Track Listing
1. I remember now 2. Anarchy-X 3. Revolution calling 4. Operation: Mindcrime 5. Speak 6. Spreading the disease 7. The Mission 8. Suite sister Mary 9. The needle lies 10. Electric requiem 11. Breaking the silence 12. I don't believe in love 13. Waiting for 22 14. My empty room 15. Eyes of a stranger Year: 1988 Label: EMI - Official Site |
Queensr�che - 'Operation: Mindcrime' - By J. Korkiam�ki
After The Warning and the first truly progressive metal album, the atmospheric and beautiful Rage For Order, Queensr�che continued by combining both of their earlier NWOBHM and prog styles and the result was the concept album Operation: Mindcrime, a 15 track album including beautiful melodies, crunching riffs, fantastic vocal lines, the best bass lines the band has ever done and the always so flawless drum work by Scott Rockenfield. The songs� length varies from one minute to ten minutes, every song being a part of a sick story. Yes, Operation: Mindcrime is indeed a love story between a slightly schizophrenic young man Nikki and a former hooker, now a nun and a female spokesman for a underground democratic organization, Mary. Nikki is able to do many things, but one thing he�s never done and in his mind, he�ll never do; is fire a gun. He finally meets a mysterious old man called Dr. X, who "shows him the cure" and trains him to be a freedom fighter by injecting a needleful of crap into him. After that, Nikki is no longer a man, he�s a cold blooded war machine, who can snap hearing just one word: mindcrime. Everything goes fine for a while, Nikki does all the things Dr. X wants him to, and the society is starting to collapse. Also then the organization led by Mary rises, and with no surprise, the next who should be killed by Nikki is his only friend, the only woman he has ever loved, Mary. Nikki does kill Father William, the priest in the same church Mary works in as a nun, but can�t kill Mary...or so he thinks. He goes back to Dr. X and screams how he wants out, and gives up the needle that once made him what he is. He goes back to the church and finds Mary, strangled with her own rosary. Nikki tries to run, but gets caught. He lies alone in his room in the sanitarium, and declares he�s never believed in love. He sees Mary everywhere. Finally, the words that come out of Nikki�s mouth, as he stares at the ceiling of his room, are "I remember now". That sentence ends the album, and that�s also is the name of the intro, where the sentence is also heard. The story leaves much to ponder after it�s over, and is definitely one of the best stories I�ve ever heard, anywhere. It�s also against society, but hey, so am I. Heh. Musically, Operation: Mindcrime is incredible. The music itself is fantastic, and Geoff Tate is a great vocalist, also a great storyteller. His role as Nikki is schizophrenic, it�s crazy, it�s absolutely marvelous. Geoff can change his voice from very relaxed state of mind, a ballad-like humming to a painful, insane scream, as can be heard in "My Empty Room". Several songs are the best that the band has ever wrote; "Spreading The Disease" is incredible and the ten minute "Suite Sister Mary" is neat with the monk chant and the fabulous female vocals by Pamela Moore. The total mosher of the album, "The Needle Lies" is great, the ballad "I Don�t Believe In Love" is beautiful and full of emotion. The final song, "Eyes Of The Stranger", is definitely the band�s best song ever and one of the songs I would count in if I were to make a compilation of the best heavy metal songs of all time. Operation: Mindcrime is overall a perfect album. Stratovarius and Edguy, who have clearly stolen some elements from the album, would have lots of work to do, before they can even do one album, that is even near this records�s greatness. A great story and great songs combine into one uplifting package. I just wish the band had realized what they had, and not take the downhill slide with the latest albums. Metal Obsessive Grade: 100% |