Queensrÿche - Manchester Review

Those who know me, or who regularly read this blog, will be familiar with my love for the Seattle-based progressive metal band Queensrÿche. I first started listening to them in around 2008, and they have become a big part of my life ever since. My first experience of the band live was a rather limp and disappointing set at London's High Voltage Festival in 2011; but the line-up drama and changes that followed has ensured that the band's live performances of late have been stellar. Frontman Todd La Torre has certainly kicked the band up a few gears, and the seven years since his arrival in the band have been extremely productive - leading to the release of three excellent albums and a number of tours. Since their somewhat 2012/2013 re-brand, culminating in the release of their self-titled album in 2013, Queensrÿche have been relatively regular visitors to the UK. I had previously seen the La Torre-version of the band four times, including an excellent set at this year's Bloodstock Open Air, but I was not content for that to be it for 2019. The band scheduled in a couple of shows around their Bloodstock appearance, which I sadly could not make, so when they announced another handful of shows for the end of the year I knew I had to make the effort. The batch of shows was very northern-centric, so I opted for the show at the Club Academy in Manchester as it tied in with some other plans that I had already arranged. Manchester trips are extremely rare for me due to its proximity to Plymouth, but it was nice to return to the city after a four year absence. The Club Academy was a new venue for me, and is one of many situated at the University of Manchester. Student Union venues are something of a thing of the past now it seems, which is a shame. In theory, they are perfect locations for music venues - as they have a captive audience of potential punters and are usually in convenient locations. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, most Universities had Student Union venues - and bands would regularly tour the circuit they created. Bars and clubs now make up the majority of Student Union entertainment, but Manchester seems to be bucking the trend with at least three different venues operational in the building. When I turned up for the Queensrÿche show the place was buzzing, with fans of all different kinds of music congregating and the various bars doing a roaring trade. Other Universities are certainly missing a trick, as I imagine the Student Union was really raking it in as a result of all the activity! The Queensrÿche show was in the Club Academy, which was the Union's basement venue. It was a smallish room, but still large enough for a few hundred metalheads. With Amon Amarth playing across town there was certainly competition for punters, but Queensrÿche still managed to attract a healthy crowd and those who chose their show certainly were rewarded for their efforts.

There were two support acts to entertain the crowd before Queensrÿche's set however, and the first of the two took to the stage only a few minutes after the venue opened. Up first were Dark Sky Choir, from New Jersey, who did not let the small initial crowd put them off. The band, which features guitarist Ira Black who I was previously somewhat familiar with, proceeded to tear through a number of heavy tracks during their half an hour on stage - and started to build something of a rapport with the crowd as the show progressed. The band's sound was fairly typical modern-sounding heavy metal, but they are blessed with the vocal talents of frontman Brian Allen who hit some impressive high notes throughout the band's set. The songs were not as catchy as they could have been, but some of the choruses stood out due to Allen's histrionics. He really made his presence felt throughout the band's time on stage, and impressed me with his raw and powerful vocal talents. Black also impressed throughout with some chunky riffs and shredded solos, but I did not think that the songwriting overall was as strong as it could have been. The band are still pretty new though, and I feel that they have all the ingredients to make something of themselves. They are certainly a band to keep an eye on, as I think with the talents involved they could create something special in the future if they put their minds to to it.

The Greek power metal act Firewind were the evening's special guests. Firewind are a band I have seen in their own right a number of times, so I was looking forward to catching them again - despite the fact that they would have a much shorter set than usual. There were clearly quite a few Firewind fans in attendance however, as the band did not have to work very hard to get the crowd going - and at times the show had a feeling of a co-headline one with Firewind really delivering in a big way. This is the tail end of the band's Immortals tour, so the setlist was something of a condensed version of the other recent Firewind shows that I have been to. Ode to Leonidas is still a powerful opening number, with the spoken word intro whipping up some early excitement before Gus G. (guitar/vocals) and co. took to the stage. The Club Academy stage is quite small, so the band were all cramped together at the front but they did not let this deter them. Fast-paced power metal anthems such as We Defy and Head Up High came thick and fast early on, with frontman Henning Basse's gritty, powerful vocals cutting nicely through the mix as he led the charge. Those of us down the front were clearly all Firewind fans, as there was plenty of singing along and cheers when G. launched into one of his many guitar solos. Not to be outdone, Bob Katsionis (guitar/keyboards) also made his mark with some shredded keyboard solos in many of the songs - although sadly the keyboards were a little low in the mix at times. A highlight of the set, as always, was the lengthy instrumental The Fire and the Fury which was a showcase for all four of the band's instrumentalists. G. took most of the spotlight with his soloing, but it never get old seeing Katsionis shredding on his keyboard and guitar a the same time! The instrumental allowed Basse chance to have a bit of a rest, and he came back with re-doubled vigour for the final three numbers. The somewhat poppier Mercenary Man, which was the first Firewind song I ever heard, brought a big cheer from the crowd – before the band dipped back into the catalogue for the heavier I Am the Anger. Katsionis abandoned his keyboard completely here in favour of his guitar, and the piece really rang around the Club Academy – with Basse belting out the anthemic chorus with ease. It was left to the melodic Falling to Pieces to finish everything off, with G. encouraging the crowd to jump up and down which those of us down the front did. It was a triumphant end to a powerful 45 minutes of music – and one that was worthy of a headline slot. The setlist was:

