Ranking the Studio Albums: Queensryche

[@shirleyallen7960]

When Chris DeGarmo left it was never the same.

[@ryant3600]

Yep that's when Tate took complete control

[@shirleyallen7960]

I know most fans will disagree but I loved the FRONTIER album. Each of the albums were different and the songs on that album were great.The mix just had a sterile sound.

[@alexmanne]

Eh, I think it started with Promised Land. Pretty disappointing album considering how anticipated it was. I remember hearing "I Am I" on the radio when the album came out - I was pretty disappointed. They could never recapture the level of songwriting they did with Empire and Operation: Mindcrime.

[@shirleyallen7960]

I agree, Promised Land was very disappointing. Nobody seems to like Hear In The Now Frontier except me. I honestly loved it and consider it one of their best, very melodic songs.

[@CarlosPacheco]

He was the soul of the band.

[@freedomisslavery6840]

Operation Mindcrime is one of the greatest albums of all time period. It's a work of genius.

[@luckyjones1358]

The Warning easily #1. At least for me. It was my introduction to the band as a 14 year old. I was blown away and this album very near and dear to my heart.

[@dawson1787]

En Force is such a great song off of that album

[@leefranklin3054]

Saw them on tour opening for.. I think KISS? Maybe Maiden. Anyway, saw them on the Warning tour. They blew me away. I got and played the hell out of that album, but when Mindcrime came out, it quickly became my favorite, but I still love the Warning.

[@afterburner2869]

Take Hold Of The Flame is my all time favorite Queensryche song.

[@bobthebear1246]

Mine too. I still remember where I was, when it was, and how I first heard that amazing song, plus "Warning" and the earlier "Queen Of The Reich": On "Metal Shop" as broadcast on the amazing 102.7 WNEW-FM New York. For a wide-eyed high-school kid in Flushing Queens NY, the sound was otherworldly. I distinctly remember thinking that Geoff Tate sounded like Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden, and being completely blown-away. They were an American Metal band who sounded like a British Metal band. Amazing. They will always have a special place in my heart for what they meant to me from 1984-1991. 🤘🏻

[@afterburner2869]

Bob Schneider I love your story, I can totally relate. I basically had the experience out here on the cost of California. We are 3,000 miles apart, never will meet face to face , yet we are bonded by the love and experiences of discovering and listening to metal. 🤘🏻 I saw the new version of Queensryche here in Sacramento last year and it was one of the most violent concerts I have ever attended. Fights were breaking out all night before and during the show. It kept the security staff very busy that night. A bunch of drunk 50+ year old dudes brawling everywhere. The show itself was awesome!

[@Hellenicheavymetal]

Best song when played live for sure!

[@wolverine3344]

Same

[@sjsphotog]

@@afterburner2869 Shout out from a fellow CA fan of QR :)

[@krisjb1]

I thought Queensryche and Condition Human were pretty good albums when they came out, but then 2019's The Verdict and I was actually blown away... It is such a great record.

[@joesal361]

The Verdict brought me back. I listen to it everyday. Thats the truth!

[@icemike874]

Absolutely Love the new material. Some of their Heaviest 💯🔥

[@trencher7]

I think Tribe was actually pretty good for one of the later ones.

[@parkwaypro9838]

Agreed. Tribe was ok. A couple of stinkers, but listenable.

[@beenalive1736]

Pretty bad standard to set for the band that put out Warning and Operation Mindcrime​@@parkwaypro9838

[@darkehorse71]

To me the two best Empire albums (Pre Todd) were Promised Land and Q2k.

[@kyleturner1359]

I'm not pining for Tate, I'm pining for DeGarmo.

[@1972LittleC]

Yep, he was the one who got me into Queensryche in the first place, every song I love has his hand in it. Although I have to say, since they kicked Tate to the curb, I'm coming around in a huge way.

[@jimmiller5766]

I'm pining for the fjords.

[@1972LittleC]

@@jimmiller5766 I wish you said I miss the rains down in Africa.

[@kyleturner1359]

@@jimmiller5766 What kind of talk is that? hahahahaha

[@themadmattster9647]

yes but I blame Degarmo for Hear in the Now Frontier, their grunge sellout album. Since he wrote the damn album!

[@mdavis2703]

The Warning is my fave. Saw them open for Kiss right after that came out.

[@BlindSniperz]

I also saw them open for Kiss and thought, QR was the better of the two performances.

[@mdavis2703]

Definitely. Me and my friends listened to The Warning constantly when it came out. I had already seen Kiss with Heaven and Vandenberg so we were really looking forward to Queensryche rather than Lick it Up.

[@VegasAlien1]

Yep. that was the Kiss Animalize tour. Ryche came out raging and Kiss came out Raging Queen, in their bandanas and pastels. Queensryche owned the night.

[@pensepf49]

So did I!

[@kekolber868]

Promised Land is chronically underrated. And all the TLT-era stuff belongs just outside the top-5. Great stuff.

[@DamnableReverend]

I like it better than Empire, because I feel it's a little less commercial and experimtning just a bit more, which, for me, is a good thing. I bought Promised Land, EMpire and Mindcrime all on the same day in 1996, so my perspective comes from listenign to them pretty much back to back/at once some years after they'd already been released.

[@gogoyubari366]

Where do you get these ratings from?

[@AndI0td763]

Ranking the newer albums above Promised Land is wild to me. I think people rate the newer albums highly because they’re just getting back to the earlier metal style. But for me they’re just way more meat and potatoes and less interesting, more generic. Promised Land is way more of a creative and immersive listening experience. To each their own. And regardless of how people feel about Geoff his lack of presence is definitely felt, at least for me.

