21 for 21: #9—Queensryche, "Empire"

My first (but not my last) repeat artist is the progressive metal band Queensryche with their 1990 release "Empire." This band previously appeared at #20 with "Operation: Mindcrime." "Empire" is their biggest commercial success, with the album reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 200 on the strength of their monster #1 single, "Silent Lucidity."
As I mentioned before, college friend Michael Tucker and I saw the band perform live in St. Louis on their tour in support of this album. As much as I like "Operation: Mindcrime," "Empire" is not just more accomplished musically, it's a more personal and accessible album. The songs have more to do with relationships, and the overall attitude is much more positive than the gloomy, ultimately futile mission of the protagonist in "O:M."

Queensryche is one of the few "progressive metal" bands in existence, combining the artistic and musical sophistication of such prog-rock bands like Rush and Yes with the guitar- and percussion-driven instrumentation of heavy metal. I think they perfected the genre with this album. As before, the combination of Geoff Tate's vocals with Chris DeGarmo's songwriting and guitar is what sets the band apart and makes this album so memorable.

The personal nature of songs makes this album particularly appealing to me. The opening song, "Best I Can" is about a young man paralyzed in an accident who is determined to walk again. "The Thin Line," "Jet City Woman," and "Another Rainy Night" are all about the challenges of making a relationship work. "Empire" is about the struggle of inner-city residents in the face of the violence associated with a powerful drug empire.

The magnus opus, however, is "Silent Lucidity," a song about lucid dreaming, which is the ability to actively control one's dreams while within the dream world. Many books have been written about this ability, but as far as I know, it's the only song about it. It's without a doubt one of the most beautiful songs recorded in popular music, and it's no surprise it was their #1 hit.