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**Queensrÿche - Rage For Order**
★★★★☆

In the mid-eighties, when hair metal ruled MTV and prog rock seemed as dead as disco, five guys from Bellevue, Washington decided to flip the script entirely. Queensrÿche's second full-length album, "Rage For Order," stands as a fascinating anomaly in heavy metal history – a record that dared to ask what would happen if you took the cerebral complexity of progressive rock, the crushing power of metal, and wrapped it all in a sleek, synthesizer-laden package that wouldn't sound out of place in a cyberpunk fever dream.

Coming off their impressive 1984 debut "The Warning," Queensrÿche found themselves at a crossroads. The band had already established their progressive metal credentials with their legendary 1983 EP, but "Rage For Order" saw them pushing deeper into uncharted territory. Working again with producer James Guthrie – the man behind Pink Floyd's "The Wall" – the quintet crafted something that was equal parts "2112" and "1984," a concept album exploring themes of technology, alienation, and social control that felt both futuristic and unnervingly prescient.

Musically, "Rage For Order" is Queensrÿche at their most adventurous. The album opens with "Walk in the Shadows," a haunting mission statement that immediately establishes the record's darker, more atmospheric tone. Geoff Tate's operatic vocals soar over Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton's intricate guitar work, while the rhythm section of Eddie Jackson and Scott Rockenfield provides a foundation that's both thunderous and surprisingly nuanced. But it's the liberal use of synthesizers and electronic textures that truly sets this album apart from its contemporaries, creating an otherworldly soundscape that predates the industrial metal boom by several years.

The album's crown jewel is undoubtedly "I Dream in Infrared," a six-minute epic that showcases everything great about Queensrÿche's approach. Tate's vocals shift from whispered vulnerability to soaring power, while the band navigates complex time signatures and mood changes with the precision of a Swiss watch. The song's exploration of surveillance and paranoia feels remarkably ahead of its time, touching on themes that wouldn't become mainstream concerns for another decade.

"The Whisper" serves as the album's most accessible moment, featuring one of the band's most memorable choruses wrapped around a driving, almost danceable rhythm. Meanwhile, "Gonna Get Close to You" – a cover of Dalbello's original – transforms a relatively straightforward pop song into something genuinely unsettling, with Tate's delivery turning the lyrics into the musings of a stalker. It's a bold choice that perfectly captures the album's themes of obsession and control.

The deeper cuts reveal even more treasures. "The Killing Words" builds from a whisper to a roar over its seven-minute runtime, while "Neue Regel" (German for "new rule") is a brief but effective instrumental that sounds like the soundtrack to a dystopian future. "Chemical Youth (We Are Rebellion)" delivers the album's most overtly political message, wrapped in a package that's both melodically stunning and rhythmically complex.

What makes "Rage For Order" truly special is how it manages to be both of its time and timeless. The synthesizer work and production techniques clearly place it in the mid-eighties, yet the themes of technological alienation and social control feel more relevant than ever. The band's willingness to experiment with electronic elements while maintaining their progressive metal foundation created something unique – a bridge between the guitar-driven metal of the past and the more diverse approaches that would define the genre's future.

Nearly four decades later, "Rage For Order" stands as perhaps Queensrÿche's most underrated achievement. While "Operation: Mindcrime" would bring them greater commercial success and critical acclaim, this album represents the band at their most fearless and experimental. It's a record that influenced everyone from Dream Theater to Tool, helping to establish the template for thinking person's metal that prioritizes atmosphere and concept over simple aggression.

In an era when metal was often dismissed as mindless noise, Queensrÿche proved that heavy music could be both intellectually challenging and emotionally powerful. "Rage For Order" remains a testament to the power of artistic ambition, a reminder that the best albums are often the ones that dare to venture into uncharte