[@weizanwu7029]

I like it more than Mindcrime.

[@PittsburghRocks]

1. Rage For Order 2. Operation: Mindcrime 3. The Warning 4. Empire 5. Promised Land 6. EP

[@bluelivesmatter719]

@Ellison Lowrimore Agree with that list, go back & forth on Rage and Mindcrime

[@joelutz4348]

I have that identical Top 4.

[@giantsfan8872]

Ur on crack OM is thier best album then the warning then rage then empire...promised land stunk except for “one more time”

[@e-rod1596]

This is the only essential QR albums you need in your collection.

[@e-rod1596]

@@giantsfan8872 Damaged, I am I, Promised land, Bridge, Disconnected, Someone else.... all killer tracks.

[@garycreswell9107]

I like everything up to Empire and after that they lost me.

[@giantsfan8872]

Totally agree...up until empire their sound was awesome but after that it all went down minus one song of promised land...check out “one more time”....it coulda easily went on Empire album

[@billyhodges7194]

Agreed

[@synen]

Listen to The Verdict.

[@giantsfan8872]

Nando i just did and i wasnt too impressed...def way better than their 90s crap but nowhere near their early stuff...still too modern for my taste...def not garbage and better than a promised land but up to their early stuff....i know its random but if you like 80s metal check out...Ambush “Heart of Stone”....great f band....check out that album if you like priest

[@patrickbooten7028]

Same with me , life in the 80 s one off the best live bands . Even better then Metallica , while queensryche was support act . I was not the only one who's saying this . From belgium and stay strong

[@chrismuimbwa6424]

6) EP (America's answer to nwobhm) 5) Rage for Order (super technical stuff that might get some airplay. DT tried the same with Images and Words) 4) Operation Mindcrime ( Super ambitious , Queensryche's "The Wall") 3) Empire (Kicking the strip shop out of glam rock. Tough thing to do!) 2) The Warning (Extremely pure and passionate heavy metal with monumental drumming) 1) Promised Land (Depressive - even closer to the way i feel most of the time)

[@iliummetalaustralia]

actually, Chris DeGarmo left after Hear In The Now Frontier and he even wrote most of the material, but it did seem like Geoff Tate was really pushing the direction of the band after that until he left. Todd LaTorre has been the saviour of the band

[@Dehumanizer3000]

Chris last album with the band was tribe, he was a guest writer, but left half way during the recording

[@iliummetalaustralia]

@@Dehumanizer3000 yeah, but he was a guest on that - never rejoined the band and was never going to to the best of my knowledge

[@ericsloss3963]

@@iliummetalaustralia You are correct. Chris did not officially join the band for Tribe. He was a guest. Played on the album and wrote some of the songs. He thought about rejoining, but like many others didn't want to have to deal with Tate. So he passed on rejoining.

[@virtualsignals1215]

LaTorre even drums on the most recent release!

[@globalmind43]

A very good point to make and the fact that everybody still wants Chris DeGarmo back in the band but he was very much a majority witer on here in the now Frontier which nobody like seemingly and I absolutely love I think it's one of their better albums and totally disagree with this gentleman's list as far as that goes but that album has a lot of different material and is still very much Queensryche just stripped down

[@hmetaljustin]

I love Queensryche with Geoff and Todd. I think Rage for Order was ahead of it's time. One of my top favorites from them. And Eyes of a Stranger is my favorite song.

[@michaellrakes5521]

Obviously Operation: Mindcrime, The Warning, Rage for Order, EP, Empire are the classics but I do like a lot of their stuff after Empire and was fortune enough to catch them on their Q2K tour which had Rob Halfords solo project ( Halford) debuting as the opener, Queensryche following up and then Iron Maiden on their Brave New World Tour. So you had the Big 3 in operatic metal vocals on one bill and it was fucking awesome!

[@leefranklin3054]

Caught them opening for someone back in the early 80's. Later I caught them doing LiveCrime.

[@renoromero4681]

Good stuff, Pete. When Degarmo left the band died. He took the songwriting and melody right out of the band.

[@keviniles8748]

I have to disagree. Look at the songwriting credits for Tribe and Hear in the New Frontier. He is just as responsible for those lackluster albums as anyone else in the band.

[@jimmiller5766]

I couldn't agree more. DeGarmo was the heart and soul of that band. He also provided most of the backing vocals. Which, when your singer is an absolute monster like Tate was, ain't f**kin' easy!

[@keviniles8748]

@@jimmiller5766 Everyone likes to forget that DeGarmo wrote or co-wrote most of Hear in the New Frontier, nd when he came back for Tribe the results weren't much better. I'm not knocking the guy because he was a huge part of their initial success, but we have to give both credit AND fault where it's due. People like to Saint DeGarmo like the band becoming bad was because he left. No, the band started taking a dive with him still being a driving force. He is as responsible for their decline as Tate or anyone else.

[@SlavomirG]

@@keviniles8748 basically every musician has limited creative potential that eventually burns out and you can compose only weak or mediocre material afterwards. De Garmo had a long run and composed a lot of good stuff. However if you look at the album timeline he only had a half album of strong material left in him when they were recording Promised Land.

