3RD SEATTLE SHOW & MORE DATES TO COME

:: 15:18 ::

That's right, a third date is being added to Seattle.  I'm also happy to report that the fall/winter 2006 tour is being extended into December!  All dates will be announced here shortly... stay tuned!

"THE HANDS" RADIO RELEASE DATE

:: 15:18 ::

The radio add date for "The Hands" is May 16th. 

SHIPWRECKISLANDSTUDIOS.COM REIVEWS OM2

:: 21:42 ::

The Rundown:

For as long as there have been prolific artists in music there have been albums that inspired legions and for Queensryche they are most prominently remembered for a little masterpiece called Operation Mindcrime. It is simply amazing that nearly 18 years after its initial release many still hold Mindcrime as the holy grail of concept albums and without a shadow of a doubt is one of the most definitive albums from the age when metal ruled the masses. I mean lets face it at the time it was released there was nothing quite like it, Mindcrime was revolutionary... Here was a band who put together a compelling/complex story to music and did it with such persistence that it garnered the group the phrase "The thinking man's metal band". This is a title that the group didn't earn overnight and is one that I have seen very few bands live up to the complexity that Queensryche has put into their material.

I think what people will have to realize with Operation Mindcrime II is this not an album that was intended to be released to surpass the original, Geoff Tate and the rest of the guys wanted to continue the story and many devoted followers wanted answers to questions left at the end of the first Mindcrime while still upholding certain values that Ryche instituted 18 years back. Expectations will run high and reactions will vary nevertheless Queensryche have expanded the story through provocative songwriting being the key redeeming factor to the group's exploration of modern directions in the last nine years, in essence the 'thinking man's metal band' has made a return.

+'s (Positives)

+ Heaviest Queensryche album in a long, long time - The last few Ryche studio albums have taken the band in new directions but for many they wanted Queensryche to return to their past and while Mindcrime II isn't a full return we do get some heavy hard rockin' tracks that I believe will satisfy those who have waited this long, there is something for every fan whether classic Ryche or the directions the band took on in Hear In The Now Frontier and Q2K.

+ Songwriting methods of the past make their return - The Operation Mindcrime legacy has featured some of the most prolific songwriting in music history. Geoff Tate is the key mastermind in creating thought provoking lyrics and its great to hear the continuation of the story as well as the conflict that Nikki has been going through in the past 18 years and now that he is free the struggles to change himself, confront Dr. X, and redeem himself. Whether or not you will call Operation Mindcrime II a worthy sequel one thing that you won't be able to deny is the songwriting is the drive, the story is taken in a new direction and we finally get answers to questions for everyone who has held the original Mindcrime in high regards.

-'s (Negatives)

- A return to classic elements but not to be taken as a full reincarnation of Mindcrime I - If you are expecting the return of Queensryche of 1988 sorry to disappoint but you won't find it here. The classic elements are there several riffs on songs like One Foot In Hell, Hostage, and The Hands sound like 1988 all over again yet the modern tones are always present. Your reaction to Mindcrime II depends on if you'll be able to accept where Queensryche are currently at in their career, the whole album still sounds very much like Queensryche so if given time I think most will find this as a commendable follow-up to the original.

Overall:

The question on everyone's mind when it comes to a release this significant in Queensryche's career is will this release match up to the original Operation Mindcrime? In my opinion this is the group's best release in the last ten years and to a certain extent ranks in there with 1990's Empire. Now I wasn't at an age to fully interpret and understand the influence and power of Operation Mindcrime when it hit but looking at where it is today it not only stands up but I think the rise of the album to this almost epic stature was all in near perfect timing when labels let artists explore and release the albums that they wanted. Looking back at the last 15 years there really hasn't been a concept album to match up to the Mindcrime I. It is very innovative and fitting for Queensryche to once again explore that realm and bring fans back into the thick of the storyline that has captivated legions.

