QUEENSRŸCHE – Condition Hüman

After many a release that could not excite, finally the mighty Queensrÿche can again expect some fans to eagerly await Condition Hüman because the return in form of their self titled album with new fronter Todd LaTorre was finally a silver lining on the dark sky that was Queensrÿche’s albums since the turn of the millennium. On top of that, performances like this year’s gig at Germany’s Bang Your Head festival solidified the impression that the guys want to go back to what formerly Seattle’s finest were so great at: powerful, progressive, melodic heavy metal. So the big question is: can they meet the expectations they have raised?

Yes, they can. Condition Hüman is their best album since Promised Land and may well fare under the Queensrÿche banner. There are many similarities to the original style and sound, but even though the musicians are looking back and LaTorre sounds very close to the young Geoff Tate, the album is still not merely a revisiting of 80’s. Modern sound and some crunching, un-QR riffing make sure that the listener cannot reduce the band to being their own cover band. That being said it also means that not every song hits the nail right on the head. “Selfish Lives” or “Hourglass” make sure one does not forget that not only Tate is to blame for the last releases before the split. But “Arrow Of Time,” the title track and “All There Was” are clear indications that Queensrÿche has found an old pair of tracks that can still carry them well into the future. Recommended!