Promised Land

Listened to this album the other day, at a friend’s house, the lad a huge fan of the Reichs, including the other, recently instigated branch, Operation: Mindcrime… nah, said branch can fool no one that it’s worth delving into even superficially, but my word today is about the main one… which wasn’t completely deprived of potholes, the first really feeble one being the slab reviewed here.

Although my absolute favourite from the band’s discography will forever remain the debut self-titled EP, this ravishingly brilliant 4-tracker, one of the finest pieces of music to ever come out of the States, I absolutely appreciate, if not downright love to bits, each of their recordings from the 80’s. The sharp confrontational delivery of the EP was toned down considerably for “The Warning”, this opus offering a warn… sorry, warm moderately complex style with rock and metal decorously co-existing for a really fine introspective listen. “Rage for Order” followed the same path, an even more atmospheric, less climactic saga but compelling nonetheless, somewhat paving the way for the arrival of the totally grand “Operation: Mindcrime”. Yep, the guys nailed it on a full-length scale as well, a consummate operation that placed them on the very top of the progressive metal/rock movement.

But it wasn’t only Queensryche that were excelling in the late-80’s; each of the other three acts from the Big Quattro of US progressive metal (Fates Warning, Savatage, Crimson Glory) also crossed the magnum opus off the list by the end of the decade… and each decided on a softening of the course towards more rock-oriented tunes afterwards. Savatage (“Guitar Ballet”) and Fates Warning (“Perfect Symmetry”) ventured into this trend first, surprisingly cool affairs that didn’t sound like very drastic departures from their initially chosen style, obvious but not mitigated alterations which still kept their core fans in the vicinity. The “Empire” that Queensryche built for the latter shortly after those two was too tepid and soft to be heavily populated, but amazingly it attracted large crowds from the more mainstream rock pool and boom… sold even better than its predecessor. Incredible but a fact.

Yep, a paradox that last fact, daubing the critical eyes and ears of the more demanding metal fraternity who saw no glaring reason in following the band throughout the 90’s. Stripped completely off both its metallic clout and its progressive complexities, this effort was more of a commercialized crime operation, the antidote to the band’s previous feats and a possible warning against similar such radio-friendly slabs. And those weren’t very late to arrive, the one reviewed here being the first of this unenviable, ill-measured batch. After “Empire” anything was possible, also considering the mouldy 90’s environment, but how the guys thought that emulating the newly-sprung wave from their hometown was a good idea to prolong their career… yep, the revered veterans have decided to look in their apprentices’ kitchen, and to steal a few ingredients from there… not for an entire album, fortunately, but the first couple of cuts (“I Am I”, “Damaged”) are embarrassingly faithful to the grunge sounds emitted by Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam… well, if there had to be an 80’s practitioner to refresh their fledgling approach with tunes from there, it had got to be someone hailing from the same city, right? Others simply had no ryche... sorry, right to do that.

In other words, problem solved, access to the new wave granted… yes but no; simply cause this grunge therapy doesn’t work at all, not to these ears anyway, the band filling in the space with soothing ballads (“Out Of Mind”, “Lady Jane”) whenever they get tired of grunging, a fairly debatable alternative to the latter regardless of some of those pacifying tracks’ undeniable merits, like the soulful dramatic accumulations on “One More Time”, the operatic lead-driven pathos on “Real World”, and particularly the pensive deep atmospherics of the lengthy but arresting title-track… so yeah, there are lights in this numusic tunnel but since this quiet, not exactly silent, lucid clout covers more than half the album, it’s hard to praise the mentioned compositions sky-high as they invariably merge with the rest, even after repeated listens, the dominant delivery getting disconnected from it again on the lazily… sorry, leisurely executed blasé rockabilia “Disconnected” and the melancholic bluesy filler “My Global Mind”, the downside of the album, partially saved by Jeoff Tate’s customarily outstanding performance behind the mike. But the thing is that his vocal exploits are the only binder to the older output, nostalgic croons that by all means stand to scrutiny but with the “validity” tag only ephemerally attached to the music accompaniment, it takes that long for the listener to stop seeing Tate’s contribution as a solid safety belt.

