Queensrÿche

The deluxe remastered reissue of Queensrÿche's controversial Promised Land was rife for reconsideration in 2003. Available on its own or as part of the Revolution Calling box set, Promised Land is the sound of a band who has seen the writing on the wall -- Nirvana and pals pouring through the temple gates like barbarians on one side, and Ministry and the Revolting Cocks on the other flank burning and looting everything in sight. But Chris DeGarmo and Geoff Tate as well as their bandmates had more than a few tricks up their sleeves here. The harshness of Promised Land is not to be looked upon as either a concession or as a blatant disregard for the fans of Empire or Operation: Mindcrime. Instead with its hard, overblown guitars and lithe keyboard arrangements giving way to screaming solos and knotty instrumental interludes -- check "I Am I," the title track, "One More Time," or "My Global Mind" -- one can hear the sound of a band in full grasp of their considerable power as a compositional and performance force. Only the marketplace and Queensrÿche evolved, becoming one of the most restless and politically as well as socially responsible units of the 1990s. But the real question is "does it rock?" It's a silly question. There is no fodder on Promised Land, only driving, melodic progressive metal shrouded in nothing but its own multidimensionality. There was no reason for a hiatus after this one; in fact, another album should have follower in quick succession, not years later. This was momentum taken to its extreme edge and paying off creatively with a memorably batch of songs and a sonic masterpiece. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide