Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
No matter how much we may deny it, we are now in a new era, not so much A.D. but perhaps more P.P., Post Pandemic, the signs are there, the drama seems unending, and it is not all down to a disease that caught the world out, it is a reaction and reflection to the unknown, the sense that the analogue has run out of room, and the Digital Noise Alliance stands at the gates of what is now acceptable, and what has been left behind.
We have become immune, or arguably desensitised to the noise of the last couple of years, and it continues regardless of whether we are paying attention or not, and the strength of character that is required to keep going is testing our resolve to engage with anything that might be considered by some to take a prolonged period of time to complete, is hailed as epic, almost heroic in its stance; for the frustration of short lived moment rallies against the belief that life is more than just a second by second interval.
The American masters of the Progressive Metal anthem, Queensrÿche, return with an album that will divide in some quarters, but which hearten the faithful that they, despite the rigours of personnel changes, and the depth of conviction of this new age of change, are still willing to tackle the music frontiers, to explore the room for all it can reveal, and throw in a surprise of a cover that doesn’t fit the reasoning on offer, and yet gives licence for the band to show off the vocal talent of Todd La Torre in a opportunistic way.
The Rebel Yell aside, the band’s mainstays of Michael Wilton and Eddie Jackson preside over what could be considered a new beginning for the group that once produced one of the most exciting and dramatic albums of all time, the long-admired Operation: Mindcrime, and in Digital Noise Alliance the fierceness of resolve is such that the listener, despite that there is no outward sign of being a concept release, will harken back to the ferocity and intensity of the aforementioned album, and also lament in equal measure the underlying unease that seeps out, like lion stalking a gazelle near water, unaware that the crocodile is watching them both with anticipation of at least one meal.
The album rocks, of that there is no doubt, it just doesn’t quite grab, at times it is easy to allow sentiment to flow, for the mind to wander, and even with terrific tracks such as Chapters, Behind The Walls, Out Of The Black, and Realms, all prepared to shake loose and discuss the finer points of the genre in this new age, there is still the hang up of a wildness uncontrolled, of a missing link not quite discovered.
The strangeness and complexity of emotions are such that in its final declaration, a cover of Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell seems mightily displaced, an addition that is traceable but not with keeping, if not to be frowned upon because it is a violent retort where none was required.
Queensrÿche will always provide the means of expression, it is just that in this new recording, what would have been terrific welcome is more of a comfortable reintroduction. Digital Noise Alliance is a grouping of agreement in the show of Progressive and Symphonic metal that catches the attention, that is creative, but which doesn’t quite stand out as a drama released.
Ian D. Hall