FORMER QUEENSRYCHE VOCALIST NOT IN THE ‘RYCHE FRAME OF MIND ON SOLO OUTING
Divorce is always hardest on the children. It’s even worse when the break-up gets ugly and unfolds in front of the entire neighborhood. As the legal and verbal battle between Queensryche and former frontman Geoff Tate drags on, longtime fans of the ‘ryche can’t help but feel like that poor kid caught in the middle of it all the bickering. Things can get really awkward when dad shows up with his sleazy new girlfriend and expects you to call her mom. Well kids, meet "Kings and Thieves." She’s not exactly what you would expect from Papa Tate and, at times, well beneath his standards. However, he seems pretty content to parade her around on his arm like a prize.
The disc starts out with a handful of strutting schlock-rockers, each one a little less tolerable than the last. Not only do the tunes tend to drag on or wander around aimlessly, they’re peppered with lyrics like “she rides me hard like an exercise machine.” For a guy whose legacy is based on being the voice of “the thinking man’s metal band” to name a song “Say U Luv It” is a letdown to say the least.
For all its flaws, "Kings and Thieves" isn’t a complete bust and Tate does show flashes of his former glory here and there. It’s just hard to focus on the album’s high points when Kid Rock-inspired songs like “The Way I Roll” take center stage. Let’s hope this is Tate's rebound. [Inside Out Music]
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