US prog metal legends Queensryche have announced that they will reissue arguably their finest two albums, 1988's Operation: Mindcrime and 1990's follow-up Empire, remastered on varying formats through Capitol/UMe on June 25.
In addition to the original versions remastered for CD and 180-gram vinyl 2LP, both titles will be available in expanded 2CD editions and in multi-disc CD+DVD box sets that stand as the final word on these albums, which carried the ambitious conceptual approach of such artists as The Who and Pink Floyd to a new decade and to a new hard rock audience.
Newly mastered at Abbey Road Studios, the deluxe versions of these remarkable albums bring together all the available recordings in 10′′ x 10′′ boxes that also contain DVDs of accompanying promotional videos and live performances of the albums. The live audio material revisits Queensrÿche’s worldwide headlining status during the Building Empires Tour, an 18-month trek that saw the band headline arenas after previous high-profile supporting slots on the Def Leppard Hysteria and Metallica And Justice For All tours.
The Operation: Mindcrime deluxe features live audio concerts from London’s Hammersmith Odeon in 1990 and Wisconsin’s Target Center in 1991, plus a DVD that also includes the bonus track The Making of Operation: Mindcrime and an Operation: Mindcrime TV spot.
The Empire deluxe version completes the Hammersmith Odeon 1990 concert with the live audio from the non-Mindcrime setlist. Geoff Tate, inducted into the 2020 Metal Hall of Fame, sheds new light on Operation: Mindcrime and Empire in extended interviews with former Metal Hammer Editor Alex Milas for the liner notes.
Pre-order Operation: MIndcrime.
