American Soldier

American Soldier is an ambitious concept album on which Queensrÿche places the experiences and feelings of real soldiers as its theme, pulling them into a highly narrative rock work. Made based on interviews with veterans, including Geoff Tate’s own father, heavy riffs and restrained, deep singing draw extremely carefully the taut tension between the battlefield and daily life. From the weight of the opener “Sliver” and the drama of “Unafraid” to a cut like “Hundred Mile Stare,” the songs, while treating the great theme of war, always focus on the raw emotion of individual soldiers, while cuts like “The Killer,” “Man Down!” and “A Dead Man’s Words” deeply convey the work’s heavy thematics. Its multi-angled construction, such as a song from a girl’s viewpoint, is also striking. Its great value lies in deeply drawing close to the personal emotions and stories of the people living there, rather than loudly condemning the extremely heavy, serious social theme of war. Beautifully binding a social viewpoint and melodic, dramatic expression, it is a deeply thought-provoking, engaging concept work — a record showing the band’s maturity.