'Years ahead of its time'...I totally agree! Throw dirt at me, give me ugly names, but in my personal opinion it's way better than Operation Mindcrime.
Gonna Get Close To You from this album is oddly cool. It's a cover song and VERY different from what they normally do. Mindcrime is the true magnum opus. You have to listen to it all at once. You don't have to react in a video....just LISTEN.
Something that often doesn't get noticed is that, at the end of the solo, Geoff re-enters on what would have been the next note of the scale that DeGarmo and Wilton are playing in harmony. Which is bonkers. --Shannon
First discovered them around 1984, I was 15. To this day this offering is still my #1 most influential to me getting into music more seriously. I’m 54 now and experienced so much more in music and still this whole offering is my bar to which all others measure.
I’m 19 and I’ve been a fan since I first heard “Eyes of a Stranger” when I was like 11 or 12. Chris DeGarmo and Micheal Wilton are some of my biggest influences when writing stuff on guitar. LONG LIVE THE QUEEN OF THE REICH!!!
I just wanna say thank you thank you thank you, for doing a reaction to Queensryche that is NOT Take hold of the flame or Silent lucidity... Queensryche is SO MUCH MORE!!! You MUST listen to "Operation Mindcrime" album! Be safe
I have had this "argument" on tons of messages boards and hanging out with other fans: while the preponderance of modern fahs seem to have been introduced to or most influenced by listening to (either,): Empire or Operation: Mindcrime ... there is a core truth to the ifea that: RAGE FOR ORDER, as an album, tops either and/or both of them. I stand by that opinion.
THANK YOU for doing this one! On this track in particular, you can really hear Geoff's youthful energy practically exploding in his vocals! Love it! At the very end, there's a "boom" that ends the song. Apparently they had gotten the idea to record a slamming car door down in the parking garage while recording this song, which gives it a very dramatic ending! You can hear the natural echo quite well too. Im so glad you liked it!! There's SO much more too! "THE WHISPER" from RFO is also really good! You get a lot of layers of sound, range, and musical texture. I'm looking forward to your reactions on the whole "OPERATION: MINDCRIME" album someday! Be rested, and hydrated, with headphones on and lyrics in front of you. Seatbelt is optional. Haha. I don't want to over-hype it for you, but the more you listen to it, the more you appreciate the storytelling, and the musical prowess. I never get tired of QR songs. I think one reason (I hope I haven't already made this comment previously) their songs stay so fresh is that they have the ability to record songs with the same energy and intensity they put into their live shows! Looking forward to your next Queensryche reaction!
Mindcrime is great, no doubt about that. But to me Rage For Order is also amazing. When I heard tracks like Neue Regel and Screaming In Digital, I had not heard really anything like them before. You are not wrong about the vampire thing, there has always been talk of some vampire themes on this album but that's not the overall theme of the album. As I said for me its an amazing album, not for everyone though.
Yes, vocal god back then. But, as you say, they are all on top of their game. This album is still one of my favorites today. It was SO different from anything back then, and even a lot of stuff today - so experimental and dystopian. This song is probably the ‘simplest’ song on the album, while many of the others are much more interesting, musically and lyrically. Check out “The Killing Words”, “London”, “Surgical Strike” or “I Will Remember”. You’ll love “Operation: Mindcrime”, one of the best concept albums ever. It has to be listened to beginning to end. There is a sort of vampire theme here and there on the album, which is subtle and interesting.
At this the sophomore point in their discography where Queen decided to break away from the 'New Wave Of British Heavy Metal' (NWOBHM) influences and started to incorporate more somber musical experiment elements to their music. These elements include liberal use of keyboards and an emphasis on social/dystopian/technological aspect themes with RFO. The remastered version of RFO full-length album - Bonus tracks: Walk In The Shadows (live); I Dream In Infrared ('91 acoustic remix), and two live cuts. the music presented throughout the Neil Kernon era (record producer) via 'RFO' who is well known in the UK for his work with 'Queen' - 'David Bowie' - 'Judas Priest'. RFO has the best catchy songs ("Walk In The Shadows", "Whisper", "Chemical Youth"), the best original ideas for the time ("Neue Regel", "Screaming In Digital"), the best dark and technological theme/atmosphere This record was a complementary in 1986. Superb combination of Metal/pop with a bit of a darker edge like 'The Cure'. Queensryche had a Maiden/Priest sound for their full-length debut 'The Warning', they started hinting toward progressive metal with RFO. They don't quite hit their peak at this point, but it's a compelling listen. The operatic vocals and heavy guitars are here, for sure, but there are some other musical styles thrown in that give them an original sound. On "Neue Regel" and "Gonna Get Close to You", for example, they combine metal with 80s New Wave / goth rock - Queensrÿche laid on a complete image change in 1986, in conjunction with the release of RFO. “RFO” went into a more progressive direction than their first full-length studio album compared to the stealth sound of their ripping debut EP. the pseudo-opera rock slice "London" and "Chemical Youth (We Are Rebellion)", a sort of exercise on dystopian metal which might either remind us of early Queensrÿche. I liked this record for the immense quality of its compositions and the majesty and theatricality of the sounds. However, Queensryche managed to bring something really new to the metal scene, also thanks to the beautiful overlapping of sounds, difficult to replicate live. Note, once again, the great vocal performances of Geoff Tate, who possessed a vocal setting that would become very influential for many more power metal singers to come. The opener, "Walk In The Shadows", brings the first highlight to "RFO", with that singalong-esque metal quality that the band would perfect in the latest 80s with both masterpieces "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Empire". Nonetheless, the following tracks "I Dream In Infrared" and "The Whisper" aren't especially memorable. The second highlight of the CD comes with "Gonna Get Close To You", a cover of 'chanteuse' Lisa Dal Bello that sounds dangerously close to 80s pop. "The Killing Words" is just another excellent track in the style that made Queensrÿche famous: emotional, anthemic choruses with layered vocals and a great melody. On the other hand, tunes like "Surgical Strike", "Neue Regel", and "Screaming In Digital" come across as discarded material from "Operation: Mindcrime", all this presided over by Geoff Tate's unique vocal delivery and the always proficient Wilton & DeGarmo twin guitars. RFO has a rather odd position in Queensryche’s discography. The facts that it was their second full-length album and had the classic lineup at their peak make it an instant classic, One of the strongest assets of "RFO" is the strong musicianship. The instrumental part of the album is very well played with intricate layers of keyboards, guitars, bass, and drums, but it´s the incredibly powerful vocals by Geoff Tate, which elevates the album to a higher level. The subtle change in style that occurred with the first two albums progresses again here on RFO. After a quite heavy and fast EP, The Warning was a much more mid-tempo and progressive album. You can hear on this album that the band has matured its sound again, still utilising all of the bells and whistles they have been picking up along their journey, but moving their music into a clear and defined direction. Listen to these early albums after each other and you can hear how their sound develops and refines over that period. RFO sits comfortably in the middle ground between the progressive elements of The Warning and the heavier brilliance that comes forth on Operation: Mindcrime. The strongest material on this album still holds its own in the Queensrÿche machine. While it could be argued to be a concept album it feels more like a collection of relative themes that are only vaguely explained and left to the imagination. The songcraft is almost perfect, the only miscue coming from the only song the band did not write, "Gonna Get Close To You", which is actually pretty good but out of place amidst the other stunning tracks. The keyboard work is interesting and atmospheric, the band interplay is tight, and Geoff Tate really pushes his vocal delivery to the limits on this album as he is both emotionally contemplative and soaring with unbridled rage. RFO is probably the most corageous and elaborated album to date. They seems to completely distort their music here, by adding lots of keyboards, echoes of electronic drums and an overall electronic and futuristic aura over the compositions. The heavy metal of the early days is only a far remembrance, as Queensryche explore new musical genres :) United Kingdom 🇬🇧
(Response to Bobby Moffet): Ahhh, someone else who is into original lineup Queensryche as much as I am, after all these years! I'm usually the one leaving copious amounts of comments. It's nice to see someone else doing that too. I agree with pretty much everything you said! I'm not a big fan of "Gonna Get Close to You", but not because of how QR handled the material. Their cover is better than the original, but I just don't care for the song itself very much. I'm sure you've heard the MTV Unplugged 1992 version of "The Killing Words"... I LOVE the altered vocal part soon after the guitar solo! Really powerful, and with Geoff's typically "all in" delivery style. He's the most fearless singer I've ever heard. He's simply untouchable in every facet of his singing! But, I'll stop here, before I go on about each one of them! What a remarkable band!!
