Operation Mindcrime 2

So, I got my hands on a copy of Queensryche's forthcoming album, Operation:Mindcrime 2, a sequel to 1988's Operation:Mindcrime.

The original O:M is the single greatest heavy metal album ever recorded. Period.

This is what I wrote on another forum:

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Okay, I've listened to it twice now. My opinion on these things always changes--sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. A recent example is Octavarium, which I thought was only okay at first but now I think kicks ass.

This album is a like a bowl of Lucky Charms that's missing about 2/3 of the normal amount of marshmellows. It's not on the same level as Operation:Mindcrime. But it isn't terrible, either. In fact, I think it's good. It's easily better than anything they've done since Promised Land.

There's a whole lot of blah, but every single song has one or two moments that are absolutely brilliant. It's almost like they forgot how to be (or they're too afraid to be) melodic, and that's the biggest problem. They build and build with these great crescendos that never end in the expected orgasm. There are songs like "If I Could Change it All" that would be absolute classics if they expanded a little.

The guest vocal spots are all really well done, though I think Ronnie James Dio's voice is finally starting to wane. Tate's voice is still good, but it's also not as good as it used to be. The girl singer whose name escapes me right now is better than she was on the original.

3/5

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I am disappointed, but I'm not crushed by a black hole of Q2Kesque suck.

So, in sequel terms, it's no Aliens or Empire Strikes Back. But it ain't Caddyshack II, either. It's more of a ... errr ... Gremlins 2.

Link of the day: www.queensryche.com