So who was this “Promised Land”, comfortably constructed in the middle of the 90’s, targeting? Definitely not the old school lovers; and definitely not the metal fandom. The once-kings of progressive metal were looking for shelter in the tunes created by their younger colleagues and townmates, ones who had most likely grown up looking up to them and listening to their repertoire. It’s also seriously debatable how viable it was the decision to base the other side of the album on “Silent Lucidity”, the hit ballad from “Empire”… it’s true that the three mentioned ballads easily surpass it, but again this lethargic skeleton seems like it may start falling apart at any moment cause there’s little gravity and integrity to hold it together. It’s not exactly directionless this album; after all, since 1984 the band haven’t been the most belligerent batch on the circuit… and, if nothing else, this effort is way superior to Crimson Glory’s sinfully shameful “Strange and Beautiful”. Still, it’s literally heart-rending to see the once-mighty kings of progressive metal choosing bits and pieces of the 90’s cuisine, enmeshing it with the serene side of their works, and presenting it to the audience as a promise fulfilled for more radio-friendly niceties. Fair play; only that the 90’s seemed more propitious and more accommodating for their colleagues as both Savatage and Fates Warning carried on dignified without radically changing their approach, rising above line-up changes and tragedy strikes; not to mention the new kids of the block Dream Theater who were defiantly weaving their labyrinthine soundscapes, totally oblivious to the aggro/groovy/grungy world around them.

Total oblivion acknowledged regarding progressive metal in the Queensryche camp as well; in other words, they couldn’t care less about old or new competition in this trend. They settled in their newly-found comfort zone until they nearly lost the plot by the dawn of the new millennium. Under the inglorious circumstances, it kind of made sense that they tried to evoke the spirit of their magnum opus on “Operation: Mindcrime II”, a decidedly better affair than any of their lacklustre 90’s outings, a surprisingly non-sucking collection of songs which was pulled without Chris DeGarmo who had left a few years earlier. Needless to add, this sequel was nowhere near the original quality-wise, but at least it showed the band at least semi-revitalized. But that was it; pretty much. An unsightly covers-only compilation followed suit before the band re-embraced the 90’s alternative grunge rock/pseudo-metal sensibilities for two downright terrible showings. With the very bottom of the pit reached finally, internal frictions didn’t seem so implausible anymore, and Tate was shown the door in 2012.

Both sides are running their own show parallel to each other, flirting with both the Queensryche moniker and repertoire, and if again the Tate-led enterprise offers very little, if at all, to lose your sleep over, the other branch have pulled themselves together for three so far fairly capable if not overtly striking endeavours, with both metal and progressive heard more prominently. Who knows, maybe even DeGarmo himself may feel inspired to re-join them at some stage… but no promises made there; those weren’t fulfilled back in the mid-90’s… the third mindcrime operation has been cancelled… for good. I mean, who wants to keep referencing his/her finest achievement from here to eternity and from eternity to here?

Queensryche is my all time favorite band. I can even enjoy some of the stuff they did after this album with Tate and much of the La Torre era. But there's no question their best work lied within their first four albums and EP. So where does that leave Promised Land? In a very weird middle. Sonically, this album is a large departure from stuff heard even only an album prior on Empire. It's not all that "metal," it doesn't feel overly commercial and poppy, etc. Yet, something about this album is so unique that I can't help but continue to return to this album and keep me thinking, "damn, this really is one of their best." This album might be the progressive metal outfit's most progressive release ever. There isn't a ton of heavy-hitting riffs, high-pitched wails, and speed-metal drums that we hear on albums like "Operation: Mindcrime" or "The Warning." but this album brilliantly experiments with space, patience, and development to really catch you.