[@globalmind43]

Chris DeGarmo even at this point was going in a different direction musically and here in the now Frontier was a failure in sales for one reason to do with they lost their record label right when the album came out and for most people it just didn't go over well I think it's a great album and I certainly agree that after hearing the now Frontier it went downhill but picked up a little bit I was a fan of tribe ,I do like American Soldier a little bit and really like all the Todd Latorre stuff.... we can all agree that dedicated to chaos is dedicated to absolutely nothing but garbage and the gentleman in the video failed to point out that that was more of a GT album than a Queensryche album he wrote three quarters of it and had other musicians play on it as well so I certainly wouldn't even call that a Queensryche album because it's just as crappy as the solo album GT put out right after that

[@e-rod1596]

It's about time you are doing a ranking of my all time favorite band. Here's my ranking: 1- Operation Mindcrime. (Best metal album of all time.) 2- Rage for Order. 3- The Warning. 4- Promised land. 5- Empire. 6- EP. 7- Q2K. 8- Self titled. 9- Condition Human. Below this line are albums that I don't listen anymore __________________________________ 10- Hear in the now frontier. (Last DeGarmo album and it was lackluster. ) 11- Tribe. 12- the Verdict (somehow I don't enjoy this one like the 2 previous with Todd.) 13- O:M 2 14- American soldiers. 15- Dedicated to crap music. 16- Take cover. (Never care about cover albums).

[@kevinthetruckdriver353]

Where's your ranking Eric if it's your all time favorite band??

[@e-rod1596]

@@kevinthetruckdriver353 fair enough

[@Kronwall]

I love Tribe, how come you do not like it?

[@kevinthetruckdriver353]

@@e-rod1596 - Yep. Fair enough & a good list. Except would Tate's F.U. (Frequency Unknown) Queensryche would be in the *Don't Listen Too No More* category?? Wondering. Have you heard of the album called *Sweet Oblivion* by a group by that name (European band)?? Released in 2019 on the Frontier label. Geoff Tate sings lead vocals and it's pretty decent. Up there near Promise Land territory. Sweet Oblivion didn't tour so it just might be a one album gig.

[@virtualsignals1215]

I love Queensryche and glad they are back on track. My top three are still Empire, Operation: Mindcrime and Rage for Order.

[@CreamySpoon]

Mindcrime is the best metal album of all time. Change my mind.

[@ZillaFitness]

I can't because it is.

[@themadmattster9647]

1988 was such a damn great year for concept albums and epic metal albums- Justice for All, Seventh Son, and Mindcrime. I know Ryche and Metallica toured, but imagine a Maiden/Queensryche/Metallica coheadling tour from BACK THEN! Jaw dropping it would've been!

[@itkojecockot]

@@themadmattster9647 if I had time machine, that Ryche/tallicA tour would be definitely one of my stops...... both bands at their peak with some of the best albums in metal

[@RoteBaron999]

No it's "Lulu"

[@DetVen]

@@RoteBaron999 No, it's "Look What The Cat Dragged In"🤣

[@markwebb1040]

I'll give this a shot... 1) Operation: Mindcrime - Obviously. A little anecdote: My daughter is a huge K-Pop fan and can tell you all the details of each band like we could back in the '70s with KISS. To be fair, she also like some of my music. I had been after her for a while to give Mindcrime a listen and she, for the most part, casually dismissed it. One night at work she decided she wanted to a) listen to something different, and b) for some reason wanted a concept album. So she finally decided to give Mindcrime a go. She was hooked! She just turned 23 last month and she has told me numerous times that there have been several nights she's had this album on repeat at work. Sorry... I have something in my eye... 2) Rage For Order - It's experimental and transitional for the band. Personal favorite is London. 3) Empire - Solid. Not a bad song on it, although I don't care if I ever hear Silent Lucidity again. 4) EP - Especially if you get the expanded edition with Prophecy. 5) The Warning - Great "debut" album. Good mix of prog metal and straight forward tunes. I'll have to give the newer stuff a chance. Hard to top that early stuff, though.

[@kenlieck7756]

GREATEST QUEENSRYCHE LISTENING STORY: When the first EP came out, my drummer Puppy Eater read a review of it and was intrigued because the reviewer said it was an amazing recreation of the early Sabbath grind. He zoomed out and bought the EP and excitedly plopped it onto his turntable and was overjoyed to hear this beautiful Sabbathian sludge coming from his speakers; the reviewer had *nailed it!* ... Now, you're no doubt thinking something is wrong here -- if anything, that record can be compared to a nice fast-tempo Maiden-type sound. Well, you may also know that the original issue of the EP was meant to be played at 45rpm -- taking a closer look at the label, Puppy Eater realized not only that he had played the disc at 33, but *so had the reviewer!*

[@ZIG4ZAG20]

Hear in the “Now” Frontier still had DeGarmo, and there is a whole back story about their label and other stuff happening, more than just them not getting along and stuff. I feel it is better than the 1999-2011 releases till Todd got with them. Give it a revisit with more of a emphasis on the lyrical content, it’s pretty relevant to the times and somewhat political and deep.

[@samlewis45]

1) Operation: Mindcrime (My favourite album of all time) 2) Rage for Order 3) Empire 4) The Warning 5) Self-titled EP 6) Condition Human 7) The Verdict 8) Promised Land 9) Self-titled 2013 10) American Soldier (Probably the closest thing to their classic sound during their 'wilderness years', I have quite a lot of time for it) 11) Hear in the Now Frontier 12) Tribe 13) Operation: Mindcrime II 14) Q2K 15) Dedicated to Chaos

[@kenvance5456]

Chris DeGarmo wrote 13 of the 14 songs on "Here and the now frontier"... I liked it.. I agree it was after DeGarmo left that the song quality did drop off significantly imo..