Geoff Tate has stated that Mindcrime II fits well with historic and political events happening today and listening to a song like I'm American is a perfect example of how a brilliant lyricist like Tate can observe what has happened in recent history and has tied it all together like the original Mindcrime was a shadow of the events of the late 80s. Where Mindcrime I talked about revolution and Nikki being a brain-washed junky to do Dr. X's dirty work without any second thought or remorse Mindcrime II explores his thirst for retribution while exploring the character more in depth than someone who wants to bring closure and be forgiven for his the carnage he caused. Sitting down and listening to both albums in succession really fleshes out the story and I think will offer more people not only a sense of completion but the story with the new elements prove why Queensryche have remained one of the most prolific bands in metal.

What is going to throw some off is the band's continuation to embrace modern elements. Whenever an artist tries to expand on their sound they won't keep beating a dead horse over and over again so a progression to adapt to some of today's sounds seems only natural. For Queensryche though the last 10 years have treaded new ground and separated core fans to a point where many questioned if the guys would be able to get back to supplying the thought-provoking lyrics of Mindcrime. The fact of the matter is there will be people who won't be satisfied with the extension of the story, some will consider it sacrilege, but there is nothing that degrades Mindcrime II it accomplishes what Tate and company set out to do and while its not up to par with the original its time to put trust in the Ryche again, they guide us to the path its now up to you if you decide whether or not to go down it.

Final Rating For "Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime II":

0.50 Points = Transitions / Order
0.50 Points = Fun Factor
1 Point = Instruments / Vocal Sound
1 Point = Writing / Lyrics
1 Point = Overall Design / Feel

Overall Total: 4/5

Favorite songs: The Hands, Hostage, Re-Arrange You, A Murderer?, The Chase, A Junkie's Blues.

To read the entire review (and it's a big one), please visit:  http://www.shipwreckislandstudios.com/albumreviews/2006/mindcrimeii.htm

BULLZ-EYE REVIEWS MINDCRIME II

:: 20:33 ::

Queensryche:  Operation: Mindcrime II

4 1/2 out of 5 Stars

There is risk involved in revisiting a classic and putting out a sequel. For the most part, sequels disappoint and rarely live up to the integrity of the original. Queensryche’s 1988 album Operation: Mindcrime is a classic, often considered one of the best concept records ever released and ranked right with the Who’s Tommy and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. “Godfather II” and “Rocky II” are exceptional sequels; “Caddyshack II” and “Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice,” on the other hand, were two dreadful films that weren’t just bad but blasphemous. The risk in making Operation: Mindcrime II was probably even greater because Chris DeGarmo, one of the founding members and guitarists, was not involved as he left the Rÿche shortly after 1997’s Hear in the New Frontier was completed, only to resurface and contribute to the excellent 2003 effort Tribe before leaving again.

Mindcrime II picks up 20 years later when our favorite assassin/junkie Nikki is released from prison and must figure out whether to avenge the murder of Sister Mary (his lover and confidant) and seek out the evil svengali Dr. X, or travel down a different path. Geoff Tate, vocalist and lyricist, finds that 18 years after the original Mindcrime was produced, our current culture isn’t better, it’s probably worse. Mindcrime II cynically offers observations about our current world. In “I’m American,” Tate indicts our sense of entitlement and (over-) consumerism:

What do you believe in?
What are you living for?
Do you want what they’re selling you
Another television war?

Because I’m free
I deserve everything I can get.
I’m American.
I’m American.

Scott Rockenfield’s timekeeping is impeccable and provides the perfect complement for the busy bass playing of Eddie Jackson, while Mike Stone has settled in with Michael Wilton to create that sonic dual guitar attack. After Kelly Gray replaced DeGarmo, Stone has stepped in for Gray and assimilated well into the Queensryche soundscape. There is a lot for the ear to handle, including the orchestral arrangements of Ashif Hakik, that rugged bottom end, the harmony vocals and some crunchy, heavy guitar wizardry. There are moments where the album slows down, but for the most part it feels like a 59-minute sprint, slashing away at your ear, challenging it with those blazing guitars and Tate’s voice. “The Hands” is as good of a track as they have ever produced, and stands up even in comparison to “Eyes of a Stranger”. As a bonus, Ronnie James Dio (yep, Ronnie freakin’ James Dio) duets with Tate on “The Chase” by playing the part of Dr. X, satiating the headbanger’s vocal wet dream. If that doesn’t stand the hair up on the back of your neck, then you need to retire and go check out the Engelbert Humperdinck back catalogue. The album ends with “All the Promises,” a duet between Tate and Pamela Moore, back again as the voice of Sister Mary. Complemented by some beautiful Latin-influenced acoustic guitar, the song gives us just a tiny sense of hope through the bleakness.

Operation Mindcrime II is an excellent work on its own merit and is the perfect sequel to the original. It doesn’t sound forced or contrived and it completely hammers away at your ears without mercy (until the last song). It does not take away from the legacy of the first, but instead, enhances it.

~R. David Smola (pretendcritic@aol.com)

GEOFF TATE TO BE ON VH1's METAL MANIA

:: 20:33 ::

Metal Mania airs on VH1 Classic on April 22nd & 24th at 11AM & 11PM with special guest Geoff Tate.

RHINO PLANS RE-RELEASE OF Q2K

:: 20:29 ::

As the subject states, Rhino has purchased Q2K from Atlantic and plans on re-releasing it soon.  Once available we'll be offering limited edition signed copies by the band (yes, we're even working on getting Kelly Gray to sign them).  A free Q2K Cap will also be part of the deal... more to come!

MINDCRIME II 1ST WEEK ALBUM SALES ARE IN

:: 15:35 ::

Scans: 43,773 (1st week)
#14 Album on the Billboard Top 200!
#1 Current Hard Music Albums Core Stores!
#2 Top Hard Music Album!
#4 Top Current Rock Album!
#2 Internet Albums (1,547 units)!
#23 Digital Albums (4,953 units)!

Biggest first week sales in 10 years for queensryche!  Highest debut chart position in 12 years for queensryche!

#6 international album in Japan this week with 9,014 units scanned!
#35 Top Album in the Netherlands!
#53 Top Album in Italy with 2,981 units scanned!

Top 10 in the following markets: Chicago (10), Boston (9), Seattle (9), Pittsburgh (10), Portland (9), Milwaukee (9), Grand Rapids (10), Salt Lake City (9), Providence (9), Albuquerque (7), Dayton (10), Albany (9), Wilkes-Barre (10), Rochester (8), Spokane (6) and Madison (9).

CONGRATULATIONS QUEENSRYCHE!!!

ALL MUSIC GUIDE REVIEWS OM2

:: 06:23 ::

Operation Mindcrime II, Review by Thom Jurek
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars!
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ih9as38ra3dg