...the "vampire" thing got popular when vampires resurged in popularity 🙄🙄🤦 I can understand the argument for that, but: clearly the song is about "stepping out on" a partner and discovering you love who you're "doing the stepping out with" even more. It is a song about a hidden relationship. ...if a person has to add stupid "fantasy" elements to it🤷🤷 ...let them. The intent and context of the song's lyrics remain the same. ...This album has spectacularly crafted work, however. Stuff that this band never, EVER, topped! Try: "The Whisper" or "I Dream In Infrared" or "Screaming In Digital" (with it's subharmonic generator!💜🤘🤘) - essentially: "Screaming In Digital" is "part 2" to "N.M. 156" from: The Warning. 🤷
Geoff was vocally untouchable back then.
Range, tone, power, theatrics.
Untouchable forever!
Your guess is correct.
This album has a dystopian vampire theme to it.
lol, yeah. I remember the first time I heard Queensryche, my insightful comment was "that Dude's got some range".
This album was years ahead of it's time. It's one of my favorites, very atmospheric so I like to play it late at night while driving.
'Years ahead of its time'...I totally agree! Throw dirt at me, give me ugly names, but in my personal opinion it's way better than Operation Mindcrime.
100%. WAY ahead of its time. I was obsessed when it came out.
"Rage For Order" is my all-time favorite Queensryche album. You should definitely check out the rest of it.
I agree. But `86 had alot of bands coming out with new material, Metallice for 1 Master of Puppets so that album ruled the year.
Rage For Order album has amazing songs.
So far before it`s time! An amazing album from a wonderful back catalogue
- So Geoff how high can you sing ?
- Geoff : Yes
Don't you forget about the backup vocals They Have A close range to Geoff But maybe not the vocal power
Yes, the backing vocals were AMAZING!
Gonna Get Close To You from this album is oddly cool. It's a cover song and VERY different from what they normally do. Mindcrime is the true magnum opus. You have to listen to it all at once. You don't have to react in a video....just LISTEN.
Oh I will do a reaction to Operation Mindcrime album, although it will be hard to record it all in one sitting. We'll see...
😊❤😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Formed In 1982, Bellevue WA. I live in Edmonds WA & have seen them many times. In my opinion, he has the best metal voice around. Great review.
Something that often doesn't get noticed is that, at the end of the solo, Geoff re-enters on what would have been the next note of the scale that DeGarmo and Wilton are playing in harmony.
Which is bonkers.
--Shannon
Wow! I never noticed that. How cool! I'm going to listen for that now. Thanks for pointing that out!
Sounds Mixolydian to me and he was probably aware of it.
First discovered them around 1984, I was 15. To this day this offering is still my #1 most influential to me getting into music more seriously.
I’m 54 now and experienced so much more in music and still this whole offering is my bar to which all others measure.
Same here! I was 17 living in Seattle at the time and had seen them locally. They were with me all 6 years of my Naval career 😂❤
I’m 19 and I’ve been a fan since I first heard “Eyes of a Stranger” when I was like 11 or 12. Chris DeGarmo and Micheal Wilton are some of my biggest influences when writing stuff on guitar. LONG LIVE THE QUEEN OF THE REICH!!!
I just wanna say thank you thank you thank you, for doing a reaction
to Queensryche that is NOT Take hold of the flame or Silent lucidity...
Queensryche is SO MUCH MORE!!!
You MUST listen to "Operation Mindcrime" album!
Be safe
Thank you so much for watching 😄 I promise I'll listen to Operation Mindcrime as soon as I'm able to!
I have had this "argument" on tons of messages boards and hanging out with other fans:
while the preponderance of modern fahs seem to have been introduced to or most influenced by listening to (either,): Empire or Operation: Mindcrime
...
there is a core truth to the ifea that: RAGE FOR ORDER, as an album, tops either and/or both of them.
I stand by that opinion.
THANK YOU for doing this one! On this track in particular, you can really hear Geoff's youthful energy practically exploding in his vocals! Love it!
At the very end, there's a "boom" that ends the song. Apparently they had gotten the idea to record a slamming car door down in the parking garage while recording this song, which gives it a very dramatic ending! You can hear the natural echo quite well too.
Im so glad you liked it!! There's SO much more too!
"THE WHISPER" from RFO is also really good! You get a lot of layers of sound, range, and musical texture.
I'm looking forward to your reactions on the whole "OPERATION: MINDCRIME" album someday! Be rested, and hydrated, with headphones on and lyrics in front of you. Seatbelt is optional. Haha. I don't want to over-hype it for you, but the more you listen to it, the more you appreciate the storytelling, and the musical prowess. I never get tired of QR songs. I think one reason (I hope I haven't already made this comment previously) their songs stay so fresh is that they have the ability to record songs with the same energy and intensity they put into their live shows!