The album kicks off with a pretty weird intro, "9:28 AM," which is a pretty cool intro that can instantly set apart this album from the four ahead of it. Then the classic "I Am I" kicks in, and the album really gets rolling. This song has always felt so hypnotic to me, from the multiple instruments used to the weird vocal effects used for Tate, something about this song feels so entrancing. It's definitely a highlight from this album. Then the album goes into another highlight in "Damaged," which is certainly a bit more traditional of a metal song, but with an industrial kick to it. It's super heavy, and Tate sounds incredible on this song. The spectacular first side continues with two ballad-type songs in "Out of Mind" and "Bridge." While "Out of Mind" isn't really my favorite Queensryche song, it's certainly a great track to continue to build the atmosphere of this album, with every note seeming to have plenty of space to impact that much harder. "Bridge" is actually one of my favorite acoustic Queensryche songs; it's simplicity I feel works incredibly well here in such a progressive and layered album. Then the album hits it's peak with the title track, "Promised Land." This song is an incredible 8 minutes that demands your full attention, and continues to use the idea of space to full effect. It feels as if every note has time to take center stage and really feel all the more cataclysmic each time a new note enters the equation. There's some heavy riffing here and there, an awesome saxophone solo (before Geoff overused the saxophone to death later on), and just incredible performances and ambience.

The second half definitely dips in quality, but not completely. "Disconnected" is certainly a weird song, but it somehow feels perfect for this album and as a perfect follow-up to "Promised Land," where the groove between the bass and drums is so air-tight it's hard not to appreciate it. Then the album falls to it's two weakest songs in my opinion in "Lady Jane" and "My Global Mind." I know some people like these songs, but for me they really don't do it. They're honestly two of my least favorite Queensryche songs from the first five albums, but if you enjoy them then more power to you! The album picks back up with another highlight in "One More Time," which has probably the best riff on the album. The song is such a great song to sing along to with friends, feels super dark and very emotional, and is probably the closest song to pre-"Promised Land" Queensryche on this album. The album closes with "Someone Else?" a piano ballad with only Tate and Degarmo playing. While I didn't love this as the closer for a while and always felt the Full-Band version should have made the record instead, I've grown to greatly appreciate this version and feel it perfectly caps off this album with it's blissful minimalism and simplicity in instrumentation, which I feel is definitely an overarching theme of this album.

It really seemed like the guys here took the idea "less is more" to heart on this one, and I think it works beautifully with it. The songs have so much more space to breathe and really sink in with you emotionally. It's definitely their darkest and probably their heaviest-hitting record, and while it's no "Operation: Mindcrime," I'm super happy Queensryche tried something fresh, new, and completely original with this one. It sits very comfortably up near the top of their greatest albums, and it'll always have a special place in my heart as one of my favorite progressive albums ever.

Personal Ranking in Discography: 5th best album
Highlights: I Am I, Damaged, Promised Land, One More Time
Low Moments: Lady Jane, My Global Mind

After the very commercial, very catchy, and overall very good Empire, Queensryche took a rather abrupt left turn and put out Promised Land. And it's really the crowning jewel in their crown, neck and neck with the Warning, but more original. There had never been an album like Promised Land, nor has there been one since.

But Promised Land is definitely an acquired taste as there is quite a lot less metal here than on previous releases, and even Queensryche's commercial aspects have been moreless forgotten. Promised Land is quiet, subtle and brooding, filled with melancholy and even a hint of genuine darkness. The lyrics detail some rather disturbing subject matter from mental health to broken families, which perfectly match the laid back, but explosive music.

There are only three real "heavy" songs on here, and the first, "I Am I" is largely forgettable. "Damaged" goes for the jugular, hitting the listener head on, and could have come off of Mindcrime with a driving riff and soaring guitars, whereas "My Global Mind" bounces around with an odd groove. But there are electric guitars on most of the other songs, but just played at a relaxed pace. "Disconnected" has a pulsing rhtyhm section and watery guitars, and even Geoff picking up a saxophone (to great effect).

The whole band is on top of their game here, especially Geoff. His voice already started to show its age, but it's absolutely wonderful, especially when only accompanied by piano on the ballad "Someone Else?" "Bridge" is another high point; a simple, three and a half minute acoustic track with a glorious solo. That's one thing that really rocks: excellent guitarwork. No shredding, but relatively simple melodies that remain in your mind long after listening to Promised Land.

