Seattle's Queensrÿche, widely regarded as one of the earliest and most influential progressive metal bands, got their start as a straight-ahead heavy metal band in the early 1980's. It's probably a stretch to call their first self-titled EP from 1983 "progressive", as it's got only a handful of NWOBHM-inspired songs, but it didn't take long for the band to mature into a thoughtful and inventive band, as evidenced by their second and third albums, The Warning and Rage for Order, featuring literary sci-fi roots, longer and more complex song structures, heavier use of keys, and thicker orchestrations. All three are excellent works, but Queensrÿche blew the doors down with their rock opera masterpiece Operation: Mindcrime in 1988, relating the tale of Nikki, a heroin junkie who's been brainwashed by the evil Dr. X to assassinate corrupt political figures, and his doomed love affair with prostitute-turned-nun, Sister Mary. The album is generally revered enough to be mentioned alongside such works as Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, The Who's Tommy, Yes's Tales From Topographic Oceans, Genesis's The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, and Rush's 2112 as one of the all-time greatest rock concept albums.
There are a number of factors that make Queensrÿche one of the greatest metal bands in history, but chief among them for me is singer Geoff Tate. The guy has incredible range, control and timbre, never more so than in his early days, and for that reason, I'm including their almost-eponymous debut, "Queen of the Reich", in which Geoff demonstrates arguably the best set of pipes ever heard in a rock band. I realize that's a bold statement, even just in the metal genre, with the likes of Rob Halford, Ronnie James Dio and Ian Gillan all possessing a legitimate claim to the throne, but give Geoff a listen below and see if you're not inclined to agree. If you don't, present your challengers in the comments below or on Facebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment