Queensryche were always different from their hard rock & hair metal brethren in the 80s & 90s. Based out of Seattle, Geoff Tate (vocals), Chris DeGarmo (lead guitar), Michael Wilton (lead & rhythm guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums) created a more prog rock sound akin to that of Rush or Dream Theater. Tate's soaring vocals against the brilliant guitar work and fiesty rhythm section gave them a sound all their own in a sea of hair, power chords and the occasional power ballad. After coming off 1988's concept album Operation: Mindcrime, the band were confident and ready to take the next step to superstardom.

1990's Empire is generally referred to as their best effort and was their best seller with more than 3 million in the US alone. Thanks to MTV and rock radio, Queensryche music was in the air in 1990 and 1991 (at least until the fall) thanks to big hit like the title track, Best I Can, Jet City Woman and Another Rainy Night (Without You) and perhaps the greatest hard rock power ballad of all time, Silent Lucidity. That last song topped the mainstream rock charts and landed in the top ten on Billboard. However, thanks to elements at work in their hometown, the party didn't last.

Once Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit hit the airwaves in the fall of 1991, hard rock and hair metal would soon be shown the door by record companies looking to capitalize on the new trend. Though 1994's Promised Land went platinum and had some highlights, it was very out of place in the new flannel-clad culture. Eventually, DeGarmo would leave never to return and turmoil would separate Tate from his band in the 21st Century. However, this album stands as a testament to the bands talent and should be remembered as one of the best of the era.

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