ROCKET REVIEW: OPERATION: MINDCRIME – “Resurrection” (CD)

Legendary ex-Queensrÿche vocalist Geoff Tate has somehow stood the test of time and today sounds better than ever. The iconic metal vocalist – at age 57 – delivers an absolutely masterful singing performance on the second album from his current band project OPERATION: MINDCRIME, entitled “Resurrection”. The collection of progressive metal rockers impressed me way more than I thought they ever could. Released this month via Frontiers Music, this gem will certainly go down as one of Tate’s crowning achievements. I never thought he had another one in him. Not only was I wrong, but I will go on the record to state that this is one of my favorites of 2016.

After all the turmoil that has happened between Tate and his former band in recent years it’s safe to say that he’s now well beyond all of that drama, and the man is going to simply let his work do the talking. Why not prove the people wrong who have doubted the artistic choices he makes as of late by throwing it all back into their faces? I have read some reviews at other sites that feel he is trying too hard. I laugh at these morons. Trying too hard to kick the listener in the ass with well written music maybe, yes… but let me point blank about something… when it comes to writing these kind of seriously deep and layered songs, nobody does it better than the dude who helped take Queensrÿche to the top in the first place, got it? It’s more than obvious Tate’s songwriting and incredible vocal prowess are still in excellent form. Sure, maybe he doesn’t have quite the ‘raw power’ or ‘range’ in his pipes like he did in his more youthful days – as he showcased on the original classic ‘Mindcrime’ album. Nonetheless, “Resurrection”, part two of the musical trilogy that began with their debut studio effort “The Key” in 2015, is without a doubt Tate in his finest hour.

I feel it not only blows away his old band’s latest studio effort, “Condition Hüman”, which was released last year to rave reviews itself, but I think it propels him further ahead in terms of overall legacy in music than even the years he fronted Queensrÿche. Tate hits the mark on each of the album’s fourteen tracks with a fully committed, steady as it goes performance, that only someone with tremendous focus and discipline for his craft at this point in their career could manage to pull off. The man is nearly 60 years old and he sounds half his age. Let me go even one further and thank him from the bottom of my heart for stepping up when the pressure was on and turning in some of his best work ever. The album’s title track kicks it all off and is followed next by “When All Falls Away”, a winner that sounds totally moody, dark and haunting. The momentum only picks up with “A Moment In Time”, and “Through the Noize”. However, the David Bowie-ish “Left For Dead” and “Miles Away” are out of this world good. ‘All of you lost in yourself’, Tate sings on track seven’s powerfully crafted “Healing My Wounds”. There’s obviously some intense subject matter that mirrors his real life. “The Fight” is a perfect example. Track nine’s “Taking On The World” features guest appearances by Tim “Ripper” Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) and Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE). Let me not forget to mention the awesome guitar playing by Kelly Gray, along with the killer drumming by Simon Wright and wicked jamming on the keys by Randy Gane on this hard hitter and the next cut “Invincible”, which is pound for pound one of the best songs I’ve heard this year. This is followed by “A Smear Campaign”, that starts off with the fastest tempo and heaviest sounding rhythm out of the collection. My personal favorite though is “Which Side You’re On”. It all concludes with the last two rockers “Into The Hands Of The World” and “Live From My Machine”. Any fan of old school Queensrÿche will want to add this album to your collection. You will not be disappointed.

ROCKET REVIEW:

OPERATION: MINDCRIME – “Resurrection” (CD)
(Frontiers Music Srl/2016)

1. Resurrection
2. When All Falls Away
3. A Moment In Time
4. Through the Noize
5. Left For Dead
6. Miles Away
7. Healing My Wounds
8. The Fight
9. Taking On The World
10. Invincible
11. A Smear Campaign
12. Which Side You’re On
13. Into The Hands Of The World
14. Live From My Machine

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