I categorically despise such high-falutin, conceited, rock opera, piano bullshit like Savatage's Streets, but Promised Land avoids those pompous trappings and conquers by utilizing an extremely and creative touch. There's no choirs, no bloated keyboards, and no opera singing, just five guys doing what they do best.

Released four long years after Empire, Promised Land just might be the biggest black sheep of Queensryche’s classic era. While it did go gold and had a few successful singles to its name, a series of personal struggles kept the band from truly capitalizing on their last album’s success and this one remains one of their most obscure to date. These factors do give Promised Land a status not unlike that of Metallica’s Loads, but this album is much more consistent and forward thinking.

While Promised Land isn’t exactly inaccessible, it could be seen as an antithesis of Empire. Trading in big hooks for ambient textures and upbeat hard rock for spacy prog, it may be their most complex effort as well as one of their most restrained in execution. It also manages to be their most cynical as the heavier songs are more about creating a biting atmosphere than a truly metal riff and the lyrics deal with themes of disillusionment and detachment.

But with that, it isn’t as far removed from previous Queensryche albums as one would think. The upbeat “Damaged” plays out like an Empire outtake, the atmosphere on songs like “Dis Con Nec Ted” was forseen on “Della Brown,” and a good bulk of the softer songs on here had their roots in “No Sanctuary” and “I Will Remember” among others.

The band dynamics have also undergone a few changes to match the style. The guitars now seem to be the band’s strongest asset as they jump from a heavy crunch on “I Am I” to gentle acoustics and everything in between. On the flip side, the rhythm section seems to have been scaled back and Geoff Tate’s vocals show their first signs of wear but keep their composure by sticking to a lower range. A few members also get to flex some extra muscles as Scott Rockenfield breaks out the electronics, guitarist Chris DeGarmo plays the piano on “Lady Jane” and “Someone Else,” and Tate showcases his skills with a saxophone to chilling effect on the title track.

If Empire is Dark Side Of The Moon, then Promised Land is Queensryche’s answer to Wish You Were Here. It may not have the status of its predecessors but its classy execution may place it just below Mindcrime on the band’s overall hierarchy. It may be one of their trickiest releases to get into but it’s a hell of a lot easier to recommend than anything that would come out after it…

Current Highlights:
“I Am I”
“Damaged”
“Out Of Mind”
“Lady Jane”
“Someone Else?”

Originally published at http://psychicshorts.blogspot.com

Promised Land is the last Queensrÿche record I can actually recall being excited for, or even having enjoyed, and to some extent it's the standard I hold up most of its successors to in terms of their comparative quality. I say this because, with few exceptions (Mindcrime II), most of the albums following it in their career have more or less attempted to copy its formula (Tribe coming the closest): balanced, melodic, and 'progressive' rock, occasionally getting mildly heavier, but usually not. That's not to say they were all conceptually influenced by this album, or precise clones, but clearly this was the benchmark, the blueprint from which they've continuously been drawing even though the audience have long since stolen their buckets off to wells elsewhere.

No, Promised Land is not on par with the more metallic Queensrÿche of the previous decade, but it's at least more solid than its predecessor Empire, and while it's readily accessible for all rock fans, the album doesn't feel like so much of a sellout. The music and production come first here, and both are vibrant and worldly, qualities I would not have thought of when listening through their earlier fare. In fact, if I'm basing the decision on just the mixing and engineering, then for sure this is their most beautiful full-length to date. The drums, the vocals, the bass and guitars are all prominent and brilliantly defined here. In those few instances where the band gets heavy (at least for Queensrÿche), you can really feel the emotion come out, despite the stark simplicity of the actual chords being used. Vocal arrangements are incredibly melodic, often crooning with such crystalline abandon that I am reminded of California's Lizzy Borden (in "One More Time", "My Global Mind" and a few others). What's more, this album manages to sound exotic, not only for the Eastern and tribal influenced percussion, cello and sitar progressions in the powerful single "I Am I", but even in the drifting, folksier Floyd-like pieces like "Bridge".

