Queensryche gives new info on "American Soldier"

SAXON1500 wrote:

Pretty much the entire 80's Maiden catalog stands the test of time. But what does that have to do w/Queensryche? 2 Completely different in every way bands. Other than each has a fanatical fanbase, they have absolutely nothing in common.

If you can't see a similarity between Seventh Son and Mindcrime, then your comparative/analytical skillz need some exercise, friend. Listen to both albums back to back, and then compare both of these titles to Guns and Roses- Appetite For Destruction, Yes - Big Generator, Voivod - Nothingface, Robert Plant - Now and Zen and The Cult - Sonic Temple. These are all albums which came out around the same time as the Q and Maiden titles cited.

As contrasted against all these other titles, one should be able to instantly isolate the elements which have gone into making the two slightly progressive, highly conceptual and melodic Metal albums...which both the Q and Maiden titles are. That's all I'm saying friend. That these two works are much more similiar than 99% of everything else available at the time. And, if you happen to be a big fan of Mindcirme, and want something else along very similiar lines, then, maybe, Seventh Son is for you. Can you see it now?

And, I just (presently) heard 'American Soldier' again with some ample time in between sittings and this is a damn fine effort. It would be a joke to compare this one to HitNF. A total injustice to the craft and quality put into this album. This album is FAR superior to that lackluster effort. Better than Tribe and Q2K as well. I have a feeling that when the smoke settles, I'll think this one to be better than 'Promised Land' as well. There's no way a judgement on an album like this can be made after only one spin.

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If you can't see a similarity between Seventh Son and Mindcrime, then your comparative/analytical skillz need some exercise, friend.

By "exercise" you must mean Those albums are nothing alike...

You can't see the similarity, even when those other albums are brought in for contrast? Again, I'm not talking about a similarity between the Maiden and Queensryche sounds. That's not at issue. I'm talking about the similarity in format. Both are "slightly-to-moderately progressive Metal albums which are formatted specifically to tell a story." Those are the similarities right there, son. And, now in retrospect, I can see that a love for one can beget an appreciation for the other.

Those two titles you can quite easily see as the two foundational pillars upon which Conceptual Metal Epics were born. They are slightly progressive by design, but aren't necessary Prog-Metal...although they are part of what birthed the genre. Another recent, and most excellent, album which would fit this mold of Conceptual Metal Epic is DIO's Magica (2000). If you guys haven't made your way to this one yet, please do so. The Dio album bears many of the marks which are characteristic of both the Maiden and the Ryche - - interludy passages, keyboards sparsely used, bridges taking the listener from one track to the next, etc.

So, in a nutshell, you're simply saying that they're both concept albums. How intuitive...

...and don't call me "son".

He likes to be called pops.

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Conceptual Metal Epics

Nope, that would be Tommy and Quadrophenia.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

So, in a nutshell, you're simply saying that they're both concept albums. How intuitive...

Well, you were stating that they are in no way alike. Which is tremendously innacurate. So, I had to draw some parallels to make the similiarity more evident. Everything in this world is relative. And, so it can easily be demonstrated that, in comparison to 99.9% of all Rock recordings ever released, these two albums are virtually identical. "interludy passages, keyboards sparsely used, bridges taking the listener from one track to the next, sterotypical, high-pitched Metal vocals, etc." All the marks of the newly burgeoning field of Progressive Metal back in 1988.

I simply made the conclusion that if you like one, there's a good chance that you'll like the other one. And, I was given schitt over that fairly obvious deduction. So, I sought to prove my point. In fact, it was my buddy, Rick, who told me to look towards both 'Somewhere In Time' and 'Seventh Son' for something along similiar lines to Operation: Mindcrime. There's actually a tune on Somewhere where I think Maiden comes its closest to sounding like Q. That's the track, 'Stranger in a Strange Land'. There was also a track off the most recent Maiden outing that reminds me a lot of Q's style. That's 'Brighter Than A Thousand Suns'.

