Queensryche - American Soldier
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Music CD Cover
Artist: QueensrycheBrand: QUEENSRYCHE
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
CD Release Date: 2009-03-31
Music Label: Rhino
Soundtracks:
- Sliver
- Unafraid
- Hundred Mile Stare
- At 30,000 ft
- A Dead Man's Words
- The Killer
- Middle Of Hell
- If I Were King
- Man Down!
- Remember Me
- Home Again
- The Voice
Free Music Notes for American Soldier
Free Music Review: On Target
Hit: 5 Stars
As for Queensryche's latest album American Soldier goes, I was somewhat concerned that it might not have made the grade given that I rate their previous album Operation Mind Crime II as their worst ever. However that was before I heard American Soldier. As soon as a mate played me some songs from it out of his car, I knew the album was a winner. Although I have never yet found a Queensryche album to be appreciated instantly (rather they need to be indulged and savored) in that first listen I could recognize a good album. Just how good only time would tell, and that time is now.
It's an ambitious album for sure, especially given that the subject matter is currently so controversial in their home country, but rather than attempting a political statement, Geoff Tate (it's his album, make no mistake about it) has delved into the subject on a more personal, human level. Heck, it's really a musical (all be it shorter) version of a war veterans' biography (or biographies in this case). The result is a much more intense album, but also one that listeners can think about and relate to, putting themselves in the soldiers shoes, rather than an album that preaches a particular political point of view as has been more common from many American artists post 9/11.
In comparison to their previous body of work, American Soldier is definitely a step in the right direction, for several reasons. For one, Tate sounds inspired. No doubt his interviews with the veterans are the inspiration, but he sounds great. No, there are no soaring vocals the likes of which wowed us on Operation: Mindcrime and Empire but those days are gone. What we have is a veteran frontman singing his arse off to the best of his ability as it now is, and the music is made around his voice. The critics who say he no longer has the pipes can kiss my arse! I wish I could sing like him!
Secondly, the whole band sounds focused. As we know, MCII was a concept album and no doubt they had a focus in mind when they made it, but to me they sound unconvinced themselves with it. The same can be said with Tribe which had some highlights but generally is a bit light weight in comparison other Queensryche albums. Not a hint of that with American Soldier. Just like a soldier on a mission, so were these guys and they hit the target all right.
Thirdly, the songs themselves. Whilst many don't have instantaneous appeal, they definitely grow on you after repeated listens. In fact even now I hear more in the album with every listen (and I do play it a lot!), there's so much going on in the songs. In my opinion the album does not have any bad songs, just some which are not as good as others. Most notably the album closer The Voice which is just off target a little, being somewhat bland in comparison to the rest of the album (which is a shame as I like the last song to resonate with me after I finish an album). The other song which I don't like as much is Man Down. Whilst it's aggressively paced verse is very welcome, a lackluster chorus prevents it from being all it could be. Personal favorites are If I Were King, Hundred Mile Stare, Middle Of Hell, Dead Man's Words and the two ballads Remember Me and Home Again. The latter really touches me on an emotional level somewhat, because although not a soldier I have two daughters and really hate being away from them at all. I actually didn't really like the first track Sliver initially, but it has definitely grown on me and now it's also one of my favorites. The Killer is also good. On a negative though, track two Unafraid has unfortunately grown a bit tiresome for me. It's got a good riff and great chorus, but the commentaries thorughtout the song wear thin after repeated listens. I get what they were trying to do and they had balls to do it, but after a while you just wanna hear more of Tate singing than the soldiers talking.
I note that Kelly Grey has had a notable input into this album, although he doesn't actually play on it. His input is a good thing in my opinion, as I love his work on their Q2K album. Like that album, the songs he has contributed to on American Soldier have a real groove going in them, which the band could do well to continue with in the future.
For me this is a more than satisfying album from a band whose last two efforts have been somewhat sub-par in comparison to their previous work (disregarding the not bad covers album). There are some negatives but they don't detract that much from what is a great album over all. Is my opinion of American Soldier biased because I saw them perform some of these songs live last year in Melbourne? No, but what I did see was that the songs they played from American Soldier do work well live, were well received by the audience and sit comfortably alongside their classics. In fact whilst I don't rate it quite as highly as my two favorite Queensryche albums Empire and Q2K, American Soldier comes next. Let's hope they run with this to the next level on a new album soon.
American Soldier Poster
Queensryche envisions war through the eyes of a soldier with the band's 12th studio release, the epic concept album, American Soldier. The ambitious album encompasses a dozen songs inspired by numerous interviews with veterans conducted by Geoff Tate, the group's singer and chief songwriter, who was intent on telling their story using their words. After speaking with soldiers who served in various conflicts-from World War II to Iraq-Tate turned their firsthand experiences from the frontlines into an unflinching musical examination of the life of a soldier and the consequences of war.Classic Rock Music CDs
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