After a very protracted divorce from Queensrÿche that left him with the rights to their best-known album, singer Geoff Tate has now taken that album’s title for his new band as he releases the first of a trilogy of albums that seeks to answer the conundrum: “What are the implications of changing the world?” You’ve been warned.
The plot may be the expected labyrinthine affair (mindcriminals would accept no less), but the delivery is lively and engaging, with the vocals set against a variety of strident grungy grooves.
With Tate now in full charge, he’s able to dictate the pace of the album as it darts back and forth between various strands of the story, without disrupting the overall momentum.
However, Tate’s control never gets oppressive. Indeed, he is relaxed enough to even bring in other vocalists to dilute the density of the plot.
