No sense in lying to you or to myself. It hurts when a band that meant so much in your younger years seems to have completely turned tail and run on the sound that undeniably both made them a household name in the cottage industry of metal but endeared them to yourself and others
in the process.

For me, one of “those” bands was QUEENSRŸCHE. And I couldn’t care less about the legal battles, all of that, so if you want to rehash something that’s been decided (at least by the courts) long ago, might as well go somewhere else. I’d hung on through the wavering Promised Land due to the majority of the album still having the by-then almost patented sound with light prog tinges and enough of a punch to still sometimes be called metal, but by 1997’s Hear In The Now Frontier, the band was done for. Founding guitarist Chris DeGarmo was clearly past the point of caring, Geoff Tate was simply not up to par, or even he was dialing it in, and the result would’ve been laughable were it not so damaging to the band’s legacy.

And thus, did I depart, even skipping on the much-ballyhooed sequel to “That Album”, so Digital Noise Alliance is my first listen to a note of post-Tate music from this band, still surprisingly consisting of 2 original members. The first thing that hits me with opener ‘In Extremis’ is that Todd LaTorre is very much his own singer, thus wiping away any comparison I might’ve been prepared to make. So, I won’t. More naturally baritone, but still able to reach for the high notes as an accent, his vocals feel…comfortable inhabiting their space in this band circa 2022. Man’s had 10 years to sing with Michael Wilton and Eddie Jackson, and a few decades of listening before, so he damn well should.

Musically, ‘Chapters’ revisits the Empire era to my ears, mid-paced but forward moving and fresh, drummer Casey Grillo (ex-KAMELOT) equally at home behind the kit, injecting an energy that had definitely been missing there the last time I gave the quintet an honest spin.

Ridiculous title aside, ‘Sicdeth’ is bloody impressive, passionate and reminiscent of many of the bands that came along later, upping the ante and often surpassing their predecessors, while ‘Nocturnal Light’ trips and tumbles largely due to the strange and excessive multi-tracking on the vocals and DEF LEPPARD drum sound straight outta 1988. Even without those, though, the song wanders, never really seeming to reach its destination.

I believe ‘Out Of The Black’ might be a grower for me, but it certainly lifts us back on our feet, and for that I’m thankful. I’d been wondering when the ballad would show up, and ‘Forest’ is good for what it is, enough sugary sweetness to require an insulin drip, but without much direction either. Elements of KING’S X harmonies are sought, which is normally a selling point for me, but this is just. Too. Much.

Finale ‘Tormentum’ shall be my final mention and, at over 7 minutes long, I’m bloody curious to see what QUEENSRŸCHE does with that kind of time. Gritty and vocally biting, this is truly the five firing on all cylinders, guitarist Mike Stone providing a vibrant foil for Michael Wilton, and enough dramatic elements to make this old-school fan see this as a band stretching itself to see what’s possible in this incarnation. Staccato guitars, subdued choral vocals, peaks and valleys at least attempted and sometimes attained…

At eleven songs and just shy of an hour’s playing time, there are bound to be flaws, songs that probably shouldn’t have made the cut. But the most important thing to my ears is that what I’m hearing isn’t the sound of a band trying to reclaim fallen crowns. Digital Noise Alliance is the sound of a band, finally again, in search of new frontiers. Here’s hoping they find them.
Review By: Lord Randall

QUEENSRŸCHE
Digital Noise Alliance
Century Media
3.5 / 6