Acrimonious band break-ups are strangely traumatic for the listener. Very often, when the drama plays out in public, the fans are left to make a judgement as to which party they choose to follow, overlooking the other for daring to continue as if nothing happened. Without doubt, the split between Queensryche and their erstwhile singer, Geoff Tate, was particularly bitter. With Geoff following a varied path into Operation Mindcrime (via an impressive solo album and a somewhat ill-conceived attempt at forging a new Queensryche), the band themselves set about recruiting a new singer and returning to their metallic roots. To be quite honest, I couldn’t get fully on-board with the new Queensryche. In a classic case of ‘it wasn’t them, it was me’, I just found the similarities between Geoff and new singer Todd La Torre too uncanny. That I was wrong took some time to admit, but Condition Human won me over and now, back with a brand new album, Queensryche are building upon their illustrious past as Todd firmly emerges from the shadow of his illustrious predecessor. Part of Todd’s increased confidence may be down to the fact that he not only performed lead vocals on the album, but that he also provided the drums in the studio (Scott Rockenfield being on hiatus to focus upon his family) and, regardless of the size of the shoes he had to fill, he does a damned good job.
Available on a variety of formats, a Box set offers up the album with a bonus disc (featuring a mix of rarities, acoustic renditions and live tracks) and assorted trinkets, whilst the album can also be found on vinyl and on standard CD, not to mention the ubiquitous digital formats, but it is the vinyl version that this review covers. Typically, Century Media have paid attention to detail with the vinyl edition, including the full album on CD (a much-appreciated touch) as well as a lyric insert and a poster. The vinyl itself is whisper quiet and really allows the thunderous performance of the band to shine through – pump it up and blood od the levant will rip your face clean off!
Right from the start, there’s a feeling that the verdict is going to be something special. The atmosphere conjured up on opening track, blood of the Levant, is remarkable and the band sound as if they’re playing for their lives. It remains the case that Todd, at times, sounds uncannily like Geoff Tate, but there’s also a sense of an increased confidence here, and he delivers a performance that is supremely powerful, with just a touch of grit thrown in to give the lyrics bite. Make no mistake, this the best that Queensryche have sounded in a long time and, with a blistering production job from Zeuss, all the elements that put the band at the forefront of metal when they unleashed Operation Mindcrime on an unsuspecting world are given full-reign. Michael Wilton and Parker Lundgren are clearly having a blast as they unleash the full-blooded riff-fest of Man the machine, a hyper-fast blast of prog-metal with the emphasis firmly on the metal. With layers of vocals stacked over the chorus, man the machine is an adrenaline-soaked monster of a track complete with blazing solos and a bucket-load of attitude. Allowing the listener a brief pause for breath, eerie ambiance signals the mid-paced Light-Years, a track that can proudly stand alongside the band’s finest works with its off-kilter tempo and bravura vocal performance. Things slow further for the eerie Inside Out, which opens on a note more reminiscent of fellow Seattleites Alice In Chains, the minor-key harmonies sitting comfortably atop a chunky riff that brings to mind the much maligned hear in the now frontier, only for a blazing riff to suddenly emerge and propel everything back to more metallic pastures. Allowing no intro to blunt its arrival Propaganda Fashion hits the listener squarely between the eyes, the band exploring the full-gamut of Queensryche’s sonic bag of tricks from swirling reverb to deft tempo shifts. It marks the end of the first half of the album – a first half that flashes past in what feels like mere moments.
Opening side 2, Dark Reverie appears to be a ballad, although the band bring considerable metallic bite to the heavier passages. An intelligent, wide-ranging song, keyboards are used for effect, but they are also used sparingly, allowing the melodies to shine without swamping them. It is here, giving full vent to his remarkable vocal range, that Todd simply sweeps away the competition, and his performance, as it is across the course of the album, is nothing short of awe-inspiring. If the stuttering intro of Bent initially makes you think your LP is warped, the ferocious riff that rapidly emerges will convince you otherwise. A monumental track that shifts from crunchy, mid-tempo verses to an astonishing chorus that sees Todd scale hitherto unseen vocal heights. Then you remember that the impressive work behind the kit is also Todd, his fills driving the track forward in an innovative fashion that will keep Scott occupied upon his return, and you realise just what a remarkable find he was for the band. Michael and Parker unleash some nice harmonised lead work on the earth-shaking Inner Unrest, a reminder that Queensryche were always ahead of the curve when it comes to instrumental prowess. Keeping things punishingly heavy, Launder the Conscience is another track that benefits from the six-string skills of Michael and Parker. With dizzying vocal effects, Todd makes sure his presence is well-felt and the track sees the album racing towards its conclusion like a train running down hill with no brakes. The record concludes with Portrait, a subtle, down-tempo finale that brings the record to a suitably atmospheric end.
Queensryche have a huge legacy to contend with. Their role as progressive-metal pioneers thanks to Operation Mindcrime and Empire is assured, but so savage a split inevitably left its mark. A lesser band may have cut their losses and run, but Queensryche have never shied away from a challenge and the last five years has seen the Todd-fronted act emerge from the shadow of conflict to reclaim their crown. Where the self-titled album was a holding piece crafted during an exceptionally turbulent time and condition human was a much more confident work, the verdict sees all the promise of those two albums now come to fruition. With not an ounce of filler, every single track on The Verdict serves to remind the listener of the ‘Ryche at their peak and it is an album of staggering confidence and power. An absolute masterclass of metal, The Verdict sees Queensryche scale the heights once more, and it will leave you breathless at is intelligence and scope. 10