It's one of the few albums in my collection where I find myself forgiving of its power ballads, its numerous 'tender' moments, because they are very well written, whether it's "Bridge" and its warm everyman family appeal, "Out of Mind" with its tear wrenching chorus, or the sultry escalation of "Lady Jane". They don't quite shine as brightly for me as the soaring semi metallic anthems like "Damaged" or "Disconnected", the former with its pumping bass-lines, catchy and minimal chords and superb, rising vocal lines; the latter a lazy groove with a bit of Zeppelin influence and a mix of moody, lower ranged vocals and an almost funky/80s clamor. There are exceptions here, like the piano/vocal closer "Someone Else?" which I struggle to recall even moments after hearing it, but in general this is a tremendously focused and balanced effort, each of the members contributed hugely to its inspired swath of sound, whether it deigns to occasionally rock your face off or soothe and steady your troubled thoughts.

Since I'd rather erase its sad successors from memory than continuously suffer them, I often think of Promised Land as a personal 'last hurrah' for Queensrÿche. Granted, by 1994 the band was thriving off its name and its earlier hits, and despite solid sales (and high initial charting) this album didn't create quite the same stir as that before it, probably because it didn't possess a dreary-eyed prom ballad like "Silent Lucidity" for the 80s hairspray sect who gobbled that up alongside Warrant's "Heaven", Slaughter's "Fly to the Angels" or Extreme's "More Than Words". But fuck that crowd, because this is superior to Empire in all regards, and the thing sounds so gorgeous on most of my speakers that it doesn't even seem to have aged a day since its release. Producer James Barton truly killed it here. It's like the flimsy songwriting of Hear in the Now Frontier or Q2K done RIGHT, and would have made a great swan song to kick off a permanent vacation for the band...

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

For some people Queensrÿche’s downwards spiral began with this album, Promised Land. I however think that this album is actually the last album of the ‘classic’ albums and it is also quite a lot better than its predecessor, the commercial and overrated Empire. They took quite some time to come up with a new album after Empire and perhaps that’s one of the reasons this album did not chart as well as they had hoped. The second reason for that is one that counts for almost all 80s metalbands in the 90s; Nirvana was ruling the show now. Metal was out. Frankly, I’m quite sure that reason had a big influence on the sales and reviews of this release, since it actually is so typically Queensrÿche, but then just slightly darker. Perhaps if it was released in 1987 for example, it would’ve been received a lot better.

Though Promised Land brings us dark progressive metal, I can not deny that there are traces of Empire across the album. The funny thing is that this time the commercial aspect is well written and a lot more original than “Silent Lucidity”. And apart from that this album sounds far from uninspired; every bandmember is in top form. Geoff Tate’s voice has become a little lower and thicker, but he still sings full of emotion and still has his trademark wailing sound. Guitarists Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton still come up with the best of riffs and chord progressions and their solos are really inventive and inspiring. Scott Rockenfield still sounds as powerful as ever, which is going to change after this album. Eddie Jackson also sounds clear and cool with his bass. Together they sound great. Promised Land is the last time the band sounds like this. The songwriting department also did a great job. There’s a great amount of variation among the songs; where one song is dark and haunting, the next is gentle and touching, then we have one swinging and groovy, and there we have a poppy track. I’ll be discussing a few of the highlights.

The first highlight you’ll come across is the opening of the album. After a weird intro “9-28 AM” we quickly go to “I Am I”. After what seems a musical chaos it evolves into a dark and haunting riff with a creepy wailing entry by Tate. The entire song stays within this dark atmosphere and it flows over into “Damaged”; a slightly more down-to-earth song with also a very dark and cool riff. After its mid-paced verses we get a more up-tempo chorus. These two great opening songs really set the right atmosphere for Promised Land with their dark tone. The darkness continues on title track “Promised Land”; a real dragging track with weird yet very cool riffs. Absolute star here is Geoff Tate with his clear desperation in his voice as he screams ‘why am I?’. Furthermore the time reserved for this song, almost 8-minutes, also really adds to the epicness and to the despair. Queensrÿche wanted to try something completely new with “Dis Con Nec Ted” and it probably was written during a jam session. The whole song is based around this groovy and swinging bass line by Jackson, then Rockenfield comes in with appropriate rhythms and before you know it DeGarmo and Wilton add their riffs to the whole. The chorus is sung by an almost robotic voice and Tate only talks in the verses. This is the first time in Queensrÿche’s career that we see such an experimental type of song with spoken verses, but not the last time as we see it return on 2003’s “The Art of Life” and 2009’s “Unafraid” songs.