[@abe3802]

Is there anybody listening - the band is back strong. Thanks Pete for putting them back on the map for me. 1. O.M. - not many albums in the world beat this. 2. Rage for Order 3. Empire 4. The Warning 5. The EP 6. The Verdict 7. Condition Human 8. Queensrych 9. Promised Land

[@seanthebaptist6757]

One of the greatest and most underrated metal bands of all time.

[@tanvirchoudhury122]

I. Operation Mindcrime - every note is perfect, totally flawless 2. Empire - song writing at it's best 3. Rage for Order - Avant garde greatness 4. Promised Land - beautifully bleak, the anti Empire album 5. The Warning - power metal pomp 6. Hear from the Now Frontier - a grower of an album, flawed but has aged well

[@m.ericwatson968]

I met Geoff Tate once back in '04, he was friendly and laid back, we talked for a bit about why DeGarmo left and what he was up to (left the whole rockstar thing behind and became a pilot, which I did not know, very cool) but then he asked me what my favorite Queensryche album was, thought about it then told him The Warning...then he shook my hand and walked away to go talk to other people hahaha! I know he doesn't dig that album but it was their first full-length and it was a game changer in metal, made Priest and Maiden stop and take notice. But he didn't ask me what I thought their best album was (not the same thing as favorite album sometimes) Operation: Mindcrime, of course, it is truly a masterpiece!

[@rperry70]

I saw recently that the Warning was produced by the same guy that did Pink Floyds The Wall. That makes a lot of sense. That album was just a cut above anything else I was hearing at the time.

[@kellybarthel8060]

I know I am in a huge minority but thought hear in the now frontier was pretty good but you really have to listen to it a lot. I think what throws people off is it sounds really "sharp"? The tuning seems weird but some great toons though spool, you, ect.. I haven't been able to get into them since that as hard as I have tried.

[@MrJermyWurmy]

My favorite by a long shot: Rage For Order, Then: Operation Mindcrime,Empire,The Warning, and the EP.

[@marcofdelos]

Mine exactly! RFO is so ahead of it's time and brilliant. RFO is their best. Screaming in digital, Neue Regal. Shits more relevant today than when released.

[@chadables1647]

Rage for Order rules...still unique after all this time

[@heygunny7969]

Thanks for this. I guess I'm one of those guys that stopped at Promised Land. After watching this, Ill give the new ones a go...time to open my mind and try and accept the new vocalist. Lets see...

[@Dehumanizer3000]

The top of my could switch around any day, one of my favorites 1. The Warning 2. Rage for order 3. Mindcrime 4. EP 5. Condition Human 6. Empire 7. The Verdict 8. Promised land 9. Queensryche (2013) 10. Tribe 11. Q2k 12. HITNF After that I have not listened to the other albums

[@bryanjacobsen5005]

I saw them just a few months ago and was very impressed with Todd's vocals. Not only can he do the Tate stuff, but he also throws a bit of Bruce Dickinson into his stylings.

[@JackieNihil]

1. Rage For Order - This perfectly sums up what Queensrÿche were all about IMO. Love this album so much. 2. EP - Would be my number one if it had been a full-length album. This is heavy metal perfection. 3. The Warning - Almost on par on RFO. The thin production drags it down a bit. I agree its importance is rarely recognized among metalheads. 4. Operation: Mindcrime - When I was younger I could never understand the hype. Once I did, I started loving it. Perhaps a bit overlong, though. 5. Condition Hüman - I was pleasantly surprised by this back in 2015. A very strong and memorable album IMO. 6. The Verdict - I felt like it was almost on par with CH, just not quite as memorable. 7. Empire - I expected more. It sounds a bit overhyped to my ears. Not bad, not great. Just average. 8. Queensrÿche - Todd's a great vocalist but the material didn't really impress me. Also not a fan of the production and mastering. It's just so-so. I haven't really listened enough to the others to have an honest opinion of them. The other albums never appealed to me, but I might have to give "Promised Land" another listen or two.

[@jnb756]

Since you and I are rarities that agree on Rage For Order as number one - if you haven't in two years given Promised Land another listen I highly recommend it. It's a hard one to get into at first but once it has its claws in you it is easily top 6 material. I go Rage number one - anything left over between EP through Promised Land 2 - 6 in any order depending on my mood that day anything else - whatever not into it. Some bands, no matter how great, only have so much to say and then sadly the record label forces crap release after crap release through the rest of the contract - made catchy and repetitive to generate sales but having no soul left in the music. I'm not saying that everything Queensryche has done since Promised Land is that way - but the two releases afterwards were so traumatic to listen to I could never go back - I will try Condition Human as you have ranked it so highly but no promises...

[@MrDuneedon]

Tate's vocals on "Revolution Calling" are just mindbogglingly good.

[@FePyroMaiden]

The Warning always has been and always will be my favorite QR album.

[@artbell259]

Ranked top 10 'end of world' discs or something, by Kerrang ! magazine, so Maiden in it's production, low concern to please the masses but does anyway

[@DetVen]

I was in the Army stationed at Fort Ord, CA 1983-86 and one of my buddies and fellow metalhead was from Seattle. He went home on leave and when he came back, he brought The Warning on cassette and played it for me...I was so blown away, it was too perfect, it was everything I loved about metal, it just resonated with me to no end and still does.

[@theaxis2000]

my top 5: Warning, Mindcrime,Verdict, Rage, Condition Human

[@angrybird32495]

I have to admit I only really listen to Operation Mindcrime, I think it’s a masterpiece...