Here it is, Queensrÿche have returned, 18 years later, to the scene of their greatest triumph commercially and critically, Operation: Mindcrime, with a sequel, appropriately monikered Operation: Mindcrime II. Queensrÿche still retains four of its five original members -- vocalist Geoff Tate, guitarist Michael Wilton, bassist Eddie Jackson, and drummer Scott Rockenfeld (guitarist Mike Stone joined as a permanent member in 2005). There are fine arguments on both sides of an issue like this -- messing with a bona fide rock classic by recording a sequel -- all of them are basically irrelevant once the project has been realized; but in this case, the debate will rage regardless. First there's the story: It picks up with junkie hitman Nikki, recently released from prison, haunted constantly by the death and memory of his lover, Mary, a former teenage prostitute turned nun, and this shadowy presence of Dr. X, Nikki's employer. The story of Operation: Mindcrime ended with "Who Killed Mary?" The story picks up with the identity of the killer revealed and Nikki's obsession with revenge on Operation: Mindcrime II. Cool eh? Maybe, maybe not; it depends on your point of view. In any case the most startling thing about II is its sound: pure 1980s heavy metal. The band went back to exploring the kinds of technology used on the first segment and basically revisited it, retuned the guitars to A., and let it rip. Shockingly, it doesn't sound cheesy at all. In fact, it's so balls-out crunchy and stacked -- especially the way those duplicate lead guitars sound on "The Hands" -- it sort of feels as if the records were recorded back to back; the intent and objective here has definitely been achieved. The argument is why you would want to create a second chapter of something and have it sound so much like the first. Okay, there's the music and the story. Tate and company are to be credited here; the story is seamless, though it's 20 years later. Tate looks at the current political and social landscape and can only say that "everything moves faster now/living at the speed of light," other than that, it's the same -- which is why a sequel was predicated in the first place. The band were still under the first Bush regime when the original was released. And despite eight years of Clinton, they find themselves under a Bush regime once more -- a regime perhaps more Draconian and certainly far more secretive than its predecessors. In any case, the historical reality reflects the aesthetic one for the purposes of Tate and company.

There are some new factors on II: Michael Kamen is not on-board as the string arranger this time out; Ashif Hakik is. This set's producer is Jason Slater (who also produced hit records for Smash Mouth and Good Charlotte) who also recorded and mixed II with Hakik, Christina Wolfe, and Mitch Doran on-board for help. There are guests vocalists here, of course, including Pamela Moore, Miranda Tate, and the voice of Dr. X: Ronnie James Dio! Despite the sheer ambition and focus on the music and the story, here; despite the slamming, tough-minded metal and sheer rock dynamics at work, added to the enjoyment of listening to this all the way through as an album by Queensrÿche, the question must be asked: Does it measure up to the original? Not quite. However, the reasons for this have little to do with inspiration or execution; they have more to do with budget.. II is a fitting sequel musically -- and story-wise -- to as classic a work of popular art as you're likely to find, and it does wrap up the story tidily -- though some fans were content with the end left in question as it was originally. As a band, Queensrÿche rock harder now than they have in years; they are absolutely on fire here. Operation: Mindcrime II is a great step back in order to move things forward.

QUEENSRYCHE'S ITUNES CELEBRITY PLAYLIST

:: 20:14 ::

iTunes recently unveiled Queensryche's celebrity playlist.... check out the link below!

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewMix?id=137741958&s=143441

ABOUT.COM INTERVIEWS GEOFF TATE

:: 19:31 ::

Queenryche Interview, From Chad Bowar
Singer Geoff Tate Discusses Operation Mindcrime II
http://heavymetal.about.com/od/interviews/a/queensryche.htm

18 years after the release of their immensely successful concept album Operation Mindcrime, the long-running prog metal band Queensryche decided it was time for a sequel. They are also putting together an extensive stage show that will encompass both albums. In the following interview vocalist Geoff Tate talks about making the new album, the stage show, politics and the changes he's seen in the music industry in the past 25 years the band has been together.

Chad Bowar: Why was the time right to make Operation Mindcrime 2?
Geoff Tate: I needed a new question for people to ask. (laughs) After the first Mindcrime people kept asking me who killed Mary. For 18 years people have been asking me that. So now that we've written a sequel to it, all people ask is why now?

It was a number of things.  One is that the record is a huge fan favorite. Another is that it was left open ended and set up for a sequel. And finally the elections in this country were very similar to what the times were like when the first Mindcrime was written. I found that to be quite interesting. I couldn't pass up the fact that the character Nikki was put in prison during the administration of George Bush, and when he gets out of prison there's another Bush in power.

