Inside Out – Release date: 29/10/2012
The 20th of June 2012 is the day that is carved in my memory – the day when the unthinkable happened: Michael Wilton, Scott Rockenfield & Eddie Jackson informed the world through an announcement on the band’s official website that Geoff Tate was no longer the frontman of Queensryche!
How was this possible – the man who was instrumental in creating albums like “Rage For Order” and “Empire” and who single-handedly brought to life the concept for the amazing “Operation: Mindcrime”, being fired by his colleagues of thirty one years? I am sure that opinions vary, depending on who you speak to, but the fact remains that what Tate did, in the face of this, was to soldier on and release his second solo album, entitled “Kings & Thieves”.
I am one of those people who thinks that Queensryche have never released a bad album in their career, and even though some do come across as more inspired than others, there were no signs that Geoff and his now ex-band mates were heading towards a split.
It is only now as I listen to the eleven compositions that Geoff has presented that I realise that the levels of energy and passion characteristic of Queensryche’s earliest albums were kind of missing from their latest material, and that both of these ingredients can be found in abundance in “Kings & Thieves” – an album which finds Tate totally fired up and in fine form!
By keeping a tight grip on the musical formulae that helped define him as the great musician and composer these past three decades and eager and daring enough to try new ideas and ways of expression, Geoff has brought to life what can only be described as one of the best albums of his career.
You can tell how promising “Kings & Thieves” really is from the moment the opening harmonies of the dynamic “She Shipped Away” invade your speakers – a sing-along track you will feel comfortable with in no time. Never before has a Tate-performed composition been so blues and groove infused as “Take A Bullet” and together with the Rainbow-influenced “In The Dirt”, the legendary frontman is found indulging heavily in both the sound and music of the mid-70s while “Say U Luv It” is a more introspective and dark offering.
“The Way I Roll” is a very interesting piece as its piano/saxophone melodic theme is reminiscent of “Promised Land” era Queensryche and makes a great contrast with Geoff’s “rap-style” vocals, while “Tomorrow” is a classic sounding ballad with strong Zeppelin references.
The second half of the album is just as impressive, featuring a short dark anthem, entitled “Evil”, a positive sounding tune with a pretty negative observation/message entitled “Dark Money” and another groove-infused sing-along ‘monster’ entitled “These Glory Days”.
Closing an album in an appropriate manner is always a massive challenge but Tate has achieved this with much aplomb: “Change” is a piano-led ballad, accompanied by superb orchestrations and “Waiting” – a moody piece that comes across as yet another tribute to Queensryche’s past glories.
We have another two and a half months to go before 2012 bids us goodbye and, even though I had originally decided not to make any conclusions about my ‘best of’ list before the end of the year, I feel that “Kings & Thieves” will feature at the top of said list! If this album was intended to be a statement to Tate’s ex-band mates then this is a pretty strong one indeed, however, something tells me that all we have here is a truly gifted musician doing what he knows best with focus and energy back on the table.
When the album comes out at the end of October please do yourselves a favor and buy a copy – you will definitely not regret it! Top marks for a top artist!
John Stefanis
Rating: ***** (5.0/5.0)
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