Friday
Mar292013
New Queensryche Shows Promise
Friday, March 29, 2013 at 12:01AM
Behold, Queensryche's new song "Redemption." This song is amazingly strong - there's no question that Todd La Torre can handle the singing duties for the band. The song is from the band's upcoming album, due out later this year. Discuss.
Reader Comments (10)
I am curious: has anyone seen this version of the band perform live? From the videos I have seen, La Torre seems stiff . . . better more recently, but still sorta' stiff.
This is also another one of those situations where the fans (and the band) seem to be craving a return to an older sound, rather than a new direction with a new vocalist. It strikes me as both a marketing decision and a realistic assessment of where their fan base actually lies . . . in summer package tours and cruises, in the States and abroad, interspersed with club and casino shows.
And why the heck not I suppose? Never a band to crack the mid-tier, they are forced by the economics and realities (of which economics are a part) of today to peddle nostalgia. At least it doesn't seem as forced (or as riddled with problems) as Tate's now-delayed _Frequency Unknown_ project [I hope for a side-by-side discussion on this site once both projects are out in full (and, no, that isn't a thinly-veiled joke about Tate)].
But it is an example of the paradox of "new nostalgia." While some, like Twisted Sister, just embrace the back catalog and others, like Metallica, do whatever the hell they want (even while caving to greatest hits style shows), there are a lot of good bands from this era and from these sorts of genres that work to craft new music in an older style. I wonder, at times, what motivates them to do it. A simple love of the music makes sense. But I would guess at various, and often cross, purposes.
http://rockoutwithmyshotout.blogspot.com/2013/03/queensryche-bergen-pac-nj-3813.html
Again, appreciate the feedback.
And, yes, Jn . . . two versions, at least until the result of the trial scheduled for November. The new Tate-led version of the band has an album (_Frequency Unknown_) scheduled for an April release and then a re-mixed release later on. The whole things sounds just plain odd (not just the snippets online, but all the problems surrounding his version of the band).
So, I got lucky -- they opened with "Queen" not only cuz it makes for a great way to open the show, but also because that song just plain kicks royal a*s. AND I think they had an agenda to set the record straight, so to speak, regarding any doubts about Todd. Lemme tell ya, they converted every skeptic on that boat, that's for dang sure.
And I was out of that theater in less than 5 minutes at that masterpiece's conclusion. Here's where HIM's analysis could come in handy -- Queensryche no longer has Tate to hold them back. They ought to put something out that's just a tad less Proggy and a little more Rocking now that they have this KILLER vocalist.
However, HIM, though I am usually in general agreement with many of your observations, your theory regarding bands calculating their motivations for success as "legacy acts" purposely grafting their old sound onto new records...
Ponder AC/DC, if you will. They never changed up their formula nor did they need or want to and it has certainly served them well. It's their sound AND they like it. AND so do the masses as I believe they are one of The Top 5 Selling Rock Acts of All Time.
I just think a lot of these bands stick with their sound because that is who they are and love being, plain and simple. Why fix it if it ain't broke. In fact, I bet it never even occurs to them. They play who they are.
It's what comes out of their pens and their P.A.s. they probably couldn't make themselves sound different, nor do hey want to. Their process and playing is organic to who they are. For once an intellectual argument may not apply.
With at least one exception -- Trixter. There's a band who's gotten better in one foul swoop, their last album, as it was head and shoulders superior to anything they ever did beforehand. They finally REALLY gave it to us GOOD!
And what about L.A. Guns? With their latest album, delivering a song just as good as anything they've done before -- "Underneath The Sun".
Lookin' forward to RATT's new one as they have been in the studio for awhile. Though I laud Kiefer's new solo stuff, I really wish he would do a new Cinderella album AND mix up the set list, too! And ya gotta wonder what the new KIX will be like.
All in all, a great time for our music. A Glam Metal Renaissance, if you will. After all, as I said at he beginning, why fix it if it ain't broke.
p.s. One could argue Zeppelin changed it up from album to album, but did they really? I think not. They were all over the lot but still kept a distinct and true sound throughout all of heir albums, even the weak and varied "In Through the Out Door".