I recently reviewed the new QUEENSRYCHE album “Frequency Unknown”, which is the new record from the Geoff Tate “version” on the band released earlier in 2013. I figure equal time is only fair for the new record from the other version of the band that is now fronted by Todd LaTorre (ex-CRIMSON GLORY). What’s that saying? “All’s fair in love, war and dueling bands”? Maybe that’s not exactly it but it’s something like that.

This new self-titled album from the remaining original members along with Parker Lundgren and LaTorre is a step above “Frequency Unknown” in that it retains more of the sound you’d expect from the QUEENSRYCHE name, if you are a longtime fan. Some say LaTorre is a clone of Tate but that is not entirely true. He certainly is close in register and can therefore handle the old material in concert but he does have enough of his own identity on this new record to make a name for himself. Sure there are times when listening to this new record that you’d swear it was the Tate of old but to me that is just as much a tribute to the musical style of QUEENSRYCHE than the voice. Unlike Tate’s new record, which retains very little in sound of what fans of the band would expect, “Queensryche” sits comfortably in what is the legacy sound of the band. That is not a rip on “Frequency” but just a plain observation after hearing both records side by side.

Songs like “Where Dreams Go To Die”, “Spore”, “Redemption”, “A World Without” and “Open Road”, all have that sound that instantly remind one of the QUEENSRYCHE of old. After an album like “Dedicated to Chaos” it’s just nice to hear songs in that style again. Other tracks like “In This Light” show a slightly more melodic approach to the bands sound while still retaining the sound of what is QUEENSRYCHE. Furthermore, on tracks like “Vindication” or “Don’t Look Back” they take things in an ever-so-slightly updated direction for the band with a little tougher approach. The nice thing about the record as a whole is it is cohesive and just sounds like a QUEENSRYCHE record should. There is no need to break down each song here in the review because fans will get what they expect and the members have been diligent in delivering that to the fans. Make no mistake this is exactly what this version of the band needed to do at this point after all that has happened in the last year. While Tate took the opportunity to make a record with what he sees as “his sound” for the band he also used many guests on “Frequency” and ultimately it shows in the final product but here you get nothing but the five members in the band on this record (along with a brief appearance by Pamela Moore, who longtime QUEENSRYCHE fans will be very familiar with, and those five members appear mindful of and eager to carry on with the legacy sound of the band for the fans as well as themselves.

If you are QUEENSRYCHE fan in 2013 you stand on one side of the fence or the other and you are well aware of what has happened in the last year or so with the members but at this stage my money is on the Rockenfield, Wilton, Jackson, Lundgren and LaTorre version as they clearly retain the bands legacy sound and judging by early album sales figures fans agree.