Queensryche

**Frownland** · 02-05-2012, 10:22 PM

I like Queensryche a great lot. Geoff Tate is a great singer and the guitarists of the band (whose names both escape me and I find that I am too lazy to look up who they are right now) complement the band as a whole, since I greatly appreciate guitar related benefits to listening to music.

But mainly what this thread is about is this: I always see Queensryche qualifying with progressive music, and I cannot understand why.

Now I love Queensryche, by all means, do not get me wrong. But is there anyone who can explain to me why this band is so often considered to be a progressive band? All that I can see within their music as progressive is their brilliance behind the concept albums that they release and the few longer songs that they've released.

Has progressive music become so embedded in my young vein that I don't even realize it as apart from the pack? Is Queensryche just a more mainstream prog-band that is so subtle that I don't realize their progressivism? Please, these questions plague me because I have no legitimate problems other than odd queries that resonate through my mind, so a definitive answer would hinder me well.

Unknown Soldier · 02-06-2012, 02:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

I like Queensryche a great lot. Geoff Tate is a great singer and the guitarists of the band (whose names both escape me and I find that I am too lazy to look up who they are right now) complement the band as a whole, since I greatly appreciate guitar related benefits to listening to music.

But mainly what this thread is about is this: I always see Queensryche qualifying with progressive music, and I cannot understand why.

Now I love Queensryche, by all means, do not get me wrong. But is there anyone who can explain to me why this band is so often considered to be a progressive band? All that I can see within their music as progressive is their brilliance behind the concept albums that they release and the few longer songs that they've released.

Has progressive music become so embedded in my young vein that I don't even realize it as apart from the pack? Is Queensryche just a more mainstream prog-band that is so subtle that I don't realize their progressivism? Please, these questions plague me because I have no legitimate problems other than odd queries that resonate through my mind, so a definitive answer would hinder me well.

Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton are the guitarists you're looking for. In general I agree with what you're saying above, just too many bands are classified especially in the metal genre as being progressive. When I think of prog, I always think of intricate song structures and instrumentation, and different textures within the songs. A lot of prog metal just seems to be lengthy instrumentals, song and tempo changes and a bit of jazz etc thrown in and based around a concept, which often in many people's eyes classifies it as prog. Personally, I'd like to see a lot of prog metal acts classified as technical metal acts, because that is what a lot really are.

As for Queensryche, the banded peaked without a doubt on Operation Mindcrime and Geoff Tate's voice really set them apart. Since then they've had some good albums, but in general they sound like a band especially on their more recent material, as a band unable to return to the days of yore.

Howard the Duck · 02-06-2012, 05:54 AM

i don't really bother much with whatever sub-genre they're classified under

i love Operation : Mindcrime and think Hear in the Now Frontier to be one of their better later albums

starrynight · 02-06-2012, 12:16 PM

Can't say I liked Operation Mindcrime when I heard it.

Unknown Soldier · 02-06-2012, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starrynight

Can't say I liked Operation Mindcrime when I heard it.

Why not?

starrynight · 02-06-2012, 01:42 PM

The music probably didn't seem that defined or gripping. Which is the best track for you?

Unknown Soldier · 02-06-2012, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starrynight

The music probably didn't seem that defined or gripping. Which is the best track for you?

There are a lot of great tracks but I always like this one.

Queensrÿche - The Mission - YouTube

Unknown Soldier · 02-06-2012, 03:31 PM

A very similiar album to the Queensryche album, was this classic album by Styx which had a similiar concept and also pre dates the Queensryche album by some 5 years. I guess Queensryche were also fans of the album as there are a number of musical similiarities between the two as well.

starrynight · 02-07-2012, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

There are a lot of great tracks but I always like this one.

Queensrÿche - The Mission - YouTube

There are certainly some things I like in that one. The very opening maybe sounds a bit gimmicky at first. When the singing voice comes in though it has a nice tone and feeling, the chorus first time around seems to lack something for me. However the middle section adds plenty more energy to the song (including a nice guitar solo) and this carries through the final section giving it much more energy and making the chorus more enjoyable to me second time around.

Unknown Soldier · 02-07-2012, 02:57 AM

Certainly early Queensryche were very Iron Maiden influenced, its where they got their metal credentials from. Operation Mindcrime though was where they came into their own and as Jack said, an album Maiden themselves could've done, whether Maiden could've done it better is open to debate though, as Queensryche put out one of the best metal releases of the 1980s with this album.

02-05-2012, 10:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Queensryche I like Queensryche a great lot. Geoff Tate is a great singer and the guitarists of the band (whose names both escape me and I find that I am too lazy to look up who they are right now) complement the band as a whole, since I greatly appreciate guitar related benefits to listening to music. But mainly what this thread is about is this: I always see Queensryche qualifying with progressive music, and I cannot understand why. Now I love Queensryche, by all means, do not get me wrong. But is there anyone who can explain to me why this band is so often considered to be a progressive band? All that I can see within their music as progressive is their brilliance behind the concept albums that they release and the few longer songs that they've released. Has progressive music become so embedded in my young vein that I don't even realize it as apart from the pack? Is Queensryche just a more mainstream prog-band that is so subtle that I don't realize their progressivism? Please, these questions plague me because I have no legitimate problems other than odd queries that resonate through my mind, so a definitive answer would hinder me well. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

02-06-2012, 12:16 PM	#4 (permalink)
starrynight Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 937	Can't say I liked Operation Mindcrime when I heard it. __________________ non-cliquey member of every music forum I participate on

02-06-2012, 01:42 PM	#6 (permalink)
starrynight Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 937	The music probably didn't seem that defined or gripping. Which is the best track for you? __________________ non-cliquey member of every music forum I participate on

02-06-2012, 03:31 PM	#8 (permalink)
Unknown Soldier Horribly Creative Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: London, The Big Smoke Posts: 8,265	A very similiar album to the Queensryche album, was this classic album by Styx which had a similiar concept and also pre dates the Queensryche album by some 5 years. I guess Queensryche were also fans of the album as there are a number of musical similiarities between the two as well.

02-07-2012, 02:57 AM	#10 (permalink)
Unknown Soldier Horribly Creative Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: London, The Big Smoke Posts: 8,265	Certainly early Queensryche were very Iron Maiden influenced, its where they got their metal credentials from. Operation Mindcrime though was where they came into their own and as Jack said, an album Maiden themselves could've done, whether Maiden could've done it better is open to debate though, as Queensryche put out one of the best metal releases of the 1980s with this album.