[@williamgainford9332]

Empire is well worth a listen too - gets devalued against mindcrime which is gr8 i agree

[@scottlosey4978]

Dude, you absolutely and irrefutably MUST check out Rage For Order.....I promise that you won't be disappointed...STRAIGHT UP......as Mr Wonderful says on Shark Tank, "I forbid you not to listen to Rage For Order!" Your welcome haha, seriously, you wont be disappointed.

[@williamgainford9332]

@@scottlosey4978 il check it - out i tended to avoid their early work - ive rediscovered metal church / savatage of late - so might aswell give early ryche a chance too

[@scottlosey4978]

@@williamgainford9332 please let me know what you think.....I really think that you will enjoy.

[@williamgainford9332]

@@scottlosey4978 i will indeed - i actually seen em live in dublin in the early eighties opening for someone - i cant remember who - i was very impressed with the chainlink drum kit lol - but musically they didnt grab me till mindcrime etc - found em a bit ho hum when they were younger lol - they developed into a gr8 band

[@Danimal77]

Lastly, everyone check out Geoff's FIRST solo album from 2002 and his latest album with Sweet Oblivion, which is the best thing he's done since Promised Land. Also, his songs with Avantasia are killer!

[@Lance37a]

Mindcrime has zero filler unlike some other concept albums.

[@garyjoyce2160]

Saw them 6x in NYC / NJ area. Actually front row BEACON THEATRE 11-21-2001 was handing a drum stick from Scott Rockenfeld/ at end of show. DeGarmo was tremendous. Never same to me when he left. Just my opinion. But I did see them at IRVING plaza on 3-9-19 with FATES warning. Both were unreal. The new singer. I felt was tremendous Todd LA torre. Great show PETE.

[@jasonmarkham2592]

Awesome video, Pete. Rage of Order us my favorite Queensryche album...has my favorite track "The Whisper".

[@robbymayne6643]

I think the lineup that they have right now is superb. These last 3 albums have been refreshing to say the least

[@garryroche2984]

I remember seeing Queensryche live as a support band, early 1980s, could of been 1984 / 85. I cannot remember if they supported Dio or Iron Maiden, maybe both, but it would of been at the Liverpool Empire UK, my home City. If anyone has any details about who they supported, please let me know, I could be wrong about the main act, I saw so many bands in the 1980s..... Smile..

[@paraskevasantoniadis2617]

Thank you Pete, i am gratefull for what you are doing, your company is precious these days.I feel like we are friends, your laugh even reminds me of a friend i had back in the early eighties, he was a Skynyrd fan. By the way, when are you doing Lynyrd Skynyrd's ranking? Greetings from Greece, keep on rockin!

[@AudiophileTubes]

Great list! I'll never forget first hearing 'Queen Of The Reich' on college radio when I was a student at Seton Hall U. My roommate and I were heavily into metal (we hosted many 'metal keg parties' on weekends), and when the song came on we just looked at each other, mouth agape, in utter shock and ecstasy, and we must have said things like "Oh my fucking God" and "holy shit", etc. etc.! I still remember that day! When 'The Warning' came out, we couldn't get enough of that album! But the pinnacle moment of our lust for all things QR, was when we saw The Warning tour at a famous rock club in Brooklyn, NY called L'Amour! There were so many people packed into that club, we could hardly breathe! That show was mind blowing! The other 2 memorable shows at L'Amour were Yngwie's Rising Force (early 80's) and when Ace Frehley first played live after taking his makeup off! Man, those were the days Pete!

[@dawnthechaldean5377]

I felt the same way the first time I heard "Queen of the Reich." I still get this weird feeling when the song starts with the slow yet manic build-up until the first vocal note starts sounding. Chilling, absolutely chilling what they did back then.

[@jefftrenkle9913]

Thank You You made my day Seeing your smile holding Queenryche's The Warning I am so proud of my green eyes I love that album

[@silasrodrigues4838]

I would personally rank Promised Land way higher... It's one of my favorite ones. Seriously, like top 3

[@alexandruarnautuvraciu]

At last. 😁🤘🏻 Thank you, dude. Any chance you'll get to The King Diamond discography?

[@RonJHaggerty]

The Warning and Rage For Order are my top 2 but I'm absolutely loving the new albums with Todd singing.

[@whataboutrob442]

Those are my two favorites.

[@rhoadnaroahs]

DeGarmo was all over Hear In The NOW Frontier. He even sang lead on a track.

[@MRB16th]

The track was "All I Want", and is the only time that anyone other than Tate or La Torre has done lead vocals on a track.

[@michaelhein5455]

@@MRB16th great song and a wonderful album.

[@MRB16th]

@@michaelhein5455 DeGarmo's brief return also put Tribe up there, seeing the albums between Tribe and the downfall of Geoff Tate are dreadful.

[@diannecarpenter7718]

Thank you for your ranking Queensryche. I love your UFO shirt!! 🎤🎸🎵🥁

[@mikesheridan9306]

Hey there. Love the channel. Quick question. Do you follow Nighwish, Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil etc. I love these bands myself, love how big and epic many of their recording s are. Do you follow any of these bands? Would you consider doing a show on some on these truly underrated bands (at least in the states)? Thanks for the consideration

[@plasticposse768]

Excellent analysis, as per usual. A really underrated band.

