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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chaotic brilliance, 26 May 2006
Starting with an odd story, Queensryche have put together a concept album at least equal to greats like 'The Wall' in terms of music, storytelling, and identity with the characters.
Nikki is a disillusiuoned street punk drawn into an underground movements that murders religious figures. He falls in love with a nun-whore also embroiled with the movement and is drawn in too far. Yeah, sounds TOO odd? Doesn't once you go into the album.
The main way it works is through the way vocals (Geoff Tate) and lead guitar (Chris DeGarmo) create atmospheric, tense, melancholy and chaotic emotions through their music. They take you through Nikki's contempt for society, love, tension in the terrorist group and his ultimate loss. This is one long journey and they make you take every step with them.
High points include the opening instrumnental 'Anarchy X', 'Suite Sister Mary' with its latin choristers and utter confusion of the characters. Then there's the single 'I don't Believe in Love' and the masterpiece 'Eyes of a Stranger', a non-ballad lament.
There's great music, but the album demands attention, its not just background music. One of those albums that once discovered, it's raved about - and with good reason. Very few albums have the ability to immerse the listener to this degree, and other bands must have listened to this when it came out and wished they'd had the skill, idea, and one of those times where it all went right - and created this masterpiece.
This is easily in my top three albums of all times, and I also think it's one of the top five most complete, absorbing, entertaining and brilliant rock albums ever written. A classic that deserves at least six stars.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Still goes straight to the heart after 20 years, 2 Jul 2009
I bought this as a 13 year old metal fan in the late 80s, but hadn't listened to any metal or rock from that period in most of the time since (hello DJ Shadow, hip-hop, detroit techno...). I actually bought 'Mindcrime' as a joke to play on my brother. Then I listened to it.
After the brief thrill of nostalgia had passed, I found myself listening to the album in its entirety. It was as though I was hearing it for the first time - it's emotionally immediate, has a sincere story, and is laden with astounding moments of musical drama and showmanship. I got lost in it and was exhilarated when it finally ended.
As planned I gave it to my brother. He also laughed. Then two days later he called me saying, "This an amazing record!" We've since rifled through our large collection of old rock LPs from the 80s in the hope that we'd mislaid other classics of that era; that maybe they were all this good and could still deliver the same punch now as they had back when we were just discovering music. But it wasn't to be - Operation:Mindcrime was exceptional then, and it's exceptional now.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant album, 28 Mar 2009
I recently bought this again on a whim as it's truly a masterpiece as far as i'm concerned. I originally bought a vinyl copy when it first came out, after being taken to a gig the band did at the Town and Country club in London. I wasn't even a fan then: i'd not even heard of them, but was hooked straight away afterwards. The music is extremely well written, the vocals are outstanding, and the storyline is immersive and interesting. Even after all this time this album still sounds fresh and energetic. There's a certain 'feel' to it that not many bands capture... it's difficult to put your finger on that special something, but it's this which differentiates a good album and a great album, and this is definately a great album. My top five of all time.
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