Queensryche - Condition Human

****

'Condition Human' stands well along side classic albums!!!

It’s good today to see the dust has settled on the very messy split that Queenryche went through in 2012 onwards. 2013 saw two touring bands and two albums released under the Queensryche Banner. With all of that out of the way it’s good to see everyone basically just getting on with it Geoff Tate has finally found his feet again, and is back on full concept album mode with his new project 'Operation Mindcrime'. Who had their impressive debut earlier this year, and now we have the group that rightfully retained the name Queensryche... and their back with their second album with this line up.

Listening to the two albums released this year and looking back at the last couple of Geoff Tate fronted Queensryche albums, it’s a lot clearer now why those albums weren’t working and why the split was pretty inevitable. Anyway on to this new release, 2013’s self titled album saw a band refreshed and rebooted in many ways... it certainly would be labeled that if they were a film franchise.

The band were off the back off a well received World tour, where they focused on material from the first five albums. and with that in mind delivered an album that showed a band enjoying themselves again if anything else. It was a short album but one that reeked of potential. Now in 2015 again... with the past firmly behind them and with new frontman Todd La Torre’s feet well under the table Queensryche really deliver the album us fans have been craving for well over a decade.

Where in 2013’s the self titled album picked up after 1994’s “Promised Land' and 'Condition Human' follows on from that album with everything just turned up a gear. You only need to hear the introduction to 'Guardian' to hear the band is in full creative flow. One thing to keep in mind also is this album is a good twenty minutes longer than its predecessor, so everything that was hinted before is now fully exposed, little licks are now full solo’s etc.

Everything is expanded upon from the fantastic chorus of 'Selfish Lives'... which see's Queensryche at their most infectious and soaring. The beautiful acoustic 'Just Us' manages to be a great love song without being cringe worthy, a trap so easy to fall into. It’s mellow and uplifting it’s fantastic.

Considering I had long given up on Queensryche’s albums and after watching them live in 2011 and walking off it’s so good to see the band turn themselves around and deliver two albums that stand up against their classic material and go back to the great band they were and it’s even better to say I’m a fully fledged fan again. The same goes for Geoff Tate... there is a lesson to be learnt folks. If things do turn round, never give up on your bands and keep the faith. Now Metallica... in the meantime purchase 'Condition Human'.

Review by Joe Denby

Check Out! the Video for 'Guardian' Below...