Queensrÿche – Tribe

I am glad that I am not the only one who asks for a vinyl pressing for this incredible album.
As many fans did, haven't listened anything beyond Promised Land. Had a very brief listening when OM II was released but due to the luck of a song that could capture my attention I soon forgot it.
I realized back in 2019, after a meet & greet with the band Todd La Torre has assumed vocals, that I have not spent a single second listening to those albums: Hear In, Q2k, Tribe.
I regret not listening back when they were released. Each album is a step forward for this incredibly innovative band

One of the many albums I wish would get a vinyl release.

Like I suspect it is for all Queensrÿche fans, my favorite albums of this once incomparable progressive metal band, that Bruce Dickinson at one time was jealous of, are the recordings they released between 1983’s EP and 1994’s “Promised Land”. I stopped listening to them when they made “Hear in the Now Frontier” and when I briefly checked out “Operation: Mindcrime II”, I was sure my decision had been the right one. However, the buzz created by the positive reactions to their albums with new singer Todd La Torre as well as Geoff Tate’s Sweet Oblivion project encouraged me to explore the lesser known and not so cherished works of my once beloved band. I wasn’t expecting to hear much that’s worth mentioning to anyone, let alone write a review of to recommend it to other fans, but “Tribe” inspired me to do just that. It was a welcome return to form after a couple of lackluster albums and it’s a shame this record wasn’t released by a bigger label that would have promoted it better, because I feel it could have done for Queensrÿche what “Brave New World” did for Iron Maiden.

The record’s track list is a good mix of songs displaying the different styles Queensrÿche used successfully in their past but also includes some contemporary ones. “The Great Divide” and “Rhythm of Hope” feel like 21st century versions of the melodic songs on “Empire”. “Desert Dance”, “Blood” and “The Art of Life” are more progressive and, to me at least, seem like an evolution of the kind of music they made in the 80s. “Falling Behind” and “Doin’ Fine” are similar to the modest tracks on “Promised Land” and “Open” and “Tribe” are Nu metal songs, which was a popular genre at the time, showing a younger generation Queensrÿche were still relevant. True to form for the “Thinking Man’s Metal Band”, most have deep, meaningful lyrics and the general theme of the album is the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, that took place about a year and a half before. The one track I feel is a little bit out of place on “Tribe” is “Losing Myself”, which is kind of an upbeat love song, that has a very different feel from the darker, more serious tone of the others. Perhaps coincidentally, this is also the only contribution from an outside writer, or at least a non-fulltime member of the band. A practice which, sadly, would become much too common on subsequent releases.

In my opinion, this was the last really good Queensrÿche album and nothing they released afterwards even came close until they made their self-titled one a decade later. That obviously doesn’t have contributions by Chris DeGarmo or Geoff Tate on it so, since it’s the last record the original band worked on together, “Tribe” represents the end of an era for them. Of course the hard rock and metal worlds have seen a few unlikely reunions these past few years, but if we really are never to get another t release by the original Queensrÿche , I’m glad Chris DeGarmo’s partial return means it’s “Tribe” and not the more grungy “Hear in the Now Frontier”. One can only wonder what would have happened to what arguably was the best and most influential progressive metal band in the world if the record had been properly ed and promoted by a bigger label.

On a side note, what I usually do when their classic albums aren’t enough to quench my thirst for Queensrÿche songs, is go straight from “Promised Land” to “Tribe” and then skip everything till I get to their self-titled album. Which isn’t to say that “Operation: Mindcrime II” doesn’t have its moments or “American Soldier” isn’t a fairly decent album to listen to, nor, with the exception of its second track, is “Frequency Unknown”, for that matter. Even the more poppy “Dedicated to Chaos” has a few beautiful melodies on it. But the lack of significant contributions from Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield and Michael Wilton are very noticeable on those releases and keep them from reaching the same level as “Tribe”, so it’s really a shame more people don’t have that record in their possession. By the way, what I found is a nice way to conclude the abovementioned listening experience is, after ”The Verdict” has ended, to put on Sweet Oblivion’s self-titled release. I feel like that really should have been the reunion album Geoff Tate should have recorded with his old band (if you haven’t heard it yet, I highly recommend you check it out). That way I can finish the journey while listening to Queensrÿche’s original voice again and enjoy the illusion that my favorite band has gotten back together after all.