QUEENSRŸCHE — Operation: Mindcrime II (review)

QUEENSRŸCHE — Operation: Mindcrime II album cover Album · 2006 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
AtomicCrimsonRush
The operation was a success but the patient was put to sleep

Queensrÿche followed up their masterpiece “Operation Mindcrime” with this offering and I eagerly awaited to hear it like every other Queensryche fan. There is good news and bad news. The good news is it is not half as bad or mediocre as some of the bands discography, the bad news is it doesn’t hold a candle to the original. I love the way though it faithfully continues where the first album left off continuing the sage of the assassin who is being mind controlled by deviants. But it does not have the same surprises or star material.

Tate is in full voice and the guitars are excellent at times but overall it does not deliver the goods. There is a great deal of mediocrity on this and there should not be. If you are going to make a sequel of a masterpiece you can at least try to match the excellence of the first album but I feel there is a lot of throwaway filler material such as Murderer?

There are some great moments making this a worthwhile purchase. The intro is dynamic and full of innovation. I'm American is a killer track and memorable. Freiheit Ouvertüre, Hostage, If I Could Change It All and Fear City Slide are wonderful proggy songs with great hooks and fret melting lead breaks, the drums and bass are an effective rhythm machine throughout. Other songs are only half decent such as One Foot In Hell, Speed Of Light, Re-arrange You, The Chase and An Intentional Confrontation.

So I was left a little disappointed, and even Pamela Moore does not measure up, it is forgettable apart from a few shining moments. It grew on me more after a few listens but lacked the power of the original that was mindblowing. Yes, it was a real letdown, but I found the best way to hear this is with the first album and as a rather lengthy conceptualisation the two work together very well. I would love to see a DVD of these two albums performed live as an intriguing project. 3 stars for the excellent moments.
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