2013 CD Reviews - Queensryche - Frequency Unknown

[TageRyche]

The first of the two Queensryche bands to release albums this year is the one fronted by singer Geoff Tate.

You might be wondering why there are TWO Queensryche bands out there. The short answer is that the other three members of the band fired Geoff Tate after 3 decades. It is a long sordid story that is far too long to go into detail here. But the resulting legal situation is still unresolved and thus both parties are allowed to use the name until a decision is handed down.

The situation has been confusing to say the least. Online, Tate's Queensryche is being referred to as TateRyche while the other version has hired a new singer and seemingly has most of the fan base siding with them. They're being referred to as QR1.

Now that we've got that stuff out of the way, let's move on to the actual review.

For years, Queensryche has gone far beyond its metal roots and usually not in a good way. A lot of the blame for the band's squandered potential has landed on Tate. (Don't even get me started on the "cabaret tour".)

Beginning with his solo album Kings and Thieves, Geoff Tate has at least given the appearance that he is finally understanding that the days of his arty pretensions need to come to an end. He needs to rock his ass off again.

With Frequency Unknown (and the rather less than subtle message in the cover art), Tate manages to put together an album that sounds more metal or at least hard rock than Queensryche - under his direction - has been in YEARS.

The album was co-written and produced by Jason Slater (he played bass on a few tracks as well) who has been on hand for the last couple of the original band's releases. The lineup that recorded the album includes Rudy and Robert Sarzo, Simon Wright (AC/DC) and Paul Bostaph (Slayer) on drums plus a host of guest guitar solos from KK Downing (Judas Priest), Ty Tabor (King's X), Dave Meniketti (Y&T) and Brad Gillis (Night Ranger). There are many others listed in the liner notes as well.

What you end up with in the final recording is a rock solid album that despite some flaws actually gives rise to hope that Geoff Tate's metal balls might be growing back a little. The guitars rip into things and there are a number of kick ass licks on the album. The drums are pretty darn heavy as well.

The album opens with the solid rocker "Cold". The one drawback to the song is that the vocals started out a bit too low in the sound mix. This was also a problem in the song "Slave". Both songs were otherwise good, but the issues with the vocals did have me thinking "SING OUT DAMMIT!"

Not being an expert audiophile, the online complaints about the entire mix of the album is not something I found to be affecting my enjoyment of the material.

Three songs had weak lyrics that really left me cold. While "Life Without You" and "Dare" were generally uninteresting, it was "Give It To You" that really irritated me. The repetition of the line "How do you like me so far?" came off as pandering or begging to the listener for a sign of approval. Of course, that is probably just me reading too much into the situation with the band's breakup but that was my first and continued reaction to the line.

Tate's decision to cover four Queensryche classic tracks was a misfire. The covers were unnecessary to begin with but other than enjoying the re-do of "Jet City Woman", I really got nothing out of the songs. "I Don't Believe In Love" feels lighter than the original version and the vocals are so obviously different you have to wonder if the song was out of his range now. The oddest thing about including "Empire" as one of the covers was that it was co-written by guitarist Michael Wilton, one of the Queensryche members he's currently suing. Doesn't Wilton get a share of every copy of this album sells because the song is on it? I did like that Tate didn't update the spoke word portion of the song. The final cover was "Silent Lucidity", the ballad that truly put Queensryche over the top with chart success. I HATE THAT DAMN SONG! I hate the original and I hate the cover. If I never hear the song again, it will be too soon.

After that, the rest of the album's original tracks are almost uniformly excellent. The chorus was awful on "Running Backwards" but otherwise the song was a heavy rocker with Tate delivering the lyrics in an almost rapid fire manner.

"Everything" was a solid number and I really enjoyed the sound of the song as well. The last original song on the disc is "The Weight of the World". It starts off slowly with Tate's voice and minimal musical background for the first 2 1/2 minutes. The pace picks up from there with a much heavier presence and heft to the song. It was nice to hear Tate in a near acapella situation and he sounded really good when it was just his voice with nothing covering it up on this track.

The best song on the disc is "In The Hands of God". It has a really heavy vibe and through the multiple times I have listened to the album, it is the one song I kept coming back to each and every time.

Yes, the album has some flaws. The lyrics could've been sharper and the vocals could've been better mixed on a couple of songs. But, as completely ticked off as I am over the disintegration of the band that once ranked as my all-time favorite, I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy the disc.

It's heavy in spots, downright metal in others and for the most part, Geoff Tate actually sounds like Geoff Tate for the first time in a long while. If this is the direction Tate stays with, he'll go a long way towards regaining his credibility in the metal world. It will be a hard sell for sure, but "Frequency Unknown" is a massively good step in the right direction.

[RJhog (Admin)]

Nice review TR.  I haven't listened to the CD since it came out, so I need to go back and spin it.  But it sounds like you pretty well got it right.  And I had the same issue with the vocal mix on a few songs.  I didn't mind the re-records, but I don't need them either.