Not pearls before swine, but somewhere on that scale

There are two problems putting Queensrÿche on your bill at a quarter past 5 pm:

1. The people who've been getting sloshed and ready to party at this point are not the people who go see a band of this stature – and vice versa. So it's not gonna be a very celebrative experience.
2. More generally, the people at this festival whose favorite band is Queensrÿche can probably be counted on one hand – if not less – what with the group not even remotely surpassing themselves for 36 years. So it's not gonna be… Yeah, I already said that.

But that said, we are in for a minor treat. Partly because we're still dealing with a band that – as I wrote about Iron Maiden yesterday – performs like actual musicians who take their art seriously. And partly because holy shit, what a hat trick of openers.

Didn't have a lot of expectations, but probably least of all starting out with "Queen of the Reich" – the band's first single from their first 1983 self-titled EP. Apart from that rhythm guitar figure being hella metal, the chorus also reveals lead singer Todd LaTorre's remarkable pipes. While perhaps a hair's breadth short of possessing the full vocal faculty of Geoff Tate, he still comes more than close enough that the band's all the better off without Tate. This was my impression at Wacken 11 years ago, and this impression only gets solidified tonight.

And the gifts continue. The title song from the band's 1988 magnum opus "Operation: Mindcrime" not only epitomizes exactly that sound from that peak year in hard rock when it was released; it's also a grateful singalong. And the latter only also goes for the stately semi-title track from Queensrÿche's 1984 debut LP "The Warning".

Unfortunately, the ensuing deep cuts from that same album fall a bit flat. Same thing with the ditto from 1986 follow-up "Rage for Order". It's a shame, because again: We're dealing with a band here that's as gifted musicians as you could wish for. I keep on being hella stoked about LaTorre, but also Mike Stone and aspiring Chuck Billy-lookalike Michael Wilton are playing some wicked dual leads. And new kid Casey Grillo's drum details, too, testify as to an undeniable musicality: This isn't just some dude keeping a beat; the man is playing an instrument with precision and finesse.

While not a live act of Maiden-esque proportions, Queensrÿche are still damn good at what they do.

"Screaming in Digital" is huge. Should be one big crowd banger. But, kindly refer to aforementioned reasons as to why it's not. Apart from that, though, Queensrÿche IS quite heavy on those tense Minor-key atmospheres that never get resolved. Fitting for the genre, perhaps; not as fitting for a late-afternoon festival slot. It also doesn't make for good crowd interaction that the band members keep on walking off- and onstage in between songs.

There's many a good a reason as to why "… Mindcrime" became their biggest album, and one of those reasons is exactly that it's tonally lighter and more varied than its predecessors. Same thing goes for its 1990 follow-up, "Empire" – my personal favorite. The band knows this, and that's why the set ends with a minor "… Mindcrime" parade with "Empire's" majestic title track on top. This bunch – not the least of all equal parts inevitable and irresistible "Revolution Calling" – bring that connective, resonating spark we've been missing. If you're not electrified by that chorus in the latter, you're a lost cause.

I could've used some more "Empire" tracks – say, "Jet City Woman" or "Another Rainy Night (Without You)". But on the other hand, that may have been a bit corny. And I'm kinda digging that they're brave enough to forgo "Silent Lucidity" – like when Metallica were here in 2022 and didn't play "Nothing Else Matters". This is obviously a group who sees themselves as progressive heavy metal, not hard rock.

Fair enough. And while not a live act of Maiden-esque proportions, they're still damn good at what they do.

Rating: 4.5 out of 6

Genre: Progressive heavy metal
Venue: Copenhell, Hades stage
Date: Thursday, June 25th, 2026

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Setlist:

1. Queen of the Reich
2. Operation: Mindcrime
3. Warning
4. NM 156
5. Neue Regel
6. Take Hold of the Flame
7. Screaming in Digital
8. Anarchy-X
9. Revolution Calling
10. Empire
11. Eyes of a Stranger