It seems some hardcore Queensryche fans are lambasting the band for releasing a very non-Queensryche style album. Truth is, I usually agree that bands with a 20 to 30 year history have a ‘sound’ and should write within those confines, as most attempts to step out after being an influential band are not received well. Oddly enough, I don’t think that about this album. I can still here Queensryche in this album, it is just that it is mixed with Floyd type eeriness, U2 pop and Glenn Hughes funk.

To judge the music apart from the fact that it is Queensryche, and one realizes this is good stuff. When compared to the bands seminal albums such as Operation Mindcrime, then this is not as good, but nothing they have done has topped that classic.

One should listen to this one with an open mind as songs like “Hot Spot Junkie,” “Hard Times” and “Big Noize” are pretty damn cool.

The ‘Ryche has moved away from album themes on this one. It is just a collection of songs. Some are better than others but, at the end of the day, this is a cool album. The shock of the funk may well have been too much for people expecting wailing vocals and fast guitar solos but just as Deep Purple’s Come Taste the Band was a shocker that took time to get used to, so will Dedicated to Chaos. Both albums are examples of playing outside of the comfort zone and just as Come Taste the Band is more respected today than it was when it come out, so will this one.

This ain’t your ‘80’s Queensryche but then again, this ain’t the ‘80’s. The band is still dedicated to making new music and not afraid to be different. Isn’t that why we liked these guys to begin with?