| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1]
|
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 9/10[2] |
| Metal Forces | 9.5/10[3] |
Operation: Mindcrime is the third studio album by the American progressive heavy metal band Queensrÿche, released on May 3, 1988. The album was re-released on May 6, 2003 with two bonus tracks, and in 2006 as a deluxe box set.
A concept album and a rock opera, its story follows Nikki, a recovering drug addict who becomes disillusioned with the corrupt society of his time and reluctantly becomes involved with a revolutionary group as an assassin of political leaders.[9] In January 1989, it ranked at No. 34 on Kerrang! magazine's "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".[4]
The album was certified by the RIAA as 'gold' a year after its release, and it was certified as 'platinum' in 1991. A sequel, Operation: Mindcrime II, was released on April 4, 2006.
Story[]
The album begins with the protagonist, Nikki, in a hospital. He lies in a near catatonic state, unable to remember anything but snippets from his past. Suddenly, Nikki's memories come flooding back in a torrent. He remembers how, as a heroin addict and would-be political radical frustrated with contemporary society due to the economic inequality, corruption, and hypocrisy around him, he was manipulated into joining a supposed secret organization dedicated to revolution. At the head of this organization is a mysterious political and religious demagogue known only as Dr. X, who manipulates Nikki through a combination of his heroin addiction and brainwashing techniques to become an assassin. Whenever Dr. X uses the word "mindcrime", Nikki becomes his docile puppet, a state which Dr. X uses to command Nikki to undertake any murder that the Doctor wishes. Through one of Dr. X's probable associates, a corrupt priest named Father William, Nikki is offered the services of a prostitute-turned-nun named Sister Mary. Through his friendship and growing affection toward Sister Mary, Nikki begins to question the nature of what he is doing, seeing that Dr. X has his own nefarious agenda. Dr. X takes notice and, seeing a potential threat in Mary to his cult of personality, orders Nikki to kill both her and the priest. Nikki goes to Mary's church and kills the priest, but, after confronting Mary, he fails to comply with the command to murder her. He and Mary decide to leave the organization together, and Nikki goes to Dr. X to tell him that they are out. Dr. X, however, reminds Nikki that he is an addict, and that he is the one who can provide him with his daily fix. Nikki leaves, conflicted and uncertain, and he returns to Mary only to find her dead. Nikki cannot cope with the loss, as well as the possibility that he himself may have killed her without knowing it (it was later revealed on the Mindcrime at the Moore DVD that Mary killed herself after Dr. X threatened to kill Nikki), and he begins to succumb to insanity. He runs through the streets calling her name. The police arrive and attempt to subdue him. A gun is found on Nikki, and they take him into custody under suspicion of Mary's murder and the murders he committed for Dr. X. Suffering from an almost complete loss of memory, Nikki is put into a mental hospital, where he sees a news report on the recent spree of political homicides. This jogs his memory and returns us to the beginning where he remembers what has happened and begins to tell his story.
Track listing[]
| # | Track title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Remember Now" | Chris DeGarmo, Geoff Tate, Michael Wilton | 1:17 |
| 2. | "Anarchy—X" (instrumental) | DeGarmo | 1:27 |
| 3. | "Revolution Calling" | Tate, Wilton | 4:42 |
| 4. | "Operation: Mindcrime" | DeGarmo, Tate, Wilton | 4:43 |
| 5. | "Speak" | Tate, Wilton | 3:42 |
| 6. | "Spreading the Disease" | Tate, Wilton | 4:07 |
| 7. | "The Mission" | DeGarmo | 5:45 |
| 8. | "Suite Sister Mary" | DeGarmo, Tate | 10:41 |
| 9. | "The Needle Lies" | Tate, Wilton | 3:08 |
| 10. | "Electric Requiem" | Scott Rockenfield, Tate | 1:22 |
| 11. | "Breaking the Silence" | DeGarmo, Tate | 4:34 |
| 12. | "I Don't Believe in Love" | DeGarmo, Tate | 4:23 |
| 13. | "Waiting for 22" (instrumental) | DeGarmo | 1:05 |
| 14. | "My Empty Room" | Tate, Wilton | 1:25 |
| 15. | "Eyes of a Stranger" | DeGarmo, Tate | 6:39 |
Personnel[]
- Queensrÿche
- Geoff Tate – lead vocals, keyboard, whistles and blurbs
- Chris DeGarmo – guitar (lead guitar on tracks 2, 7, 8, 13, 15; six- and twelve-string acoustic guitars, lap steel guitar), guitar synthesizer
- Michael Wilton – guitar (lead guitar on tracks 3, 5, 6; twelve-string acoustic guitar)
- Eddie Jackson – bass
- Scott Rockenfield – drums, percussion, keyboard (10)
- Cast
- Pamela Moore – as Sister Mary
- Anthony Valentine – as Dr. X
- Debbie Wheeler – as the Nurse
- Mike Snyder – as the Anchorman
- Scott Mateer – as Father William
- The Moronic Monks of Morin Heights – choir
- Production
- Peter Collins – production
- Michael Kamen – orchestral arrangement, choir and cello conducting
- James Barton – engineering, mixing
- Paul Northfield – engineering
- Jim Campbell – engineering assistance
- Paul Milner – engineering assistance
- Glen Robinson – engineering assistance
- Ronald Prent – mixing assistance
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
References[]
- ↑ Huey, Steve. Operation: Mindcrime - Queensrÿche. AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved on October 22, 2011.
- ↑ (November 1, 2005) The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing, 275. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
- ↑ Doe, Bernard (1988). "Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime". Metal Forces (28). Retrieved on February 17, 2013.
- ↑ (January 21, 1989) "Queensrÿche 'Operation: Mindcrime'", Kerrang! 222. London, UK: Spotlight Publications Ltd..