Album Review — Queensryche

Queensryche — Operation: Mindcrime

With no new records this week, we decided to review a record from Queensryche since they are the band of the week. And if I’m going to review a Queensryche record, it has to be their signature concept record “Operation: Mindcrime”. Queensryche has released a bunch of great records, but for me, Mindcrime is far and away their best and here’s why.

Mindcrime is the ultimate concept record. The fifteen tracks tell a fairly complex story. While each track tells a part of the story, most of them also stand on their own. Let’s get right to the track by track breakdown.

“I Remember Now” sets the story in a hospital/mental institution. We hear the voice of a nurse who clearly doesn’t like the patient. The track ends with the voice of the patient saying how he remembers doing what they told him.

“Anarchy-X” is all instrumental and rewinds us to the beginning of the story. This interlude gets repeated at times throughout the story. The way the band weaves the music with the story is simply genius.

“Revolution Calling” is the first lyrical track. It tells the story of the main character, Mickey, and his original meeting with Dr. X. The song is full of angst that depicts a young man ready for a revolution but also ready to be taken advantage of.

“Operation: Mindcrime” is the planting of Dr. X’s plan into Mickey. It’s mostly from the perspective of Dr. X. Geoff Tate does an incredible job of playing both the characters of Mickey and Dr. X. He is able to differentiate the characters through his delivery. In my opinion, Tate’s performance on this record is the greatest vocal performance of all-time. And to see him pull it off live is simply incredible.

“Speak” sees Mickey take the bait. Another song full of angst that hits on the evils of society and whips Mickey into a frenzy. Such a great track on its own but so vital to the story.

“Spreading The Disease” might be my favorite track on the record. We are introduced to Mary, who has a sordid history but ends up as a nun. The band is ahead of their time as they talk about the struggle in society with religion, politics and the 1%.

“The Mission” starts with Mickey watching a TV preacher and shooting the TV. The song starts melancholy but soon it breaks into more angsty brilliance. Mickey is pushed to the edge but is also fascinated with Sister Mary. Tate’s portrayal of Mickey is so fantastic.

“Suite Sister Mary” sees a turn in the story as Dr. X tells Mickey to kill Mary and the priest. Over the next nearly eleven minutes, we see Mickey struggle with his new orders. We get what sounds like church chanting at the start as Mickey struggles with these new orders. Mickey kills the priest and then encounters Mary. We hear Mary for the first time and Pamela Moore sounds fantastic. The two trade vocals as the song weaves and builds intensity.

“The Needle Lies” starts with Mickey trying to get out but Dr. X telling him he can’t leave now. The next three minutes are straight angst. Mickey plunges into drug use to try and escape his killing of Mary and the priest. The music ticks up another notch and you can feel the pressure building.

“Electric Requiem” is an interlude that sees Mickey encounter a dead Mary. He’s haunted by what he’s done. The music is just as haunting and you feel Mickey’s struggle.

“Breaking The Silence” sees Mickey dealing with what he has done and preparing to face the consequences. The feel and sound of the album takes a turn from angst to resolution. It’s so impressive for the band to match the story with the music.

“I Don’t Believe In Love” sees Mickey continue to deal with the loss of Mary and coming to terms with what he has done. He’s not only lost faith in the system, but now in his future. This track was one of the singles that stands on its own outside of the story.

“Waiting for 22” is an instrumental that transitions back to Mickey in the hospital/mental institution.

“My Empty Room” sees Mickey in the room reliving his nightmare. Tate’s vocal is so impressive. I’ve seen him sing these last few songs in a straight jacket live and it was one of the most incredible moments I’ve ever seen in concert.

“Eyes of a Stranger” closes the story. Mickey is tormented by what he has done. He’s alone with his thoughts and regrets. It a haunting end to an amazing journey. The album ends with musical refrains from earlier in the story and Mickey’s final words of “I remember now”.

Brilliant.

The story itself is great, but in tandem with the fantastic performance of Tate and the band’s ability to match the mood of the story with the musical soundtrack, Operation: Mindcrime is in a category all by itself. It has no equal in terms of concept records.

I have to imagine everyone reading this has heard this record, but if for some reason you haven’t, you need to stop what you are doing and listen to it immediately. The truly great albums continue to be relevant and this one certainly is. It’s is rock and roll perfection.

100 out of 100

Track Listing

1. I Remember Now
2. Anarchy-X
3. Revolution Calling *
4. Operation: Mindcrime *
5. Speak
6. Spreading The Disease *
7. The Mission *
8. Suite Sister Mary
9. The Needle Lies
10. Electric Requiem
11. Breaking The Silence *
12. I Don’t Believe In Love *
13. Waiting For 22
14. My Empty Room
15. Eyes Of A Stranger *

*Best Songs