Artist: QUEENSRYCHE
Album: EMPIRE REMASTERED (CD)

Release date: 1990/ 2003
EAN/UPS: 724358107029
Media type: CD

Recorded at Vancouver Studios, Vancouver, Canada and Triad Studios, Redmond, Washington in 1990. Originally released on EMI (92806). Includes liner notes by Paul Suter.

This is part of EMI Records "Queensryche Remastered" series.

With the breakthrough success and worldwide respect that Queensryche gained from their conceptual masterpiece OPERATION: MINDCRIME, how could the band possibly outdo or at the least match themselves? Just two years after the release of MINDCRIME Queensryche reinvented themselves (though certainly not for the last time). While many fans were clamoring for a conceptual sequel, the band returned to a song-oriented approach that was more art rock and less metal-edged.

Now quite far removed from the fantasy and techno-paranoia lyrical themes of their earlier works, the band tackled overcoming social and physical handicaps ("Best I Can"), poverty, and regret ("Della Brown"). Focused much less on the darker side of love that was always so prevalent in their sound, the band was now brave enough to be romantic ("Another Rainy Night" and "Hand On Heart"). While Queensryche lost some diehard metal fans with EMPIRE, the mature sound and tight production of Peter Collins (Rush) saw the band break into the mainstream (and top off at #9 on the Billboard singles chart) with the Pink Floyd-inspired "Silent Lucidity."

TRACKLIST:

1. Best I Can
2. Thin Line, The
3. Jet City Woman
4. Della Brown
5. Another Rainy Night (Without You)
6. Empire
7. Resistance
8. Silent Lucidity
9. Hand On Heart
10. One And Only
11. Anybody Listening?
12. Last Time In Paris - (bonus track)
13. Scarborough Fair - (CD single track, bonus track)
14. Dirty Lil Secret - (CD single track, bonus track)

LINE-UP:

Eddie Jackson - electric bass, fretless basss, background vocals
Geoff Tate - vocals, keyboards
Michael Wilton - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar
Scott Rockenfield - drums, percussion
Chris DeGarmo - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, keyboards, background vocals

Also: Michael Kamen