Queensrÿche endlessly fascinated us with their early work. They had some great hits later, too, but were never quite able to recreate this unique sound from Geoff Tate‘s glorious days. However, the band found a great replacement in the highly talented Todd La Torre back in 2012. And in time, the band managed to up the ante and produce material that seems to harken back in style and crispness to the olden golden days of this band’s glory.
Case in point, Tormentum – their newest video off their 2022 album Digital Noise Alliance – just dropped, and we were impressed. The track itself delivers a crisp piece of high-end Heavy Metal with the aforementioned Mr. La Torre lustily screaming away the way he does best. Albeit that the song could have emerged straight from Iron Maiden, too.1 But I guess the fancy progressive vibes and juicy monologues by mid-point finally did the trick.
As to the cinematography, the video is an excellent example of visual communication. It perfectly shows the confusion of armed conflicts, the fog of war, and the rampant brutality of it all. At the same time, it mercilessly reminds us how fluidly atrocities suddenly appear. And that is where the torture theme – Tormentum – constantly infiltrates the storyline. Interestingly, the band seems to take the past sins the US committed in that department as the ‘fil-rouge’ for the storyline. An expertly executed AI-powered clip that tells a serious story and – at the same time – syncs perfectly with the song itself. Not an easy feat to pull off.
So, torment away, you won’t regret it. Great video.
Label: Century Media | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 18 July 2023
- Indeed, La Torre would make for a great new vocalist for the maidens, no fucking doubt about it. -Ed.-↩