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Well, you were stating that they are in no way alike. Which is tremendously innacurate.

On a musical level, they are completely different. They are about as alike as Symphony X's Paradise Lost and Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway....they're both concept albums, so they must have huge, glaring, obvious musical similarities, right?

Just because 2 albums tell a story and use "interludy passages", doesn't make them twins. You're overanalyzing...

I just watched the new QR video ("If I Were King") over at Blabbermouth.

...Yawn. Not feelin' it...

Fat Freddy wrote:

I just watched the new QR video ("If I Were King") over at Blabbermouth.

...Yawn. Not feelin' it...

Saw it as well and I feel pretty much the same.
I've really tried to like newer Queensryche, but it mostly comes off as kinda bland to me.

I have not heard the new Queensryche CD yet, but longtime fans on this board seem indifferent to it, is the songwriting that bad or is it that it just has no dynamics? I am curious since I have liked songs on every Queensryche album released so far.

manny wrote:

I have not heard the new Queensryche CD yet, but longtime fans on this board seem indifferent to it, is the songwriting that bad or is it that it just has no dynamics? I am curious since I have liked songs on every Queensryche album released so far.

It's just flat and boring. It's not particularly bad, but it's lifeless. It sounds like a band that spent too much time on the concept and forgot about the music.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Quote :

Well, you were stating that they are in no way alike. Which is tremendously innacurate.

On a musical level, they are completely different. They are about as alike as Symphony X's Paradise Lost and Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway....they're both concept albums, so they must have huge, glaring, obvious musical similarities, right?

Just because 2 albums tell a story and use "interludy passages", doesn't make them twins. You're overanalyzing...

OK, now you're aggravating me because you're coming across as...how do I say this diplomatically....'non-smart'. If you actually believe that there was no similiarity in the place where both Queensryche and Maiden were at musically in their careers back in 1988, and see them as actually being as disparate as both Symphony X and Genesis, then you have no ears, an no powers of sense-perception and concept-formation. Absolutley none, son. This was the timeframe where both bands were closest in vision. The bands have always shared the kind of similarities which are shared by all those occupying the same genre of music, but in 1988 they moved even closer when they chose to tackle the conceptual fare.

Q was never an overtly heavy band, always relying more texture, atmosphere and layering. And, Maiden took several steps towards this direction with the 'Seventh Son' release. DID I EVER say that either one of these bands was mimicking the other, or that these two albums were carbon copies of one another? I simply stated that in my search for another recording to satiate my Mindcrime hunger, I was pointed towards 'Seventh Son' as something along similiar lines. But, it's apparent that you're finding the utmost difficulty in detecting any similarity between the two outings...even when I provide a half dozen or so albums from the period as contrast. This is no a defect in my perception, but yours, friend.

Eyesore wrote:

manny wrote:

I have not heard the new Queensryche CD yet, but longtime fans on this board seem indifferent to it, is the songwriting that bad or is it that it just has no dynamics? I am curious since I have liked songs on every Queensryche album released so far.

It's just flat and boring. It's not particularly bad, but it's lifeless. It sounds like a band that spent too much time on the concept and forgot about the music.

What I do think is missing is much in the way of those Queensryche identifying features....like the galloping basslines and twin guitar leads. Even though O:M2 was without DeGarmo, the album gave every appearance that the man was still there. I was extremely impressed that Wilton was able to pull these parts off with another guitarist. So, I was looking forward to more of that on the new release, and it's absent. But, after four spins, I do think that it's better than average. Probably would have been a lot better if Chris walked back into the picture.

Something tells me you just started listening to Queensryche.

Eyesore wrote:

Something tells me you just started listening to Queensryche.

In confidence, if you promise not to tell the other guys, I just got the Greatest Hits about a month ago. I don't even own the individual titles yet. Haven't even heard them yet really.

Marc Mason wrote:

Eyesore wrote:

Something tells me you just started listening to Queensryche.

