QUEENSRYCHE – Condition Hüman [Japan Edition] (2015)

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and metalheads of all ages: QUEENSRŸCHE are back! But not just in the sense of their new album “Condition Hüman“, no, this return goes much deeper than that. This Japanese Edition features a bonus track that really worth the investment.

“Condition Hüman”, for all intents and purposes is a resurrection of what used to be a mighty force in the metal world long ago, and a true return to form on what they once stood for: uncompromising musical excellence.
The turmoil that has engulfed this band over the past several years has been well documented but now that the messy break up and legal entanglements with original singer Geoff Tate are done and dusted you get the sense that the band is refreshed, enthusiastic about the future and alive again.
A great weight has been lifted from their collective shoulders and it shows in the quality of work on ”Condition Hüman”.  Right from the word go you can tell this is going to be a different Queensrÿche experience from some of the media/fan criticised efforts served up of late.

From the opening few bars of the first single ’Arrow Of Time’, there is a strong feeling that the band have rediscovered the ‘Queensrÿche’ formula and returned to a style more in tune with albums such as Empire and Hear In The Now Frontier. 
Put simply, from start to finish this sounds like a Queensrÿche album should.

I don’t know how much time needs to pass before a song can be legitimately classified as a “classic” but I am more than happy to label ’Guardian’ in that category. This is the type of song which the band built their reputation on, and I can see this becoming a crowd favourite in a live setting. Other cuts that are sure to warm the hearts of die-hard fans include ’Hellfire’, ‘Selfish Lives’ or ‘Hourglass’.

A hallmark of the band’s music is the ability to intertwine acoustic guitars with heavy riffs and change the dynamic of the song in the space of a five minute time frame. On Condition Hüman they visit this approach with outstanding results on the haunting ’Bulletproof ’ and ’Just Us’.
The band are no strangers to exploring social and political commentary, relationships, revolution, lucid dreaming and the human condition. Once again Queensrÿche venture down these reliable and familiar roads of inspiration.
The album closes with the 8-minute title track, a multi-sectioned epic that’s easily the most ambitious thing the band has done in 20-plus years. Think ‘Suite Sister Mary’ meets ‘Promised Land’ with a touch of latter-day Savatage for good measure. A brilliant composition.

And this Japanese Edition features the bonus track ‘Espiritu Muerto’ (Spanish for Dead Spirit) a heavy, groovy metal track in the best Queensryche tradition, adding that ‘dark touch’ so characteristic in the early era of the band.
I think Todd LaTorre was the principal member involved into the composition of this track, after listen it you’ll know why.

The band has truly gone all-out on this album, making the previous QR 2013 record harsh mix feel like a glorified demo by comparison.
Despite Condition Hüman being only the 2nd record of his career, Todd LaTorre sounds incredibly powerful and supremely confident. While he was justifiably accused of being a Geoff Tate clone previously, on Hüman he sounds like a fully-realized blend of influences, with Tate being merely one of them. He navigates a far wider range of vocal styles than he did previously (his sotto voce on ‘Just Us’ was a nice surprise).
Founding axeman Michael Wilton seems to have formed a formidable guitar duo with relative newcomer Parker Lundgren, each adding color to the other’s rhythm playing and occasionally joining forces for some sweet harmonized leads.

Overall, “Condition Hüman” is a very solid, at places kick ass effort, and proves once and for all that Queensrÿche can come up with good material despite losing its two most prominent members.
It may lack the element of surprise that QR 2013 had, but more than makes up for it with increased confidence and creativity, plus a more ‘polished’ production in the traditional ‘Queensrÿche clean way’.
LaTorre is clearly a galvanizing force for Queensrÿche, despite being the new guy, and you can hear the band solidifying their writing and sound around his voice.
For anyone that misses “classic” Queensrÿche, or just enjoys first class heavy rock progressive music, “Condition Hüman” is a really, really great one.

「コンディション・ヒューマン」 クイーンズライク
MICP-11227 2,600+税
＜HM/HR＞ ☆ボーナス・トラック1曲追加収録

01 – Arrow Of Time
02 – Guardian
03 – Hellfire
04 – Toxic Remedy
05 – Selfish Lives
06 – Eye 9
07 – Bulletproof
08 – Hourglass
09 – Just Us
10 – All There Was
11 – The Aftermath
12 – Condition Human
13 – Espiritu Muerto (Japan bonus track)

Michael Wilton – Guitar
Eddie Jackson – Bass
Scott Rockenfield – Drums
Parker Lundgren (ex-Geoff Tate live) – Guitar
Todd LaTorre (ex-Crimson Glory) – Lead Vocals

BUY IT !
item.rakuten.co.jp/felista/00001317863/
.