[@zachary1966]

For me, only these from mighty Queensrÿche: 1) Rage for Order 2) EP & The Warning 3) Empire 4) Operation: Mindcrime 5) Promised Land. Cheers from Finland! 🤘🏻

[@tonyjambor1984]

The last three albums have been very good. Love The Verdict album. I feel like in time it could even be higher on my list. My Top 5 Queensryche albums 1. Operation: Mindcrime 2. Rage for Order 3. The Warning 4. Empire 5. The Verdict

[@ZillaFitness]

The Verdict is just amazing! This is my favorite band of all-time and it and I'm grateful that they came out with such a killer album almost 40 years into their existence.

[@CRITTERBUSTERS]

Love the ranking and I mostly agree with the ordering. I love Rage for the order more than Warning though. A Dokken Discography would be a great follow up to Queensryche as they were another band with a great singer and guitarist as well as being the most balanced melodic hard rock/metal band out there, enough commerciality for pop fans and enough heavy stuff for die hard metal fans.

[@carlarmou7293]

I'm with you, mate. Time for a Dokken ranking!!

[@heikoflottmann8895]

Ok I'm not Pete but I rank the Dokken Albums by myself: 11. Dysfunctional 10. Shadowlife 9. Broken bones 8.Long way home 7.Hell to pay 6. Breaking the chains 5.Lightning strikes again 4. Erase the slate 3. Under lock and key 2. Back for the attack 1.Tooth and nail

[@virtualsignals1215]

Yeah Dokken were cool mate. Bring it on!

[@eyesofnight]

Heiko Flottmann dysfunctional behind shadow life? Wow

[@dawnthechaldean5377]

@@heikoflottmann8895 There is a Top 10 Dokken Songs video on this channel. Type Dokken in the search bar on the Sea of Tranquility KZbin home page. You would like it.

[@Heavymetaleternia]

1. Operation: Mindcrime 2. Empire 3. The verdict 4. Queensryche (2013) 5. The warning 6. Rage for order 7. Queensryche EP 8. Condition: Human I don‘t like the rest of their albums and I really love the albums with Todd. They lost me after Empire and with the 2013 album they totally won me back. Those eight works I listed are all really, really great, each of them.

[@corvidcorpus548]

Would love to see you rank the albums by Clutch. Such an underrated band.

[@durbofficial]

Corvid Corpus I agree 👍🏿

[@madmaxx254]

15. Dedicated to chaos 14.Operation Mindcrime 2 13.Q2K 12.American soldier 11.Tribe 10.Hear in the now frontier 09. The Verdict 08.Queensryche w/ Todd 07.Empire 06. Promise Land 05.Queensryche,.Ep 04. Condition Human 03. The warning 02. Rage for order 01. Operation MindCrime Stay frosty 🤘

[@sadusattack2628]

I remember getting Operation:Mindcrime on cassette for Christmas when it came out! Santa was good that year!!

[@russellgentile4719]

Great ranking Pete. I think you pretty much nailed it! I remember the first time hearing them in the 80's and wow! So underrated to this day even with their acclaim for Empire. Operation Mindcrime has to be one of the top rock albums of all time.

[@mjnation7876]

I love Promised Land. That album, The Warning, and Rage For Order fight for my number 3 spot. But yeah, Empire (first album I heard from them) and Operation Mindcrime are my favorites.

[@robertspreitzer8126]

Yup totally agree with your top 5...seen these guys 3 times it’s the only concert my ears have ever rang after a show, when Geoff Tate came out singing Resistance on the Empire tour just one of the best things I’ve ever experienced. My first encounter with Queensryche is when I was in a music store called Musicland back in the 80s I saw a poster of these guys on the wall for their Rage for Order album they were dressed like vampires I had to check them out I’ve been a huge fan ever since.

[@srobbins1973]

Great list, thanks Pete

[@jubileetwist]

I have a special love for Rage for Order. And really, all the older stuff. They still blow me away all these years later. The flipside is I've seen the new QR twice and they've rocked! Love the old and digging the new! Win-win!

[@Vimana]

Everything Queensrÿche made between 1983 and 1994 was good or absolutely fantastic. I just have to mention something about Rage For Order. It's definitely my favourite. It always puzzles me a bit when that album doesn't end up being in the top three. There's much more to Rage For Order than those people seem to think. Some of the songs are clearly among the most progressive they've ever made. IMHO the best songs on the album are "Neue Regel" and especially "Screaming In Digital" and "I Will Remember". There's so much depth to them. It feels like the album is slowly building towards those two songs to end the album.

[@duh50360]

Thank God you put OM at number one. I’ve heard so many people wanting to hate on it, telling me why it sucks. Whatever. I never listened to those people. Your ranking is pretty much spot on the way I would rank them. Well done. 👍👍👍

[@mahogany174]

I recall an interview with Bruce Dickinson when Operation Mindcrime came out saying that when he heard it his first thought was ‘Wow, we (Maiden) really need to up our game!’ Silent Lucidity is my funeral song!

[@dreamblack1124]

I always loved “Hear in the now frontier”

[@gregsoccult]

I've watched a few of your ranking videos and your perspective is usually 100% in agreement with my own. I could not get into post DeGarmo Queensryche. But when I heard there was a new album out in 2018 I thought "Sure, WTF." But The Verdict totally blew my socks off! According to Spotify it was my #1 album of 2019! The band is clearly enjoying making the music they want to make again, and I bloody love it!!!

[@seamus2112ophelan]

Even more impressive that Todd did the drums too.

