QUEENSRYCHE
Q2K (Atlantic)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

---

With each album, Queensryche has moved farther and farther from the huge sounding metal they were originally known for. The departure of guitarist Chris DeGarmo and the subsequent arrival of Kelly Gray has given the band a new chemistry, if not an entirely new sound. The fact that Gray is a childhood friend of this band full of childhood friends helped that chemistry, I'm sure. The results are finally in. The album is uneven, but the high points ("Burning Man," "The Right Side Of My Mind," "Breakdown") find Queensryche rocking as hard and deep as ever, while the low points are simply forgettable and not unforgivable. The star of this album is lead singer Geoff Tate, who's always impressive in a vocal-gymnastic way, but here he discovers he can lay back within the framework of the song and still pull off a scorching performance without completely overshadowing the guitars. His continued evolution as a vocalist and a year of experience for Gray should ultimately make the next album more even than Q2K, but for now this at least serves as proof that rumors of Queensryche's decline (and some said demise) were premature.

(C) 1999 - DJ Johnson