Whilst Stone did not contribute to the writing of the album, as I get the impression that a lot of the material here was written before he officially re-joined the band, the addition of Grillo alongside established songwriters La Torre, guitarist Michael Wilton, and bassist Eddie Jackson has allowed Digital Noise Alliance to take Queensrÿche off in a subtly different direction. Whilst the album is not massively different to The Verdict, or the two albums that preceded it, for me this latest Queensrÿche effort feels heavier overall - and there is lots of weight to the riffing here. Grillo is also a heavier drummer, and he is more fond of double bass patterns than Rockenfield. This is clear from the off, as the album opens with its lead single In Extremis - which is fast becoming a real favourite of mine. The song has an urgency to it, despite some swirling synths briefly setting a murky tone, and as soon as the first big guitar riff kicks in Grillo's fast footwork drives everything - with flurries of machine gun double bass playing. Queensrÿche have not morphed into a thrash act or anything like that, but there is perhaps a more aggressive edge throughout - which La Torre really leans into. His voice is naturally grittier than Geoff Tate's ever was, and this album plays to his strengths in a big way. The verses maintain that early urgency, which allows La Torre to spit out the vocals whilst guitar flourishes fill in the gaps. Subtle harmonies boost parts of his verse delivery, which creates something of a call-and-response feel at times - whilst the chorus then slows the pace somewhat and goes for a more cinematic and epic style, with walls of vocal harmonies and some synths courtesy of returning producer Chris 'Zeuss' Harris. A great guitar solo adds plenty of melody, and the clock is turned back to the 1980s as the song comes to a close with some great harmonies from Wilton and Stone. Chapters slows the pace, and goes for more of a traditional Queensrÿche sound - with expansive guitar arpeggios during the verses and some prominent bass playing from Jackson. Jackson is one of my favourite bass players in the prog metal genre, and this song is a good example why. His playing is busy, and arguably drives the song whilst the guitarists add colour and melody. More harmony guitar leads act as a throwback to the band's heyday, whilst La Torre showcases why he is the perfect fit for the band with a heartfelt chorus that is that perfect mix of expressive metal and melancholy prog that made Queensrÿche such a hit originally. Queensrÿche's best songs all have hints of murk to them, and Chapters captures that vibe perfectly. Lost in Sorrow is similar, but the overall tone throughout is somewhat cleaner - and there are definitely hints of 1990's Empire throughout. It is not as overtly commercial as much of that album's material, but songs like The Thin Line are brought to mind - with Jackson's bass again dominating whilst La Torre lays down a wistful vocal against ringing clean guitar chords. It is not as heavy as the album's opening two numbers, but the way the song builds towards the chorus is classic Queensrÿche - and the chorus is another cinematic moment with big vocal hooks and an emotional bent. The track has all the marks of a future classic, and it is one that stood out to me from the off.
Sicdeth then returns to the heavier vibes of the album's opening, and song also reminds me a little of the more aggressive sound that La Torre channelled on his excellent 2021 solo album Rejoice in the Suffering (which I reviewed here). It is not quite that heavy, but there is definitely an energy throughout Sicdeth that will get heads banging. Grillo's drumming is once again busy, with lots of double bass patterns and plenty of high-octane fills, whilst La Torre explores the gruffer side of his voice for some excellent rasping vocal lines. The song is not as hooky as some of the tracks here, but there is still plenty of melody throughout. Choruses elsewhere soar higher than Sicdeth's does, but the riffing throughout the track conjures up its own magic - and it is a great showcase for Grillo and what he brings to the current iteration of Queensrÿche. Behind the Walls, another of the album's singles, follows and it takes a more overtly progressive path. Considering the influence that Queensrÿche had on prog metal, they do not always stretch out that much - but Behind the Walls is a longer track that features a dynamic arrangement and some synths that bring to mind the sound channelled on 1986's Rage for Order. This song definitely has that strange sci-fi sound that the band's second album pioneered - but there is also a heaviness that only the modern band could have come up with. The riffing of Wilton and Stone throughout is busy, whilst the fat tones of Jackson's bass keep everything moving - locking in perfectly with Grillo's swinging grooves. La Torre makes use of the dynamic arrangement to explore his voice a little more, and his performance throughout is varied. Parts of the song are delivered very melodically, whereas the chorus showcases a more aggressive approach that ensures the simple melodies bury themselves into the brain. A great solo trade-off between Wilton and Stone adds some mid-song excitement, before the synth-heavy intro resurfaces - creating a dense bridge-like section before La Torre launches into the screeching chorus again with ease. Nocturnal Light also leans heavily into the band's more progressive side. It is not a long track, but its snaking and atypical arrangement allows it to stand out. Whilst La Torre and Wilton have probably contributed the most from a songwriting perspective since this current era got underway, Jackson is not far behind. He often collaborates with others, but he also writes songs alone - and Nocturnal Light is one of two such tunes here. His songs are always something slightly different from the norm - and it is perhaps from him that the progressive side of the band really comes from. There are big hooks here, such as during a powerful chorus, but in general the song is one that takes many twists and turns as it moves along. Jackson's bass dominates, unsurprisingly, but the guitar leads that intertwine with each other make a great sonic tapestry - whilst walls of synths add to the overall atmosphere. It is one of those songs that takes a few listens to truly appreciate, but like many of Jackson's solo compositions it stands tall thanks to its quirks and approach melody.
Out of the Black returns to something more typical for Queensrÿche, and the mix of heavy riffing and atmospheric guitar chords make for a song that covers all bases. At first, the song songs like it is going to be a hard-driving rocker - and there are moments that do follow this pattern, such as some NWOBHM-inspired riffing during parts of the verses - but the song is a really dynamic one considering that it is not particularly long. This is very much classic Queensrÿche, then, and lots of tricks that the band have used throughout their career are present here. The guitars add plenty of textures throughout, and a great harmony guitar solo again recalls the 1980s. The best part of the song for me, though, is its chorus. It is another that goes for a cinematic approach and La Torre's vocal delivery throughout is extremely heartfelt. He sings a little cleaner here, but this fits the overall mood of the song - and it is another song that has become a big favourite for me, with the little melodic twist at the end of the chorus getting me on every listen. The atmospheric side of the previous song is retained throughout Forest - which the album's ballad. Queensrÿche have had success with ballads in the past, but I am not sure that the La Torre version of the band has written one that sits alongside their best from the past. This is not a problem, as I prefer the band to operate at full-tilt anyway, but Forest may well be their best true ballad for quite some time. The song has a strong acoustic base, and it never really moves away from this - despite Grillo's percussive drumming adding plenty of interest. La Torre also explores a different side of his voice here, and his emotive performance is perfect for the acoustic-led track. Synths swirl around throughout the whole piece, too, and there is a real depth as a result. The chorus ties everything together, even if it does have a similar overall vocal arrangement to Silent Lucidity - arguably the band's most famous ballad. It works though, and Forest succeeds by paying tribute to the band's past - and the occasional burst of soaring lead guitar only ups its overall emotional pull. Realms is the second of Jackson's solo compositions, so it is unsurprising that it is another knotty track that does not always tread the expected path. Considering that a bassist wrote the song, there is a big reliance on guitar leads throughout - and the guitar playing throughout is both cutting and haunting, depending on the mood. The chorus for example, which features an excellent and multi-layered La Torre vocal, features some screaming guitar leads - whilst other parts of the song rely on textures and layers, with the synths again playing a big role. Realms is perhaps not as rhythmic and groovy as many of Jackson's songs, but his bass still plays a big role despite others perhaps shining a little brighter musically throughout.
Hold On ups the heaviness again, at least early on. The song is another classic Queensrÿche mix of light and shade, but the opening riffing is some of the heaviest and abrasive on the album - with some modern, discordant tones used briefly. This sound is something new for Queensrÿche, but it works well. It is used sparingly, though, which is perhaps wise - and much of the rest of the song stays close to familiar territory. The discordant riffing does resurface occasionally for effect, but the verses in general are more low key - with chiming clean guitar melodies and a more whimsical vocal performance. The choruses are heavier, though, and the song certainly picks up when they kick in. La Torre sings them in a manner more typical of his usual approach which gives them some bite - and this bite sticks around as the song moves forward. This is because the latter parts of the song are overall heavier and busier musically - and the closing instrumental sections is one of the album's most progressive moments. It features some great free-form drumming from Grillo, and the guitar playing throughout is busy and melodic. Queensrÿche rarely cut loose in such a manner, but it works well to close out the track - with the first half being more melodic to set up the slightly jazzy ending. The album then comes to a close with the lengthy Tormentum, another more overtly progressive piece that is cut from a similar cloth to Behind the Walls. It is heavier than Behind the Walls, though, which means that the album both opens and closes with hard-hitting tracks. The riffing is tough throughout, but there is a strong focus again on guitar leads. There are lots of little melodic twists throughout, and they compliment La Torre's urgent vocal delivery perfectly. The chorus doubles down on this hard-hitting vibe, too, with a call-and-response style used - allowing La Torre to lay down some heavy vocals which he then 'responds' to in a more traditional manner. This chorus is one that really gets under the skin after a few listens - but after a couple of iterations of it the song moves into a haunting spoken word section which then explodes into another busy instrumental workout. There are subtle jazz vibes again, especially with some of Grillo's drum fills, but on the whole the instrumental section is very prog metal in nature with a mix of chugging riffs and guitar back-and-forth between Wilton and Stone - including some excellent unison melodies. Following this lengthy instrumental section, a final vocal coda arrives, which has the feel of a triumphant closing monologue, before another guitar solo and a clean guitar-led encore bring the song, and the album, to a close. For me, there have been few bands that have experienced a creative renaissance quite like Queensrÿche. The band may only have two of its founding members left at this point, but the run of form that they are currently on is very impressive. With Digital Noise Alliance the band have added another excellent album to their recent legacy - and for me it is as good as everything that they have put out during the past decade. All of the songs here are memorable for one reason or another, and it is great to hear the band both at their heaviest and at their most progressive as the 11 songs here pass by.
The album was released on 7th October 2022 via Century Media Records. Below is the band's promotional video for In Extremis.
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