Ode to Leonidas
We Defy
Head Up High
Hands of Time
World on Fire
The Fire and the Fury
Mercenary Man
I Am the Anger
Falling to Pieces

Given that the venue opened at 7:30pm, and there was a curfew at 11pm, by the time the stage was ready for Queensrÿche they only had time for around 75 minutes of music. Considering the longer headline sets the band have been playing throughout the year, it was a shame that the UK shows seem to have been short-changed a little in this regard. La Torre was somewhat under the weather too however, so I wonder if the current shortening of the set length was also to take the pressure off him a little – which would be understandable. I was looking forward to hearing a decent amount of the newer songs live, which the band have been featuring in the set this year, but unfortunately it was many of these that were cut to slim the set down – leaving the classics intact. A new song kicked things off however, with Blood of the Levant whipping up a storm with Michael Wilton’s (guitar) Eastern-tinged guitar leads and a punchy chorus which saw La Torre unleashing the first of many high-pitched screams. Being a shorter set, the songs played were largely similar to their Bloodstock set back in August, with a few additions, so it was the grunge-inspired I Am I and the sci-fi prog of NM 156 that led the charge early on. The latter in particular impressed, with La Torre’s stilted vocals and a lengthy dual guitar solo between Wilton and Parker Lundgren (guitar/vocals) wowing the good-sized crowd. The only other new song played was the excellent Man the Machine, which received a large cheer following La Torre’s announcement of it. I do not want to labour the point of the lack of new material in the set, as I still really enjoyed the show, but it is frustrating that it is seven years into La Torre’s reign as frontman and the band are still reluctant to really showcase the material that they have written with him. The fact that it was all newer songs that were cut to facilitate the shorter set really shows this and as much as I love all the classics, they are all songs that fans have heard live a number of times over the years. I know I would have liked to hear a lot more of the newer songs showcased and, given the reaction to Man the Machine, I think many of the others in the crowd would have also enjoyed that.

That being said the classics, of course, were all extremely enjoyable and lapped up by the crowd. Walk in the Shadows and the anthemic Operation: Mindcrime saw plenty of headbanging, but it was the ballad Silent Lucidity that received one of the best reactions of the night. Under the weather or not, La Torre nailed the gorgeous song – and Wilton took it to another level with his soaring solo. Due to La Torre’s health concerns, some help was enlisted on a couple of numbers. The hard-hitting Queen of the Reich saw Dark Sky Choir’s Allen helping La Torre out vocally – which involved him hitting some impressive high notes of his own – and Firewind’s Basse sung the lion's share of the commercial Jet City Woman later on. In the interim, the crazy pseudo-tech metal of Screaming in Digital – with Eddie Jackson (bass guitar/vocals) showing off vocally during the chorus – and the moody Take Hold of the Flame kept the crowd going. The latter saw plenty of crowd interaction, with the anthemic chorus seeing plenty of fist pumping encouraged by La Torre and Lundgren. Jet City Woman was the end of the main set according to the on-stage setlist, but the band never really left the stage and blazed into the final two songs with extra venom. La Torre's little break during Jet City Woman meant that he came roaring back for the fast-paced The Needle Lies, which saw some excellent drumming from Casey Grillo. The former Kamelot drummer seems to have made a home for himself in the band over the past couple of years. It seems that Scott Rockenfield is not coming back any time soon, if ever, but in the meantime Grillo is really making the drum stool his own. It was left to the excellent Eyes of a Stranger to bring the evening to a close, with more dual guitar leads and a soaring chorus from La Torre ending things on a high. The setlist was:

Blood of the Levant
I Am I
NM 156
Man the Machine
Walk in the Shadows
Operation: Mindcrime
Silent Lucidity
Queen of the Reich [w/ Brian Allen]
The Mission
Screaming in Digital
Take Hold of the Flame
Jet City Woman [w/ Henning Basse]
The Needle Lies
Eyes of a Stranger

Despite a disappointingly short set, with a lack of many of the newer tracks that the band have been showcasing throughout the rest of the year, Queensrÿche's set was still very enjoyable – with La Torre putting on a strong showing despite his health issues. After the show I met a few members of Firewind, including G., at the merch desk and got my copy of Immortals signed – which was great. I will never get bored of seeing Queensrÿche, and indeed Firewind, live but I hope next time the band can deliver a proper full-length set for the fans.