[@arongamman9360]

I was blown away with Operation: Mindcrime when I heard "Suite Sister Mary" on the radio and liked the singles off Empire, but that was as far as I ever went with the band. I watched one of Tate's live versions of Empire in 2021 on KZbin, so Google sent me here. I'm wondering what might be worth going back to. Not much I'm listening to that's new really speaks to me. Thanks, Pete!

[@chadho54]

saw'em open up for Scorpions a few yr ago. overall Incredible concert but Queensryche sounded great!

[@mikeseymour5398]

I saw that tour Queensryche was with KISS I ran into Michael Wilton the day of the show at RadioShack he was buying batteries for his cordless in Columbus Ohio

[@mattyboywalker9094]

The first few up to empire. But I think the warning and operation are my favs . Some of the later stuff before Tate left is not to bad like American soldier I didn't mind that album infact I think I saw them just before that came out . I've only ever seen them once they were on before Judas priest they put on a great show and yes they played less of the older material but I guess they were doing what suited Tate's voice at the time. I like the first two with the new singer to haven't heard the recent one yet .

[@damiankarras]

Promised Land was their highest charting album at #3 and was certified platinum. And I hear the tour was THE tour to see.

[@johnpost5133]

Thanks Pete! Great review as always. I am now going to check out all the stuff after Mindcrime.....

[@GLomaxUSA]

Very nice video. You did mention Fates Warning. Interested in your assembly. If you choose to also assemble full production concept albums. Mindcrime, Abigail, Shades of Grey, ... or even. Give your take on what albums you start with. Then assemble. Hmmm. I wonder if your list would contain Gloryhalastupid by Parliment or Commitment by Seal?

[@VegasAlien1]

I briefly owned Scott's Condition Human tour kit, a Pearl Masters Maple complete with rack and Paiste cymbals. All drums were signed inside, as were the cymbals. I passed it along to a guy who is a massive Queensryche fan and who drove a very long way to pick it up. It was cool to be a steward of what may be his last tour kit with the band.

[@toraxic]

Predictable ranking. I find there are 2 different types of Queensrÿche fans: the ones who love the traditional metal stylings of Warning and Operation Mindcrime (who are mostly loving the new albums), and the ones who mainly appreciated the versatility and sophisticated melodicism of Rage for Order, Empire and Promised Land. Hear in the Now Frontier is a criminally underrated album. Inconsistent but great songwriting and lyrics (particularly Sign of the Times, Some People Can Fly, and spOOl). Even Q2K and especially Tribe had their fair share of great songs. Everything after that was a severe dip in quality but there were still a few highlights in O:M II and American Soldier. The less said about Dedicated to Chaos and Frequency Unknown the better, however. When Todd took over, there was some semblance of life in the self-titled, but afterwards the songwriting became more "metal" and modern, and lost the originality and character that the band was known for. In many ways, it feels like the band regressed to a safe conventional musical level, and the new releases are chock-full of pentatonic triplets and derivative Maidenesque riffs. There are some good rhythmic and production ideas, but very little originality. Objectively, no two albums were the same while the band was running on full steam in the 80s and 90s. Now, they are mining the same sound for the last couple of albums and while superficially satisfying, the melodies are simply not as memorable as they were in their heyday (arguably 1986-1994). In terms of identity, it is simply not the same band since DeGarmo, and arguably since Tate, exited. I might be in the minority, but they really shouldn't be using the same moniker at this point. Just my 2 cents.

[@michaelhein5455]

Very much agree with your assessment. I like the late 90s, early 2000s much more than almost everyone. Martin Popoff and I also appreciate Frequency Unknown. Hated Dedicated to Chaos but enjoy the Operation:Mindcrime albums. The Todd version is self-plagarism and generic.

[@SithTracy]

I just spun up some of the new Queensryche on Spotify yesterday... liked it. Agree with your top 5 and of course the #1 - Mind Crime... one of my must haves if I was stranded on a desert island.

[@themadmattster9647]

Since I was a kid I considered the EP their "debut" album. Just because it's so unique and stands out even for an EP.

[@kevinbrown1893]

1. Operation: Mindcrime (1988) 2. The Warning/EP (1984/1983) 3. Rage for Order (1986) 4. Promised Land (1994) 5. Empire (1990) 6. Digital Noise Alliance (2022) 7. Condition Human (2015) 8. The Verdict (2019) 9. Queensryche (2013) 10. Operation: Mindcrime II (2006) 11. Take Cover (2007) 12. Hear In The Now Frontier (1997) 13. Frequency Unknown (2013) 14. Tribe (2003) 15. Q2k (1999) 16. American Soldier (2009) 17. Dedicated to Chaos (2011)

[@danohstoolbox]

Good morning pete this is going to be a good one

[@glts8146]

I was HYPED for this video let’s gooo

[@judaspriest1071]

My 5 Top Studio albums: Queensryche 1. Operation Mindcrime 2. Empire 3. Rage for order 4. The Warning 5. Operation Mindcrime II

[@leifsiklossy6548]

I love the vocal delivery of the Queensrÿche catalog. I’m partial to Operation: Mindcrime for the strange and compelling story. Queensrÿche top albums 1. Operation: Mindcrime 2. The Warning 3. Rage for Order 4. Empire 5. The Verdict 6. Condition Human 7. The Promised Land

[@cartermlb]

Thanks for getting me into Queensryche a few years back Pete. Bellevue, WA is a great city with an underrated shopping centre. #PetePardoNation #PetePardoArmy #BigMeatPete#SplashYourSeaOfTranquilityAllOverMyFace #BigPP#PeteyThePlatypus #OfficerPP

[@JosephFrancisBurton]

Thank you for including their early EP. You are right - great memories!

