After the breakthrough success and worldwide respect that Queensrÿche gained from their conceptual masterpiece Operation: Mindcrime, it was a fair assumption that they couldn't possibly outdo or perhaps even match themselves.
Empire, released just two years after that watermark, reveals that Queensrÿche reinvented themselves (though certainly not for the last time).
While many fans were clamoring for a conceptual sequel, the band offers a song-oriented approach that is more art rock and less metal (though Empire does rock hard in places).
Far removed from the fantasy and techno-paranoiac themes of Operation: Mindcrime, the lyrics tackle social and physical handicaps ("Best I Can") and issues such as poverty and regret ("Della Brown").
Geoff Tate, Chris DeGarmo, and company focused much less on the darker side of love so prevalent in their earlier sound, and looked at romance head on with "Another Rainy Night" and "Hand on Heart." While Queensrÿche lost some die-hard metal fans with Empire, the mature sound and tight production of Peter Collins (Rush) saw the band break into the mainstream and hit number nine on the Billboard singles chart with the Pink Floyd-inspired power ballad "Silent Lucidity," which has remained one of the band's set standbys into the 21st century.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best I CanChris DeGarmo | Queensrÿche | Play | 05:34 | 12 MB | 41 MB |
| 2 | The Thin LineChris DeGarmo, Geoff Tate, Michael Wilton | Queensrÿche | Play | 05:42 | 13 MB | 43 MB |
| 3 | Jet City WomanGeoff Tate | Queensrÿche | Play | 05:21 | 12 MB | 42 MB |
| 4 | Della BrownChris DeGarmo, Scott Rockenfield, Geoff Tate | Queensrÿche | Play | 07:04 | 16 MB | 51 MB |
| 5 | Another Rainy Night (Without You)Chris DeGarmo, Eddie Jackson, Geoff Tate | Queensrÿche | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 35 MB |
| 6 | EmpireGeoff Tate, Dean Wilson | Queensrÿche | Play | 05:24 | 12 MB | 42 MB |
| 7 | ResistanceGeoff Tate, Michael Wilton | Queensrÿche | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 37 MB |
| 8 | Silent LucidityChris DeGarmo | Queensrÿche | Play | 05:47 | 13 MB | 40 MB |
| 9 | Hand on HeartChris DeGarmo, Geoff Tate, Michael Wilton | Queensrÿche | Play | 05:33 | 12 MB | 43 MB |
| 10 | One and OnlyChris DeGarmo, Michael Wilton | Queensrÿche | Play | 05:54 | 13 MB | 45 MB |
| 11 | Anybody Listening | Queensryche | Play | 07:59 | 18 MB | 53 MB |
| 12 | Last Time In Paris | Queensryche | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 13 | Scarborough Fair | Queensryche | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 14 | Dirty Lil Secret | Queensryche | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 32 MB |
| 75 mins | 173 MB | |||||
| 75 mins | 568 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Barton | Engineer |
| 2 | Peter Collins | Producer |
| 3 | Chris DeGarmo | 6-String Electric Bass, 12-String Bass Guitar, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (12 String), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Eddie Jackson | Composer, Vocals (Background) |
| 5 | Michael Kamen | Guest Artist |
| 6 | Paul Northfield | Engineer |
| 7 | Queensrÿche | Primary Artist |
| 8 | Scott Rockenfield | Composer, Drums, Percussion |
| 9 | Geoff Tate | Composer, Keyboards, Vocals, Voices |
| 10 | Dean Wilson | Composer |
| 11 | Michael Wilton | 6-String Electric Bass, 12-String Bass Guitar, Composer, Fretless Bass, Guitar, Guitar (12 String), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |