GEOFF TATE
"KINGS AND THIEVES"
Geoff Tate, the former
voice of Queensrÿche, waspunted from his band in a coup last year after
years of tension within the band ranks.
This solo album was a
bit of a surprise, far better than Tate's first self-titled solo release from a
decade ago, and his songwriting doesn't seem to have suffered much from all of
the drama during the band breakup.
Is it classic
Queensryche?
No, but it's really not intended to be either. There is a lot of
exploration on this album, but that works here, as Tate has crafted a
collection of interesting and surprisingly focused songs that don't stretch out
too far but still explore new boundaries of his musical spectrum. There are
songs with deep grooves and others with an almost bluesy funky sound.
Kings and Thieves is
actually a decent album that equals some of Queensrÿche's post-Empire output.
There are missteps-
Tate tries to rap on one songs which makes for some painful minutes, and the
lyrics are sophomoric at times, but the album rewards repeated listens due to its
certain quality of songwriting and musicianship.
DARK MONEY
DON'T FORGET....
.jpeg)
Cool blogpost! Nice choice for Q.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by!
DeleteI'll have to listen to some of it on iTunes. Shame the band ended that way. They were basically done anyway but Geoff made it ugly.
ReplyDeleteAlex-there is a Geoff Tate Queensryche album coming out this Tuesday (4/23), with a Todd La Torre album out in June.
DeleteWhat happens if both incarnations of the band are in town the same night?
Ha Queensryche was my second choice! Good post.
ReplyDeleteOf course! It's "queen" with more letters!
DeleteI listened to the song that you posted. Not really my cup of tea, but hey... I am not going to like EVERYTHING;)
ReplyDeleteNot many choices for Q, Robin!
DeleteI wasn't really into Queensryche, other than knowing a few of their songs. Now I'm curious about what this breakup was. I might have to go check that out.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of funny when they make a big deal of breaking up so many years past their prime...
DeleteWhat the... How can Queensrÿche exist without THAT voice? :)
ReplyDeleteFinally a band I know...even if I didn't know the name Geoff Tate and haven't heard his new stuff :)
Except now I'm realising that I have in fact listen to one of his songs (Last.fm is useful for keeping track of these things).
ReplyDelete