livri azazel

destroy, erase, improve

Operation Mindcrime

azazel | 27 September, 2004 12:04

I admire the persistent FH team who keep sending me reminders stating the fact that my blog is read n appreciated by so many ppl. i mean, really? WOW! *ahem* so anyway, i thought of a novel way to continue updating it. since, we all know how pathetic i am in writing stories[replies to my earlier posts will tell u], im gonna be posting reviews of my favourite music/movies n TRY to be a lil' regular in that. For now, here is a review i had written for my pal's site:

Queensryche , although were initially thought to be one of the many pop-metal bands that dominated the metal scene(commercially) in the 80's, constructed a genre of metal tinged with the progressive element of bands like Floyd and Queen all the while keeping the 'metal' element intact. The band was formed in 1981 and released a few unnoticed albums. The progressive element in the band's music started to show on the 'Rage For Order' album which was released prior to this one. But the culmination of the band's efforts and the realization of the "ultimate concept album" is 'Operation: Mindcrime'. There's just no other way to describe it.
                                               
When I first got this album, I wasn't the least impressed. Being an illiterate metal-head at the time, I only wanted to hear stuff which was fast, loud and brutal! Now, when I listen to this album, I laugh at myself as I realize what I missed. This is pure creative genius. A testament to the talent of the band that they managed to pull off this ambitious work. I just don't know how to go about this review. This is not your average song-by-song, dissection that I'm used to. This is a complex tale of deception, corruption, exploitation, a tragic love story, sad ending woven beautifully into well constructed musical strains. I figured the best way to do justification to the review is to go with the story as the band did.                      
                                               
First let me introduce you to the characters that are involved here; Nikki, Dr.X, Sister Mary & Father William. The story begins with our central character Nikki who is under observation in a mental hospital for many murders awaiting trial. He begins to remember his past and the things that led to his present situation in the hospital. 'I Remember Now' is just dialogue as he starts to obviously remember. 'Anarchy-X' is a small instrumental which leads to the first real song, 'Revolution Calling'. Nikki retraces his past when he was a fortune hunter, sick of the immoral society, corrupt politicians, power hungry rich, media disillusionment, greedy religious leaders, etc. At this time, he heard a certain Dr. X speak at a political rally. He meets Dr. X and is brainwashed into believing that he can do a world of good by killing people who are supposedly corrupt. Dr. X now controls Nikki through his drug addiction. 'Operation : Mindcrime' is the evil game that Dr. X is playing with Nikki as the central pawn. Under the illusion that he is doing the right thing, Nikki proceeds to execute the people who he is ordered to by Dr. X . 'Speak' continues his torment as he is now firmly under the doc's control. 'Spreading the Disease' introduces us to Mary, the young street-walker prostitute who is now a nun, saved by Father William. The Priest, as a price for getting her into the convent takes her as a sacrifice on the altar once a week. Mary is the secret love of Nikki. 'The Mission' continues the story as Nikki does his work and waits for the night when Mary comes to him as his only solace. Then comes the 10 minute plus 'Suite Sister Mary'. Nikki is asked to murder the Priest and Mary. So, he comes to the church and kills Father William but is hesitant to kill Mary. The song is a duet where the character of Mary is sung by Pamela Moore. Not wanting to harm his love, Nikki instead tries to kill Dr. X. 'The Needle Lies' is where after attempting to kill the doctor, he runs away. 'Electric Requiem' is where he finds Mary dead. 'Breaking the Silence' is where he goes on the run from the law and Dr. X but is eventually caught. 'I Don't Believe in Love' is where he gets caught and is mourning his loss by trying to think that she never was real. 'Waiting For 22' is another small instrumental. 'My Empty Room' is also a miss-you track. The last song on the album is 'Eyes of a Stranger' where Nikki looks into a mirror and cant recognize the person he has become. The album ends with the words "I remember now", taking us to the start as the flashback is over.

Now, coming to the music. The songs are basically either strict rockers with some pace like, 'Speak', 'Spreading the Disease', 'The Needle Lies'; or slower, emotional stuff like 'The Mission' or anthemic rockers like the title track, 'Eyes of a Stranger' and the smaller instrumentals. 'Suite Sister Mary' is an ambitious musical work by the band with orchestrations and choir conducted by Michael Kamen. Geoff Tate is a vocal god as his range and singing on the album is a delight, he also plays the keyboards. Chris DeGarmo and Eddie Jackson are excellent on guitars with beautiful solos all through the album. Michael Wilton is perfect on bass and provides an excellent rhythm section with Scott Rockenfield who's great behind the drum-kit and also plays keyboards on one track.
 
The band is extremely tight in the playing, songwriting and the lyrics are excellent too. The entire album is a creative endeavor and belongs in every metal collection. Though Queensryche did release some good work after this, it never really comes close to this peak as the standards were set too high for even them to duplicate this achievement. The best concept album ever made, and a strong contender for the best metal album of all time!

Music | Permalink | Comments (5) | Trackbacks (0)

 1 
 
Accessible and Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict and CSS
Powered by LifeType - Design by BalearWeb