On to the more ballad-ish side of the album. “Bridge” is one that almost immediately comes to your attention. It has not been released as a single without a reason, for this is the catchiest song Rÿche have ever written. The lyrics are really great, they’re about a father and son who have grown to dislike each other and blame each other for blowing up the bridge between them. Was this a mirror to DeGarmo, who wrote this song? This track builds up steadily with a somewhat poppy clean guitar in the beginning and the full band joining after. Another ballad that is very hard not to notice is “Someone Else?”. There’s this sad piano accompaniment that lasts the entire song to guide Geoff Tate on his lament about his girl having an affair with someone else. Normally such a lyric would come out cheesy, but the sad and dark tone combined with Tate’s emotional vocals really makes the story credible. This is a great way to close the album as well. It’s what I’d call ‘the classic Rÿche closing ballad’.

In short, Promised Land is really part of the best Rÿche albums but sounds a bit darker and even heavier than its predecessors. It’s trademark Queensrÿche as we all love it; atmospheric, original and with emotional vocals. I’d recommend this album to every Queensrÿche fan and to people who are new with the band.

Strongest tracks: “I Am I”, “Damaged”, “Bridge”, “Promised Land” and “Someone Else?”.

http://thecryreviews.blogspot.com/

I’ve spent the longest time trying to wrap my head around this poor, lost little CD. It isn’t lost so much in the sense that it didn’t have an audience, as it was quite a successful album in its time, but more so in its overall nature. If you go by the production and how it tries to be catchy and assessable, yet never quite succeeds amidst a sea of differing ideas, it becomes clear that this album was stuck between two worlds. Essentially half of this is a rehash of “Empire”, yet it also seems to be taking into account the growing prominence of the new sound of their east coast rivals Fates Warning and a younger sensation in Dream Theater and attempting to compete with them in some respects. The end result being something that is overproduced in the same way that its predecessor was, yet doesn’t have many good songs to speak of.

“Promised Land” isn’t so much a progressive metal album as it is a rock album that tries way too hard to be progressive. The familiar devices of mysterious sounding clean guitar sections and loose flowing straight rock drumming at mid tempo are present, but overused and occasionally dominate the songs. The high collection of ballads such as “Out Of Mind”, “Bridge”, “Lady Jane” and “Someone Else?” really steals any thunder that this album would attempt to have and all but turns it into easy listening music. Tate’s vocals are still in top form, but are often so subdued that there is a general feeling that he’s losing his edge articulated in each verse. A lot of the musical ideas in these songs are somewhat reminiscent of the past two albums, but they tend towards a feel similar to the jam sound of “Della Brown” than any of Queensryche’s more organized and methodical ballads like “I Dream In Infrared” and “The Lady Wore Black”.

The more rocking songs on here don’t really bode too well either, and mostly coast at mid tempo on powerfully produced guitars playing mediocre riffs. The album’s most memorable single “I Am I” has some semblance of commonality with this band’s metal history, but is so weighed down with studio gimmicks, vocal overdub tricks and has its rough edges smoothed out so much by the pristine, Desmond Child-like production that there’s no attitude to it, minus Tate’s vocal delivery. The guitars groove quite a bit but no really interesting riffs emerge save a single droning melody that pops in and out between the chorus and following verse. The title song “Promised Land” is a similar story only about twice as long, with about twice as many atmospheric gimmicks, and not really having a unifying theme to refer back to.

