Queensryche once recorded a song called “Revolution Calling”.
Seventeen years after the release of their debut EP, one wonders
why some people still consider this disc to be a revolution in the
world of heavy metal.
Queensryche was re-released with an additional song,
“Prophecy,” recorded during the sessions for their third album
Rage For Order. Listening to this one song shows how much
the band had grown in the three years between these albums. Better
songwriting and better production (the latter thanks to Neil
Kernon) make Queensryche sound like a force that was to be reckoned
with.
Pity the original four songs that serve as the birthcry for the
band don’t quite have that magic. Sure, the opening track “Queen Of
The Reich” has some promise, and the two-guitar attack of Chris
DeGarmo and Michael Wilton does help to light up the speakers. But
as the band explains in the liner notes from the 1988 CD re-issue,
this track (as well as the others on this EP) were recorded by
engineer Tom Hall, who apparently wasn’t quite sure just what he
was doing. (The band, by the way, chose not to re-mix the CD upon
re-issue. To quote from
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, they chose…
poorly.)
I’d love to be able to sit here and say that the remaining three
tracks – “Nightrider,” “Blinded” and “The Lady Wore Black” – were
early glimpses into the magic the band would tap on such albums as
Operation:Mindcrime and
Empire. Granted, “The Lady Wore Black” has its moments,
mostly in the chorus. But for the most part, Queensryche doesn’t
really do much to set themselves apart from the other hundreds of
bands fighting for attention in 1982-1983. (I will admit, though,
that Geoff Tate might have been ahead of his time with his operatic
style of singing; King Diamond and Mercyful Fate were just breaking
through around the same time.)
Is it fair to compare a song such as “Prophecy” to the first
works of a band like Queensryche? Perhaps not – but seeing the
songs all now share a common album, parallels have to be drawn
between the time periods of the band’s history. And especially
seeing what Queensryche would accomplish at the height of their
popularity, it does tend to make earlier works pale in comparison.
Queensryche is, regrettably, no exception.
This disc is one to add to your collection if you are a diehard
Queensryche fan, or if you enjoy the
Rage For Order-style songs and want to add “Prophecy” to
your library. It’s occasionally interesting to listen to, if only
to clear out the pipes… but it’s far from required owning.