What's the storyline for this album?
This record takes place 18 years later. It jumps in and explores the life of Nikki, who was the lead character in the first record. He's been in prison for the last 18 years and was put there for murders that he was accused of. The interesting thing is that he has no memory of killing anyone. He spent the last 18 years remembering little bits and pieces of his life and watching TV and getting angrier and angrier. He's plotting a vent for his anger in the form of revenge toward the man he blames for putting him in jail, Dr. X. The record is a study in revenge, what it does to a person, how it consumes you. It pretty much blankets your long term vision and focuses you on an act that may or may not cause you any sort of relief. That's the thrust of the record, a study in revenge and the psychological battle that happens within one's self when dealing with that.

How did you decide on Ronnie James Dio to play Dr. X?
Ronnie is the voice I hear when I think of Dr. X. He's a commanding, authoritative sounding figure. Whenever I think if Dr. X and how I think he would sound I hear Ronnie James Dio's voice. We had worked together and toured together before. We also did a benefit project several years ago called Hear'n Aid. I really enjoyed his energy when working with him. He's a very positive and enthusiastic partner when it comes to working together. When I wrote the song in the record that he's on I immediately called him up and asked him if he'd be interested. He said absolutely, send it my way. I did, and he called a couple days later very excited about it. We set a date and he flew up to San Francisco where we were working on it. He and his wife Wendy came up. My wife Susan is our manager and Ronnie's wife is his manager so they got along famously. So he came in for the day and we tackled the project. He was great to work with, absolutely fantastic. Then the four of us went out to dinner and drank way too much Italian wine.

How did you come up with the idea of actors playing roles in the tour of Mindcrime?
It took a lot of planning to make it happen. I think we worked on that stage show for three months planning it and executing it. First we had to find actors and go through the interview process of picking people. We had to film different scenes for the show with new film footage and implement that into a new technology that we hadn't used previously. And finally we had to rehearse the songs. We ended up writing some extra pieces of music, extensions of certain songs on the record, and one new piece that we felt better set the story up and present it better. It was a very good show and we were very happy with it. We're bringing it out again this year in conjunction with the release of Operation Mindcrime II and we're planning on playing both of them back to back together.

I was very pleased with the reception from the fans. It was interesting to go back in time as a musician and relearn stuff and wrap your head around where you've been. We've done a lot of changing and experimenting with our music since then. It was interesting to revisit that and figure out what our thinking was at the time. It actually helped quite a bit to prepare us for the new record. It also helped prepare the fans for the new record.

Any chance of seeing it on DVD?
Possibly. We haven't filmed anything yet, but it's a good plan to start.

ABOUT.COM REVIEWS OM2

:: 19:31 ::

Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime II, From Chad Bowar
Rating - 3 1/2 out of 5
The Bottom Line - Queensryche takes on the daunting task of following up a classic album, and the sequel is pretty good.
http://heavymetal.about.com/od/cdreviews/gr/queensryche.htm

Pros :: * A great storyline.  * Some of the best songs they've written in a long time.
Cons :: * It's tough to follow up a classic.

Description

* Released April 4, 2006 on Rhino Records.
* The album was produced by Jason Slater.
* Queensryche formed in 1981.

Operation Mindcrime was one of the most successful concept albums of all time. 18 years later, the current social and political climate led Geoff Tate and Queensryche to finish the story. Even though 1990's Empire had their huge hit single "Silent Lucidity," Mindcrime is their defining album, and doing a sequel to a classic is very risky.

When we last left the album's protagonist Nikki, he was in prison. The new album picks up with Nikki's release from jail and quest for revenge. The character Dr. X has a voice on this album, at least for one song, and he is played by the legendary Ronnie James Dio.

As a concept album this works very well. The songs flow perfectly into each other and the storyline is interesting. The songs are better than anything Queensryche has done in the past several years, but don't quite measure up to the original. Geoff Tate's voice still sounds great and the songs are meticulously constructed.

As a progressive metal album judged on its own merits, this is an excellent release. As a sequel compared to the near flawless original it isn't quite as good, but is still a solid and worthwhile album.