In confidence, if you promise not to tell the other guys, I just got the Greatest Hits about a month ago. I don't even own the individual titles yet. Haven't even heard them yet really.

If this is true, it explains a lot.

I'm done arguing with a fencepost. I've been listening to/following Queensryche and Iron Maiden for well over 20 years...I don't need some internet genius telling me I don't know how to listen to it.

I actually like most of the covers albums. Yeah, Geoff's voice is pretty gone but he didn't stretch too much on the album and they did a good job of adding their stamp without ruining the song.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Marc Mason wrote:

Eyesore wrote:

Something tells me you just started listening to Queensryche.

In confidence, if you promise not to tell the other guys, I just got the Greatest Hits about a month ago. I don't even own the individual titles yet. Haven't even heard them yet really.

If this is true, it explains a lot.

I'm done arguing with a fencepost. I've been listening to/following Queensryche and Iron Maiden for well over 20 years...I don't need some internet genius telling me I don't know how to listen to it.

Nah, I know nothing about Metal, and what I say here doesn't at all make complete sense. You keep telling yourself that, friend.

Marc Mason wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Marc Mason wrote:

Eyesore wrote:

Something tells me you just started listening to Queensryche.

In confidence, if you promise not to tell the other guys, I just got the Greatest Hits about a month ago. I don't even own the individual titles yet. Haven't even heard them yet really.

If this is true, it explains a lot.

I'm done arguing with a fencepost. I've been listening to/following Queensryche and Iron Maiden for well over 20 years...I don't need some internet genius telling me I don't know how to listen to it.

I know nothing about Metal, and what I say here doesn't at all make complete sense.

We've already established that.

Alright, that's enough of that. People can read backwards and weight the strength of both arguments if they choose. Now, onto the purpose of the thread, Ned.

I'm listening to this recording now for a fifth time, and it was only during this runthrough that I began to feel totally confident in my assertion that this is the second best Q album since Empire. Before I was saying it without full conviction. The album was already unfolding for me, but hadn't fully. Thing is, this title, like Mindcrime 2, are incredibly sophisticated recordings. I remember so many people dismissing O:M2 offhand, before they had let all the subtle intracacies of that album unfold and settle with them. Then, once it had, they came back saying that they liked the album much more than they had initially. I have a feeling that the same will be the case with this album. This isn't another simple collection of unrelated tunes. All of the songs are inter-related and dependent on one another for their coherence and cohesion. I'm listening to the song, 'Dead Man's Word's' and this track would never work on a collection of unrelated songs. The music and the lyrics are incredibly deep and go a long distance in conveying the crux of the storyline. By the seventh spin of this thing, the entire piece will have completely unpacked itself, and each segment will be readily accessible to me. At that time, I believe I'll care for this recording as much, or even more than Mindcrime 2. I think that when all is said and done, this album will be their best since Empire. And, by that time, most people who love one specific facet of this band, the important one, will be on board with me.

I just found out today that queensruche is releasing a new album. how good is it? What I read so far on this topic is arguments of pure nonsence

powermacho wrote:

I just found out today that queensruche is releasing a new album. how good is it? What I read so far on this topic is arguments of pure nonsence

You are so macho. :benchpress:

Marc, you come across like your the final shitz on everything. And you write a book almost,every time. Music is opinions and it's fine to have a strong one but maybe lay back on the "I know it all" filter there. People here have been into and some playing music a long time so when you compare things and they disagree don't act like they're total morons.

NumbskullakaNazgul wrote:

Marc, you come across like your the final shitz on everything. And you write a book almost,every time. Music is opinions and it's fine to have a strong one but maybe lay back on the "I know it all" filter there. People here have been into and some playing music a long time so when you compare things and they disagree don't act like they're total morons.

I completely agree with you, friend. But, that kinda thing should fly both ways, no? I feel like I was accosted for merely drawing a comparison, which definitely didn't seem as far fetched as it was being portrayed. But, I did over-react. As, I often do. I'm gunna calm down now.