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Queensryche
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| By
Vinnie Apicella
While "Live
Evolution"
marks the first full live recording outside of their "Operation
Livecrime" release and recent reissue on CD and DVD, the band seems
to
be enjoying something of a rebirth. Walking out from the shadows, though
their last couple of studio records may have been poorly received in
relation to their platinum selling past, their commitment remains
undeterred, their methods sometimes run astray however, yet wherever
they've been and wherever they're likely to go, "Live
Evolution" is the
embodiment of an intellectually stimulating body of diverse work that
spans their first twenty years that every fan they've picked up along
the way will quickly appreciate. For me, as I'm sure many others who
were there since the beginning, the opening notes to "NM156"
from their
first LP "The Warning," will come as a surprise if only for
the fact it
hasn't been heard in so long and nearly impossible to equate to
experimentalist extension they've sought in recent years. Broken down
basically into four segments spanning two discs and impressive live
photo imagery as taken from Seattle's Moore theater where the two night
recording was done earlier this summer, each portion sequentially covers
the band's every album, old to new, hit, miss and every conceivable
extreme from within. I've always had trouble relating to Queensryche as
a "Progressive" type band-I feel there's too much expectation
involved
and a term too limiting in scope which is actually antithetical from a
musical perspective, something we certainly don't want to pin on a group
such as this-and so it should stand, they're progressive in the sense,
looking beyond and to the future, and though I don't always agree with
the way they could flash a song like "The Bridge," (not
included by the
way) "Silent Lucidity," or "Jet City Woman," with
just about anything
off of the "Rage" album or "Mindcrime," and maintain
the believability
factor, I've learned to look beyond the obvious-I was truly embittered
for most of their "Q2K," last studio release-expecting much
more and
left with little, then arriving at "The Right Side of My
Mind," which I
can maintain to this day stands up to anything else they've done.
For many, disc one is all that'll be required. Luckily for others, their
biggest hits from the monumental "Empire" release and
throughout the
nineties to conclude with "Q2K," I'm momentarily awe-inspired
as I write
this as "The Lady Wore Black" sirens in the distance and
sounds as
incredible here as it did on the very first four song EP that it
originated from. Tate's vocals are superb and here, as with many, does
his own mix with the vocals, tweaking the chorus somewhat and adding a
new likeness to a song that still remains an all time classic. Song
sequence is totally off kilter for the first part of disc one, so be
aware, those of the as yet uninitiated, but then again so what, they're
playing "Take Hold of the Flame," "Queen of the Ryche"
and "London"
re-entering the "Mind Crime" era. I think Queensryche is, for
all their
vision and views and immense talent, is now going through a
revitalization following up a rebuilding phase of sorts after the
departure of original guitarist Chris DeGarmo. We should be expecting
big things from the band fresh from their new signing to Sanctuary and
new studio album in the works. "Live Evolution" proves beyond
doubt-and
for some there may have been good reason-that Queensryche is a live band
and can cut it with the best of them. They convinced me with the
tackling of some of those very old gems that were finally let out of the
dark for a little while and all throughout, they deliver a two night
near thirty song performance worthy of their illustrious history, one
that continues to be written.
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