OPERATION: MINDCRIME – The Key (2015)

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Geoff Tate cannot be stopped. Getting fired from Queensryche barely slowed him down, getting involved in various projects although I think this new one is the ‘highest profile’ of all OPERATION: MINDCRIME and its debut “The Key” to be released by Frontiers Music tomorrow.

Operation: Mindcrime lineup includes many of the players that served in Tate’s scab version of Queensryche for the past two years including ex-Megadeth David Ellefson and ex-AC/DC Simon Wright, alongside new faces like bassist John Moyer (Disturbed) or drummer Brian Tichy (Whitesnake).
Geoff Tate just can’t seem to stay out of his own way. There’s no doubt Tate is a talented singer that helped Queensryche achieve the success they enjoyed in the ’80s and ’90s, but there’s also no doubt that the man believes all of his own hype.
That confidence has led to a lot of questionable decisions over the years. Geoff’s decision to call his new band Operation: Mindcrime and release an advanced song that sounded like it was lifted directly from that album is just the latest in a series of strange choices. That song made it seem like he had nothing more to say musically, and that he was going to end his career milking the Mindcrime-cow to death.

However, after hearing “The Key” in its entirety, it turns out that Geoff Tate does still have something new and worthwhile to say.
In a nutshell, “The Key” mixes the atmospheric prog of Quennsryche’s Promised Land with with modern influences. Possibly even more substantial, though, is that it actually sounds like Geoff and company care about making a quality album.
Almost the entire record is full of light melodic prog rock that features great hooks, subtle background flourishes, catchy guitar melodies, and even a great modern performance from Geoff Tate – the second half of the album is especially good.
Furthermore, he achieved his goal to push further into musical territory he never really hit with Queensryche.

As example, ‘Ready To Fly’ is pretty classic rock, featuring a full fury solo of keyboardist Randy Gane who delivers a groovy synth solo reminiscent of ’80s-era Rainbow.
Or you have the electro-goth sound of ‘Discussions in a Smoke Filled Room’ (akin Queensryche Rage For Order but darker), and even some gritty vocal styling on ‘Life or Death’.
On the other hand, there’s the song ‘The Stranger’. This is Geoff’s attempt at including a heavy track on the album and it fails pretty spectacularly. It seems to take a majority of its influence from ’90s alt bands (not my cup of tea), but at the same time features Geoff Tate giving his best rhythmic vocal delivery.
‘On Queue’ enchants with a slower pace that is given added credence by Tate’s haunting saxophone. It’s one of the album’s standout. The closing ‘The Fall’ meanwhile, brings things to an end in epically grandiose fashion.

When Geoff Tate took on the name Operation: Mindcrime and started spouting off about a prog rock trilogy that would allow him to break new musical ground, I just rolled my eyes. It turns out, though, that he was pretty much able to pull it off.
The story in “The Key” (not exactly a concept album) itself isn’t nearly as compelling as either Mindcrime album, but is still pretty damn good. Despite the band name, it turns out that “The Key” isn’t trying to cash in on Queensryche Mindcrime’s sound and direction.
Where Queensrÿche’s self-titled release from 2013 at last proved a worthy follow-up to ’94s Promised Land (arguably their last great album), ‘The Key’ sees Geoff Tate finally doing the same. Leaving soap opera dramas and court room sagas behind to focus on the music, Tate has clearly been re-energized, making an album to silence the detractors.
Operation: successful.

01. Choices
02. Burn
03. Re-Inventing The Future
04. Ready To Fly
05. Discussions In A Smoke Filled Room
06. Life Or Death?
07. The Stranger
08. Hearing Voice
09. On Queue
10. An Ambush Of Sadness
11. Kicking In The Door
12. The Fall

Geoff Tate – Vocals, Keyboards, Saxophone
Kelly Gray – Guitars, Vocals
Scott Moughton – Guitars, Vocals
Randy Gane – Keyboards
David Ellefson, John Moyer – bass
Simon Wright – Drums
Scott Mercado – Drums, Dulcimer
Brian Tichy – Drums

PRE-ORDER:
www.amazon.co.uk/Key-Operation-Mindcrime/dp/B010FWO40E
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