Looking forward to your next Queensryche reaction!
Thanks so much for watching! 😄 I hope I can get to listening to Operation Mindcrime in the near future!
Mindcrime is great, no doubt about that. But to me Rage For Order is also amazing. When I heard tracks like Neue Regel and Screaming In Digital, I had not heard really anything like them before. You are not wrong about the vampire thing, there has always been talk of some vampire themes on this album but that's not the overall theme of the album. As I said for me its an amazing album, not for everyone though.
Rage is my favorite metal album ever together with Ride the Lightning, Piece of Mind & Still Life. :)
Chemical youth (we are rebellion) is incredible
yess, and the whisper...
Yes, vocal god back then. But, as you say, they are all on top of their game. This album is still one of my favorites today. It was SO different from anything back then, and even a lot of stuff today - so experimental and dystopian. This song is probably the ‘simplest’ song on the album, while many of the others are much more interesting, musically and lyrically. Check out “The Killing Words”, “London”, “Surgical Strike” or “I Will Remember”. You’ll love “Operation: Mindcrime”, one of the best concept albums ever. It has to be listened to beginning to end. There is a sort of vampire theme here and there on the album, which is subtle and interesting.
Have you done an album reaction for Queensryche- Empire? Would be a great one.
No, not yet. I feel like everyone will crucify me if I listen to any other Queensryche album before Operation Mindcrime 😆
Such a great album and personally my favorite from QR.
The lyrics are indeed about toxic vampire relationship shit hahahaha
That solo is no solo it’s really a duo Michael Whelton and Chris DeGarmo
Yes, this song is about vampirism. I heard it from Geoff in an interview talking about this song.
Very keen of you
this is hands down my favorite queensryche song ever.. for the moment...
Every album up to Empire were excellent.
RŸCHE in there prime years. One of the best live bands in the mid 86-1989! Fact!
Hell yeah!
First 3 LP's. Masterpieces.
Best Queensryche album in my opinion. Also, you're pretty cute. ;)
Geoff tate reminds me of Dio
In what way?
Adore this album. Only a couple of misses. London is my favorite track.
At this the sophomore point in their discography where Queen decided to break away from the
'New Wave Of British Heavy Metal' (NWOBHM) influences and started to incorporate more somber musical experiment elements to their music.
These elements include liberal use of keyboards and an emphasis on social/dystopian/technological aspect themes with RFO.
The remastered version of RFO full-length album - Bonus tracks:
Walk In The Shadows (live); I Dream In Infrared ('91 acoustic remix), and two live cuts.
the music presented throughout the Neil Kernon era (record producer) via 'RFO'
who is well known in the UK for his work with
'Queen' - 'David Bowie' - 'Judas Priest'.
RFO has the best catchy songs ("Walk In The Shadows", "Whisper", "Chemical Youth"),
the best original ideas for the time ("Neue Regel", "Screaming In Digital"),
the best dark and technological theme/atmosphere
This record was a complementary in 1986.
Superb combination of Metal/pop with a bit of a darker edge like 'The Cure'.
Queensryche had a Maiden/Priest sound for their full-length debut 'The Warning',
they started hinting toward progressive metal with RFO.
They don't quite hit their peak at this point, but it's a compelling listen.
The operatic vocals and heavy guitars are here, for sure, but there are some other musical styles thrown in that give them an original sound.
On "Neue Regel" and "Gonna Get Close to You", for example,
they combine metal with 80s New Wave / goth rock -
Queensrÿche laid on a complete image change in 1986,
in conjunction with the release of RFO.
“RFO” went into a more progressive direction than their first full-length studio album
compared to the stealth sound of their ripping debut EP.
the pseudo-opera rock slice "London" and "Chemical Youth (We Are Rebellion)",
a sort of exercise on dystopian metal which might either remind us of early Queensrÿche.
I liked this record for the immense quality of its compositions and the majesty and theatricality of the sounds. However, Queensryche managed to bring something really new to the metal scene, also thanks to the beautiful overlapping of sounds, difficult to replicate live. Note, once again, the great vocal performances of Geoff Tate, who possessed a vocal setting that would become very influential for many more power metal singers to come.
