit the high notes in the chorus, instead taking it an octave lower than usual. It seems that he improvises in some parts, like in Eyes of a Stranger. chords in Walk in the Shadows are off a little.
There are other flaws, like the misnaming of songs and such.
On to the music itself. The new guitarist, Kelly Gray just doesn't do the Pre Q2K songs any justice. The extra solo in Eyes of a Stranger, to me, screws up the song completly. He just doesnt seem as devoted to the older music as Chris DeGarmo. Chris. . .WHY DID YOU HAVE TO LEAVE!
Lastly, back to sound quality real quick. In some parts of the CDs, you have to struggle to hear the vocals. ( In the beginning of Spreading the Disease ) Crackles are a bit annoying too. Yes, I know it is a live CD, but I have made little recordings with a $10 microphone that were better. . .
I am a devoted Queensryche fan, honestly. To me its all about the music. But, unlike the Rolling Stones, age is bringing down this Empire. The best I can give them this time is a 2."