Queensryche - Empire [2 LP, Clear Vinyl, Gatefold, UK Import]

Released in September 1990 on EMI, Empire became Queensryche's commercial peak, reaching triple platinum status and yielding six singles over the course of two years. Produced by Peter Collins and recorded primarily at Vancouver Studios, the album found the Seattle progressive metal quintet broadening their sound considerably from the dense conceptual framework of Operation: Mindcrime, trading some of that album's intensity for a more polished, song-forward approach. This 2017 Back On Black pressing is a limited edition EU reissue on clear vinyl, spread across two LPs with a gatefold jacket.

The 11-track album is stacked with standout moments. "Silent Lucidity," the orchestrated power ballad featuring arrangements by Michael Kamen, reached number one on the Mainstream Rock chart and earned two Grammy nominations. "Jet City Woman" drives hard with one of Chris DeGarmo's finest guitar performances on record, while the title track "Empire" opens the album with an aggressive, propulsive energy that signals just how far Queensryche had come as a live-ready rock band. The closing "Anybody Listening?" remains one of Geoff Tate's most emotionally resonant vocal performances across the band's entire catalog.

This 2017 Back On Black limited edition reissue is pressed on 140-gram clear vinyl and presented in a gatefold jacket. The clear vinyl gives the set a clean, distinctive look that suits the album's sleek, polished production well.

• Format: 140g Clear Vinyl 2LP
• Standout Tracks: "Silent Lucidity," "Jet City Woman," "Empire"
• Pressing Details: 2017 Back On Black Limited Edition Reissue, Gatefold Jacket, EU Import, Mastered by Bob Ludwig
• Genre/Style: Progressive Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock
• UPC: 803343119282

Empire is Queensryche at their most accessible and commercially assured, and this clear vinyl 2LP is a solid way to own one of progressive metal's defining albums.

* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. Best I Can
2. The Thin Line
3. Jet City Woman

Side B:

1. Della Brown
2. Another Rainy Night (Without You)
3. Empire

Side C:

1. Resistance
2. Silent Lucidity
3. Hand On Heart

Side D:

1. One And Only
2. Anybody Listening?