Empire

Empire is a work marking Queensrÿche’s commercial peak, beautifully binding complex, high playing technique to memorable vocal melody and dramatic construction. It pulls precise playing, widely open melody and a social viewpoint together in extremely good balance, bringing progressive ambition to fruition as large songs that reach a wider audience. A record on which the band reached the peak of its career in name and substance. From the grandeur of the beautiful ballad smash “Silent Lucidity” and the powerful “Jet City Woman” to the aggression of the title track “Empire,” every song boasts high polish, while the lyricism of “Another Rainy Night (Without You)” and a cut like “Best I Can” convey the work’s wide appeal. “Silent Lucidity,” with orchestra introduced, was Grammy-nominated. Each part moves independently yet, never competing for the spotlight, creates the whole song’s large flow. Its power lies in how the splendid contrast of quiet space and dense phases gives even long songs a clear, rich breath. Uniting technique and popular appeal at the highest possible level, it is a masterpiece of the mature period.