Queensrÿche - The Verdict [Marble]

Seven years into the Todd La Torre era, Queensrÿche's The Verdict delivers progressive metal with real teeth, the band's 2019 album pressed on marble vinyl.

The Pacific Northwest band had by then settled into a confident new identity built on the soaring vocals and intricate riffing of their classic years. With longtime drummer Scott Rockenfield away from the band, La Torre handled the drums in the studio as well as singing, while producer Chris Harris, better known as Zeuss, gave the record a punchy, modern weight. The result sounds like a band comfortable in its own skin.

Blood Of The Levant opens with a thunderous charge, and Man The Machine follows with a razor-sharp chorus. Light-Years shows off the band's melodic side, while Dark Reverie builds into one of the album's most atmospheric moments.

Michael Wilton and Parker Lundgren trade riffs and harmony leads with precision, Eddie Jackson's bass anchors the grooves, and La Torre's range recalls the operatic heights of the band's 1980s peak without simply imitating it. The songs are tight and purposeful, with little wasted motion.

For fans who have followed every turn of the Queensrÿche story, this marble pressing makes a striking addition to the shelf, and a strong case for the band's modern era.