Greatest Hits

Metal · 2000 · 8 tracks

Greatest Hits

A career-spanning arc of surgical guitar harmonies and operatic vocals, moving from high-fantasy power metal to cerebral, dystopian arena rock.

June 27, 2000 · EMI Records USA

This compilation serves as a masterclass in the evolution of intellectual heavy metal. It captures a band that refused to stay stagnant, beginning with the glass-shattering, high-fantasy screams of their early EP and culminating in the sophisticated, socially-conscious textures of their commercial peak. The listening experience is defined by Geoff Tate’s theatrical, four-octave range and the meticulous, dual-guitar interplay of Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton. It feels like a curated tour through a high-tech, slightly decaying future, where every riff is placed with surgical precision and every chorus is designed for maximum emotional impact.

Tracklist · 8 Tracks

01

Queen of the Reich

4:22

04

The Lady Wore Black

6:15

09

Jet City Woman

5:22

10

Empire

5:24

11

Silent Lucidity

5:46

12

I Am I

3:59

15

Chasing Blue Sky

3:41

16

Someone Else? (full band version)

7:15

Moments Worth Listening For

the transition from the acoustic intro to the soaring, multi-tracked vocal climax in Take Hold of the Flame

the cinematic, Pink Floyd-esque orchestration and spoken-word interludes that anchor Silent Lucidity

the precise, interlocking guitar riffs of Eyes of a Stranger that build into a frantic, paranoid finale

the rare full-band version of Someone Else? where the sparse piano original blooms into a heavy, atmospheric closer

Reviews

AllMusic

Where This Album Departs

How does Greatest Hits sound next to the rest of Queensrÿche's catalogue?

Late Night+2.8σ

Late Night saturates this record far more than the artist's norm.

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