The only song on here that really breaks away from this rut of mid tempo plodding and random stylistic mish mashing is “Damaged”. It’s the only thing on here that isn’t loaded with clean guitar interludes and atmospheric fluff, and it’s the only case where the pace actually gets picked up. It actually seems to hearken back to “Operation Mindcrime” during the chorus, having a really good hook and a wickedly dark atmosphere by prog. rock standards. Geoff Tate’s vocal lines are relatively free of excessive overdubs and has a discernable main line that can be followed, though harmonies and counter themes do work themselves in and out at times.

It’s a funny thing, but this is one of those rare occasions where a band actually got better that what they’d become when they adopted some of the elements of the alternative rock scene. Although this listens closer to something that most associate with Queensryche, the songwriting on “Hear In The Now Frontier” is far stronger than the aimless meandering that occupies this. Even though only one of these songs actually goes over 5 minutes, most of them seem to go on forever and almost beg the listener to hit the skip button in search of something else. It’s one of those albums that much like “The Black Album”, appealed to people because of how large sounding it is, though at least that album had some riffs and sections with staying power. In short, this is something to be ignored unless you like listening to a bad version of a Pink Floyd album with a 90s production.

Originally submitted to (www.metal-observer.com) on May 13, 2009.

'Promised Land ' is the first of the non-Metal Queensryche albums and as such, their second to last good album. In this, we hear a darker and bitter Queensryche the likes of which we've not seen before or since. This album is best categorized as 'Dark Progressive Rock'.

The production is more or less the same as it was on 'Empire'(in short nothing to write home about but it gets the job done). The guitars are light, and mostly clean or with some kind of effect on them. They are rarely if ever distorted. There are several leads and no real solos to speak of. The riffs are dark and abstract in some instances.

The bass is still in full 80's Metal bass player mode, and sadly follows the others throughout the entire release. The drums play some interesting somewhat polyrhythms here and there, just barely breaking out of a more standard Rock format. There are some light keyboards and samples strewn throughout the release as well.

The vocals are very minimalistic and work with the sparse guitar work. Geoff does use his full range but it’s limited. This album sees the beginning of the "new" Tate voice, thankfully it’s not dominate here.

This album is by far the darkest album that band ever release which is interesting given that its easily their lightest album as well. Most of the songs are set at a moderate pace and never leave that rut. This really is a lost gem as it’s crafty and intricate, delicate to a point even. There is more going on then what you truly hear and that is one of the better parts about this album. It’s an album that makes you think. This is recommended to fans and those who enjoy immersing themselves in dark moody music.

The first time I heard Promised Land was when all of the songs from the album, except for the title track, were aired on radio show Rockline just prior to the albums release in 1994. Being a huge Ryche fan I was quite disappointed when not a single song jumped out and grabbed me by the throat. After buying the album and listening to it for a few months I decided that it was decent enough but couldn't hold a candle to any of their previous classic releases.

A surprising number of Ryche fans actually consider Promised Land to be the band's best effort. While I will never rate the album as highly as Rage For Order, The Warning or Operation:mindcrime, over time I have developed more of an appreciation for Promised Land. Certainly the lyrical theme of the album has always been a powerful one, as many can relate to the disaffectation and disillusionment voiced here.

After the brief introduction of 9:28am,the agression-fuelled duo of I Am I and Damaged kick the album off in fine style, before slowing things down with the Floydesque Out of Mind. The acoustic Bridge then leads into the eight and a half minute title track, a plodding number that sits well within the context of the album and forms the crux of the lyrical theme. This is followed by Disconnected, which is made unique by Geoff Tate's vocal approach, as well as ending in a chugging fashion that is quite compelling.

Next up is the atmospheric tune Lady Jane, which is followed by the very average My Global Mind. To my ears, this one sounds like a leftover from the Empire sessions. One More Time is an infectious lament, that leads into the album closer Someone Else?, an emotive piano-driven number that is admittedly rather bloated but serves to highlight Geoff Tate's amazing voice.

Promised Land contains a diverse collection of songs and is truly an adventurous work. Songs that may not seem as powerful when standing alone, serve to complement one another to create something more potent. Yes, it took some time, but I now feel comfortable singing the praises of Promised Land.