| The
Review |
Eighteen years after Queensryche released “Operation:
Mindcrime,” the album many critics and most fans consider
to be the Seattle art rocker’s “Pieta”, the story continues
with “Operation: Mindcrime II.” Perhaps most fans were not
really as concerned with the continued plight of “Mindcrime’s”
protagonist Nicky as they were of how the music would compare
with the original classic in general. Stylistically, the only
slight change in “Mindcrime II” is that there is a more decided
tilt towards progressive rock not evident since 1996’s “Promised
Land.” Always a bit on the experimental side to begin with,
the stunning musical intricacies of “Mindcrime II” set it
apart from the original. Although Queensryche had already
proved to be a more cerebral metal act with the first “Mindcrime,”
it was still in essence a straight forward rock album. “Mindcrime
II” has elements of that, particularly in songs like “I’m
American,” “One Foot In Hell” and “Signs Say Go.” While not
as streamlined as the original, “II” represents a very talented
band pulling out all stops to flaunt their musical prowess
while still providing solid rock songs. Perhaps the story
gets lost a bit in the result, but the musical intensity here
is so mesmerizing that it does not really matter. With some
of the more cynical QR fans it will be impossible to ever
top the original “Mindcrime,” but for those who have always
believed QR existed on a higher plane of musical abilities,
“II” will actually be far more satisfying. If the original
was the “Pieta,” then “II” is Queensryche’s "Sistene Chapel".
5/5 by Mark E.Waterbury 5/8/06
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