Rage for Order

Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve and includes four bonus tracks. EMI. 2008.

Queensryche's third album shows an increasing musical maturity that would come to full bloom in the subsequent Operation: Mindcrime. The material is more complex, blurring the line between progressive rock and heavy metal. Though some of the songs sound dated and a little overwrought, this can be forgiven given when Rage was recorded. And there is some great stuff here: you won't hear "Gonna Get Close to You", "Chemical Youth", "I Will Remember", or "Screaming in Digital" on the radio, but they're definitely worth listening to. As to the band photos on the back of the CD, just remember that there was a time when that look was cool. -- Genevieve Williams