Q2K

Q2K is a work on which Queensrÿche, while restraining its native complex progressiveness a little, presents its singing and riffs in a more direct rock form. It is the first studio album after the departure of the great guitarist Chris DeGarmo, who long supported the band, welcoming Kelly Gray on guitar. Hard guitar and a dark, heavy mood remain, yet the songs became more compact, and Geoff Tate’s vocal expression comes to the fore more than before. From the powerful drive of the opener “Falling Down” and the drama of “Sacred Ground” to a cut like “Breakdown,” the songs hold appeal as heavy, introspective rock, while cuts like “Liquid Sky” and “One Life” convey a new side of the band. Amid the great change of DeGarmo’s absence, the band’s searching figure can be seen. A record on which the band’s figure earnestly seeking a new musical balance, rather than tracing the same path as past masterpieces, can be clearly seen. Content a little distanced from the epic bent of progressive metal, yet heard as heavy, introspective hard rock, its own appeal emerges. Announcing the start of a new era for the band, it is an ambitious work.