MAKING OF THE ALBUM: Queensrÿche – Operation: Mindcrime

In the wake of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal explosion in the early 1980s, which spawned such legendary acts as Iron Maiden, Saxon and Motörhead, young musicians around the world were inspired by the intricate guitars, operatic vocals and elaborate concepts. Queensrÿche were formed in Bellevue, Washington in 1981 by guitarists Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton, bassist Eddie Jackson and drummer Scott Rockenfield as Cross+Fire. After various line-up and name changes, the band recruited frontman Geoff Tate and became Queensrÿche. After releasing a self-titled EP on the independent label 206 Records, the group signed to EMI in 1983 and commenced work on their debut album, The Warning. Along with their sophomore effort, 1986′s Rage for Order, Queensrÿche began to command a loyal following but had yet to create a record that showed their true potential.

They had already begun to write material for their third album whilst still on tour in support of Rage for Order and by the time the band returned home in February 1987, they were enthusiastic for the new direction they were taking. Over the next eight months, they embarked on their most ambitious project to date; a story about a Nikki, a radical and an addict who has been left in a comatose state in a hospital after being brainwashed by the sinister Dr. X to work as a political assassin. Operation: Mindcrime, as the concept would be dubbed, saw the band drawing on their musical influences whilst also taking its cue from science fiction literature. The following October, Queensrÿche commenced pre-production on the album; a process that involved reducing the number of songs they had written without losing the narrative that flowed through each song.

To assist with the development of the album, the band joined forces with British producer Peter Collins, who had relocated to the United States several years earlier and had worked with Rush on their albums Power Windows and Hold Your Fire. Sessions for Operation: Mindcrime took place at Kajem/Victory Studios Philadelphia, which had first opened a decade earlier by Mitch Goldfarb and would also serve as the recording studio for Dream Theater‘s debut album When Dream and Day Unite soon afterwards. The story that Queensrÿche would develop for the album would be somewhat complex, commencing at the end of the narrative and telling the events in flashback as Nikki’s memory slowly comes back to him. Thus, the opening track was appropriately called I Remember Now, whilst Revolution Calling serves as an awakening for the protagonist, as the truth about his past is finally revealed to him.

Operation: Mindcrime was released by EMI Records on May 3, 1988 and became their most successful album to date, as well as being well received by critics and acclaimed for its ambitious and intelligent approach to is subject matter. Four singles would be released from the album, although it would be the latter two – I Don’t Believe in Love and their signature tune Eyes of a Stranger (which would also serve as the album’s closer) – that would enjoy the most success. Following Operation: Mindcrime, Queensrÿche would release Empire two years later which, whilst being more mainstream and less unique, would further cement their reputation as one of the most respected of America’s progressive metal scene.