Queensryche - Sign Of The Times: The Best of Queensryche

Sign of the Times: The Best of Queensrÿche comes in two different editions: single and double disc. The double-disc version contains the toughest 17 cuts covering the gamut of the band's career until the time they left EMI, plus one cut from Mindcrime II, "Queen of the Reich," and "The Lady Wore Black," from the band's debut EP in beautifully remastered stereo. There's the title cut and "Take Hold of the Flame" from The Warning, the band's first album. Operation: Mindcrime's "Eyes of a Stranger" and "I Don't Believe in Love" are included, as is "All the Promises" from Mindcrime II (a record EMI didn't release). "Real World" comes courtesy of the soundtrack to the flick The Last Action Hero (and was included as a bonus track on the remaster of Promised Land, which also boasts "Bridge" and "I Am I.") Of course "Silent Lucidity" is present (the band's biggest hit), and the awesome-for-different-reasons "Jet City Woman" and "Another Rainy Night (Without You)," all from Empire (let's face it, the band could write slow and mid-tempo power ballads). There are a couple of cuts come from Hear in the Now Frontier, and one from Q2K.

Disc two is a rarities package. It contains demos for "Take Hold of the Flame," "Walk in the Shadows," and "Before the Storm," all performed by Tate's immediate precursor to Queensrÿche, Myth. There are three unreleased demos from the session for The Warning, along with the bonus cuts included on the reissues for Rage for Order, Empire — yes, "Scarborough Fair" is here — "Hear in the Now Frontier" and "Promised Land." "Delia Brown" from the MTV Unplugged appearance is included and welcomed, along with the live "Silent Lucidity." The final cut is an unreleased track written by DeGarmo called "Justified." Why it never made a Queensrÿche album proper is anybody's guess, because even in this version (a bit rough) it is as good as anything they did together, which is saying a lot.