by Kirk James Folk

I survived the 80's, and am not really nostalgic for their return. I played and toured in an all original hard rock band, managed a rock club which I also lived above, d.j.'d for strippers, and in general lived the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll lifestyle. When "grunge" drove the stake into the heart of the "hair-band" era, I breathed a secret Jack Daniels' scented sigh of relief. I'm convinced that if I had to listen to one more song with solo upon solo of guitar diarrhea, and porpoise noises that passed as vocals, I would have jumped off a cliff, (or at least a stage with no mosh pit). So when I received a copy of Queensryche's Q2K for review, my first question was: Why?

I was a Queensyche fan. They were a band that wasn't for everyone. Even when "Empire" sold 800 billion copies, they still weren't a band for everyone. They didn't write songs about partying, or having sex, or partying while having sex. They wrote songs about isolation, paranoia, political terrorism through subliminal and physical manipulation, and well, come to think of it, they had a helluva lot of angst. And they're from Seattle. Maybe they really WERE the first "grunge" band.

Anyway...this was all done with an impeccably tight and tasteful rhythm section, two lead guitarists who both played with melody and precision, and what sounded like one mind, and a lead shriek who not only could sing his balls off, he could sing yours off too! Even though they weren't really a "metal" or a "hair band" per se, somewhere along the way (and I saw the band perform Operation Mindcrime at least three times, plus owned the concert video) I lost interest.

Which brings me back to "Q2K". This is a re-issue from 2000. I didn't hear this album in 2000. I'm listening to it now. But again, I ask "Why"?

At least that was my impression on the first listen. I really felt like this was just a blast from the past, and it didn't hold my interest. I listened to it again while I was painting my hallway. I liked it much better the second time. And I realize that I had re-programmed myself into their mind-set, and that period when I would really LISTEN to this kind of stuff. Now, as I write, with the c.d. playing behind me, I am really enjoying the time-trip into an era of great rock musicianship. By reading the liner notes by singer Geoff Tate, I discovered that this was a desperate time, where founding member and key songwriter/guitarist Chris DeGarmo had just left the band, and their comfortable world was falling all around them. He doesn't mention that their particular brand of rock was dead as a doornail, but I have to guess that that was a huge part of the unease and self-introspection which informs this recording.

So just let me say: If this style of music is not your cup of tea - this album is NOT for you. Of course you probably won't be reading this if it isn't your thang. If it is: This is actually a damn fine album from a veteran band who hasn't tried to change or alter their image/music to please an ever-evolving and fickle marketplace. They have stuck to their vision, and in light of their hardships at the time of its' recording, it is even more impressive how well they succeeded. There seem to be a few digs at DeGarmo, and unless I'm reading too literally into the lyrics, it sounds like Geoff Tate had some sort of mental breakdown during or prior to the recording. But regardless of the circumstances involved in its' inception, this album has grown on me, and it's no knockoff. This is Queensryche. And, it includes some really nice touches like "One Life", and "Beside You", which actually speak about -gasp!!!!- love! Also there are four bonus tracks not included on the original 2000 release: "Until There Was You", "Howl", a live version of "Sacred Ground", and the radio edit of "Breakdown".

Soooo, in summary: Rock isn't dead, it's just being re-issued. Geoff Tate sings better than you, and some bands actually bother to learn how to play their instruments. Now, about that Operation: Mindcrime sequel...