Band:	Queensrÿche
Album:	Operation: Mindcrime II
Style:	Progressive heavy metal
Release date:	March 31, 2006
A review by:	Jeff

01. Freiheit Overture
02. Convict
03. I'm American
04. One Foot In Hell
05. Hostage
06. The Hands
07. Speed Of Light
08. Signs Say Go (Will I Surrender?)
09. Re-Arrange You
10. The Chase
11. A Murderer
12. Circles
13. If I Could Change It All
14. An Intentional Confrontation
15. A Junkie's Blues (Everything Will Be Alright)
16. Fear City Slide
17. All The Promises

Damn, it wasn't really easy for me to do the review of an album like "Mindcrime II". First because a lot of people were waiting for it (me the first) and also because I'm quite sure that we will have a lot of fights and debates about the good or bad quality of this album. Well peace and love my friends, we will just try to see if we can compare it to the first "Operation Mindcrime" and if we're a the end in front of a good, correct or bad album? But let me tell you at least, that if it's not perfect, it's not so deceiving too.

I'm sure that we have two camps. The one of the guys and gals who say that this album is just a shame and that it was probably a mistake to release it with this name, and the camp of the ones who believe (without saying that it is a masterpiece) that "Operation: Mindcrime II" isn't so bad at the end. To be honest, after the first listening, I was in the first one. "Operation: Mindcrime II" lacks or real hits and isn't like its fabulous predecessor. But be careful, it's not so easy to enter in the world of this new album and with some more attention you'll probably find a lot of good things in this release.

"Operation: Mindcrime II" is really complex not so direct than the first Mindcrime. It's a bit intellectual on a side but intimate, full of little details, little sounds little breaks and variations. Some songs like "I'm American" are heavy and powerful, some others like "If I Could Change It All" are nice ballads and it's well written in general. So ok, except maybe "The Hands', "The Chase" (with an excellent Dr. X Mr voiced by Dio himself) or "Fear City Slide" I cannot say that we have amazing hits like "Speak", "I don't Believe In Love" and etc on the CD? But well the more I listen to this album, the more I think that it is a good one, without forgetting, of course, that it was just an impossible mission to do something like "Operation: Mindcrime I". But well, after a bunch of deceiving albums the American band probably released its best one.

Anyway, without mister De Garmo, I don't even understand how we believed that it was still possible to do a new "Empire" or "Mindcrime" but in anyway I won't blame the guys. I mean, it was a real dangerous trap to release the sequel of "Mindrime", and they had the guts to do it. Was it for a commercial reason or not, honestly I don't even care but now "Operation Mindcrime II" is out and we will have some answers to the story (?evidently I won't say anything here).

Finally, I have to say that I'm really happy to see the same artworks and designs that were already great and avant-gardist in 1988 and which are still so amazing. Note however that except the artworks, the production is extremely deceiving. The mixing and the recording are more than average and kill some passages of the album and I even think that it was better on "Mindcrime I". It's a shame for an album like this one?

"Operation: Mindcrime II" is a good piece of music really homogenous. The ambiances, the atmospheres are great but remember that you'll need to listen to it a lot to start to enjoy it. Let's be honest, the golden age of Queensrÿche is just past now, because when you listen to "Operation: Mincrime I" (and I'm sorry we cannot avoid to compare them) there is no fight possible between the releases but "Operation: Mindcrime II" is probably the best CD of the band since "Empire" and "Promised Land". The new Queensrÿche isn't a masterpiece like its predecessor but I'm sure that that a lot of fans will be happy with this new release and after all anyway even if it's not perfect "Operation: Mindcrime II" is a good album.