Queensryche, American Soldier

The prospect of another concept album from Queensryche will most assuredly cause many a headbanger to roll their eyes. American Soldier, however, is a truly unique album in its subject matter and execution. For this album, lead singer/lyricist Geoff Tate conducted several interviews with veterans to get their perspective and stories, then took these tales and molded them into American Soldier. What comes out is an emotional yet flawed tribute to the members of the United States of American armed forces.

The album’s tracks run the gamut of a soldier’s life. It opens with “Sliver” and the feeling of basic training, complete with a drill sergeant’s barking. It then segues into battle-hardened words on “Unafraid” and “Hundred Mile Stare”; the former is unique in that the main lyrics are the spoken experiences of a vet.

The album tackles the very complicated emotions of what happens to a soldier when one of his troops goes down. The gauntlet of emotions, running from guilt to sadness to regret to hopelessness, are tackled on “If I Were King,” “Man Down,” and “Remember Me.” Geoff Tate’s daughter Emily makes an appearance on “Home Again,” where she sings in the role of a daughter whose father is at war. The emotional extra impact of the father-daughter duet is underscored by the lyrical content of a family making sacrifices. The heavy emotional weight means that this will not be something you pop in with regularity.

You can’t make one complaint about how the subject matter is treated. I was a little skeptical at first, but the band does a tremendous job of showing the broad spectrum that is the life of a soldier. While the words are top-notch, though, the music is lacking. At times it seems to work harmoniously with the words, but for the most part, it comes off as cliché. It’s a shame, because this had the earmarks of becoming another landmark album.