The opener, "Walk In The Shadows", brings the first highlight to "RFO", with that singalong-esque metal quality that the band would perfect in the latest 80s with both masterpieces "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Empire".
Nonetheless, the following tracks "I Dream In Infrared" and "The Whisper" aren't especially memorable.
The second highlight of the CD comes with "Gonna Get Close To You", a cover of 'chanteuse'
Lisa Dal Bello that sounds dangerously close to 80s pop.
"The Killing Words" is just another excellent track in the style that made Queensrÿche famous: emotional, anthemic choruses with layered vocals and a great melody.
On the other hand, tunes like "Surgical Strike", "Neue Regel", and "Screaming In Digital" come across as discarded material from "Operation: Mindcrime", all this presided over by Geoff Tate's unique vocal delivery and the always proficient Wilton & DeGarmo twin guitars.
RFO has a rather odd position in Queensryche’s discography.
The facts that it was their second full-length album and had the classic lineup at their peak make it an instant classic,
One of the strongest assets of "RFO" is the strong musicianship.
The instrumental part of the album is very well played with intricate layers of keyboards, guitars, bass, and drums, but it´s the incredibly powerful vocals by Geoff Tate, which elevates the album to a higher level.
The subtle change in style that occurred with the first two albums progresses again here on RFO.
After a quite heavy and fast EP, The Warning was a much more mid-tempo and progressive album.
You can hear on this album that the band has matured its sound again, still utilising all of the bells and whistles they have been picking up along their journey, but moving their music into a clear and defined direction. Listen to these early albums after each other and you can hear how their sound develops and refines over that period. RFO sits comfortably in the middle ground between the progressive elements of The Warning and the heavier brilliance that comes forth on Operation: Mindcrime.
The strongest material on this album still holds its own in the Queensrÿche machine.
While it could be argued to be a concept album it feels more like a collection of relative themes
that are only vaguely explained and left to the imagination.
The songcraft is almost perfect, the only miscue coming from the only song the band did not write, "Gonna Get Close To You", which is actually pretty good but out of place amidst the other stunning tracks.
The keyboard work is interesting and atmospheric, the band interplay is tight, and Geoff Tate really pushes his vocal delivery to the limits on this album as he is both emotionally contemplative and soaring with unbridled rage.
RFO is probably the most corageous and elaborated album to date.
They seems to completely distort their music here, by adding lots of keyboards, echoes of electronic drums and an overall electronic and futuristic aura over the compositions.
The heavy metal of the early days is only a far remembrance, as Queensryche explore new musical genres :)
United Kingdom 🇬🇧
(Response to Bobby Moffet):
Ahhh, someone else who is into original lineup Queensryche as much as I am, after all these years! I'm usually the one leaving copious amounts of comments. It's nice to see someone else doing that too.
I agree with pretty much everything you said! I'm not a big fan of "Gonna Get Close to You", but not because of how QR handled the material. Their cover is better than the original, but I just don't care for the song itself very much.
I'm sure you've heard the MTV Unplugged 1992 version of "The Killing Words"...
I LOVE the altered vocal part soon after the guitar solo! Really powerful, and with Geoff's typically "all in" delivery style. He's the most fearless singer I've ever heard. He's simply untouchable in every facet of his singing!
But, I'll stop here, before I go on about each one of them! What a remarkable band!!
LOL! How long did it take you to copy and paste this? How many articles?
Nice Reaction... I got the vampire thing too... Peace!
lol not too shabby for a baritone.... fantastis reaction.. maybe you could try i will remember bu Qeensryche on MtV unplugged.... subscribed
Thanks so much for the recommendation, I'll check it out! And welcome to the channel!😄❤
🤘😎
🤘🤘🖤💚
🔥
...the "vampire" thing got popular when vampires resurged in popularity 🙄🙄🤦
I can understand the argument for that, but:
clearly the song is about "stepping out on" a partner and discovering you love who you're "doing the stepping out with" even more.
It is a song about a hidden relationship.
...if a person has to add stupid "fantasy" elements to it🤷🤷 ...let them.
The intent and context of the song's lyrics remain the same.
...This album has spectacularly crafted work, however.
Stuff that this band never, EVER, topped!
Try: "The Whisper"
or
"I Dream In Infrared"
or
"Screaming In Digital"
(with it's subharmonic generator!💜🤘🤘)
- essentially: "Screaming In Digital" is "part 2" to "N.M. 156" from: The Warning. 🤷
You need watch live version and the video