Queensrÿche are one of the founding bands of progressive metal — pairing the power of heavy metal with progressive ambition, technical precision and Geoff Tate’s soaring, operatic voice. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of eight of their albums.

The short version

For the heart of Queensrÿche, start with Operation: Mindcrime, Empire, Rage for Order and Promised Land. Between them they hold the masterpiece, the breakthrough and the peaks of their classic era. The full ranking is below.

Pioneers of prog metal

Emerging from Bellevue, Washington in the early 1980s, Queensrÿche — alongside Fates Warning and Dream Theater — are regularly named one of the genre’s ‘Big Three’. Their 1988 concept album Operation: Mindcrime, a dark tale of conspiracy and assassination, became a landmark of the form, and Empire (1990), with the hit “Silent Lucidity”, made them stars. A note on the catalogue: Queensrÿche have recorded more than a dozen albums; the eight here are a selection spanning their classic era and their acclaimed recent revival.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing songwriting, ambition and impact. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate — and at this level, the lower placements are no slight.

The essential four

At the summit sits Operation: Mindcrime (1988), widely held as one of the greatest concept albums in all of metal — a tense, cinematic story told with real craft. Empire (1990) is its polished, multi-platinum sibling, and Rage for Order (1986) the ambitious, futuristic album where their progressive identity first fully bloomed. Promised Land (1994) is the dark, introspective record many fans rate their most underrated peak.

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Reliably great

The next tier is strong too. The Warning (1984) is the debut album that announced their ambition, and The Verdict (2019) is the finest of the Todd La Torre era — a muscular, confident record that proved the band’s second wind was real.

For completists

Two albums sit a little lower. Condition Hüman (2015) is a solid, well-received entry from the revitalised lineup, while Operation: Mindcrime II (2006) — the long-awaited sequel to their masterpiece — is the more divisive record, admired by some but felt by many to fall short of the original.

A selection, in order

The eight albums covered here, in chronological order — a selection rather than their complete discography. Click through to the full write-up on any record.

Where to start

Begin with Operation: Mindcrime — their masterpiece, and one of the defining albums of progressive metal. From there, Empire offers their most accessible peak and Rage for Order their most adventurous early statement.

The players

Queensrÿche’s classic lineup paired Geoff Tate’s commanding, operatic vocals with the twin guitars of Chris DeGarmo — their principal early songwriter, who left in 1998 — and Michael Wilton, alongside bassist Eddie Jackson and drummer Scott Rockenfield. Wilton and Jackson have anchored every album the band has made. Tate departed in 2012 after an acrimonious and very public falling-out; since then, former Crimson Glory singer Todd La Torre has fronted the band, breathing new life into it across a run of well-received albums.

Why they still matter

Queensrÿche helped invent progressive metal — proving that heaviness, intelligence and grand conceptual ambition could share the same record. Alongside Fates Warning, Dream Theater and kindred spirits like Crimson Glory, they shaped a whole genre — and in Operation: Mindcrime they left behind one of its undisputed masterpieces.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: read about the best Queensrÿche songs. You can also place them in the bigger picture with our list of the best progressive rock albums of all time.

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