[@jcw91371]

"Rage" was the most unique hard rock record I had ever heard. The Maiden influences so prevalent on the previous recordings were straight-up GONE and they had finally hit on THEIR sound as a band. The brilliance of that album and its status as Headphone Champion of the mid eighties remains untouched.

[@gullscomic]

Agreed. The EP was good, but it was copycat. Rage was purely THEM. That's why it's my fav.

[@jcw91371]

@@gullscomic Did "Empire" make you want to kick puppies?

[@jcw91371]

@@gullscomic "I Dream In Infrared" is the strongest, most emotionally charged and intelligently executed expression of heartache that you will find on a mid eighties hard rock record.

[@darkhymnsfromthecoldnorth]

I go back and forth with the Todd stuff, but he is a great singer. Also, you HAVE to include the EP. Its possibly the greatest of all time. Great job, brother.

[@acidarrow]

Pretty much agree with the list, I remember getting Hear in the Now Frontier and actually liking the first track but after there was just nothing. Gave up on them after Tribe even though it wasn't too bad but they have really pulled it out the bag since re-inventing themselves with Todd. Off topic but in terms of "80's" bands trying to adapt to the 90s I think some of the best examples are - Warrant - Ultraphobic Poison - Native Tongue Winger - Pull Any others? Edit - I spelt Poison wrong - duh!

[@GRKMetalHead]

I love the last 3 albums that came out classic Ryche with a modern touch.

[@darkclawsdomain7148]

Great video. I recently finished listening to all of the albums they put out, which I have to say was a hell of an undertaking because there was so much material to go around, so it's nice to hear what others have to say about each album with that perspective in mind. This is where I would rank these albums, which a couple of those positions may surprise others. I will be including Frequency Unknown on this one despite the fact it technically isn't Queensryche. 15. Dedicated to Chaos 14. American Soldier 13. Operation Mindcrime II 12. Frequency Unknown 11. Q2K 10. The Warning 9. Hear In The Now Frontier 8. Queensryche (2013) 7. Promised Land 6. Tribe 5. The Verdict 4. Condition Human 3. Rage for Order 2. Empire 1. Operation Mindcrime (One of the best damn albums ever made in my opinion.)

[@bcim]

Spot on, Pete! Great ranking!!!

[@deanmentjes7774]

1. Operation Mindcrime 2. Empire 3. Promised Land I own pretty much all of the Queensryche CD's and still occasionally spin some of the others, but those three are three of my top favorite albums by any bands, ever, and I keep returning to them year after year.

[@ryanpigott6197]

1.Operation:Mindcrime 2.Empire 3.The Warning 4.Queensrÿche-EP 5.Condition Hüman 6.The Verdict 7.Rage For Order 8.Queensrÿche 9.Tribe 10.Promised Land 11.Here In The Now Frontier 12.Operation:Mindcrime II 13.Q2K 14.American Soldier 15.Dedicated To Chaos

[@treffbennett6534]

Heavy and powerful, melodic and creative, fiercely intelligent and independent-Queensryche ticks all the boxes, and features probably the most gifted vocalist in the hard rock world.....Queen Of The Ryche announced the coming of a very special band, and they certainly lived up to it! 1.Operation Mindcrime (musical, lyrical, and vocal brilliance-undisputed masterpiece!) 2.Empire (a lot to like here, with strong songs all over the album, stellar production and title song monumental.) 3.Rage For Order (taking creative chances here with exotic textures and a musical rainbow of flavors-dig Walk In The Shadows, I Dream In Infrared and Screaming In Digital.....this is headphone music!) 4.Promised Land (under the radar-but really tight songwriting and playing. Still classic Queensryche!) 5.Hear In The Now Frontier (Great title! I played this a lot and it's got Chris DeGarmo writing many songs, so you know high class tunes abound.) 6.Q2K (Now the quality of songwriting dips, I did find enough to like on it, but this was stumble before the fall.) 7.The Warning (really disappointed my buds and I with mediocre production, guitars are buried in the mix, and sameness to pacing and chord structures, and finally-not very heavy. After hearing the e.p we were expecting something magical-this ain't it!) Have yet to play the Tribe album, as I've been sitting on it all these years because I think it is gonna suck balls. The current albums with Todd LaTorre are all stellar, and represent the real Queensryche in all its glory-just an amazing comeback and similar to what Black Star Riders have done with Thin Lizzy legacy. Didn't rate LaTorre output but I play the hell out of all three! It got real ugly with Tate's antics vs. rest of band, but this current Queensryche lineup is hitting line shots all over the park-ON POINT!

[@christopherkamer3262]

1.Rage for Order 2.Operation Mindcrime 3.The Warning 4.Empire 5.Self titled EP

[@ryanday633]

I completely agree with this ranking. The only thing I would change is I'd put Q2K before Hear In The Now Frontier. After another listen to Q2K from the first time I got it in 2000 in think, it was horrible but I put in the old cd player recently and kinda dug it. There are some good sounds on that album. Tribe was a good effort but a commercial failure. Operation Mindcrime is there best. Honest opinion...they should have called it quits after Promised Land.

[@MRB16th]

I don't know about calling it quits, but I would have given Geoff Tate his marching orders (saving a lot of trouble years later) and told him "Thanks for everything, but we're looking at the future." I have to ask, who would have replaced Tate in the mid-90s?

[@rayhollingshad3580]

Great ranking job Pete! Love Queensryche!