Operation: Mindcrime II Friday, April 07, 2006

Some things were never meant to have a sequel. Like Highlander. Like The Matrix. Like The Blair Witch Project. Like Metallica's Unforgiven*. It cheapens the original when the artist tries to rehash an idea just to sell albums (or movie tickets or whatever).

And so I, like many others, was upset to hear that a sequel to the greatest 80's progressive metal album ever produced, Queensrÿche's Operation: Mindcrime, had been released. In the words of Brian Matusz via Brad Wilson, would this be a return to excellence? or cashing in on a successful past?

Thankfully, according to one review, while it may fall short of recapturing the full force of the original, it's a mostly successful extension of the Nikki's tale of revolution, murder and madness. I will have to find out for myself, won't I?

* For a laugh, check out this "Encyclopedia Metallica" entry on how to guess a Metallica fan's age by asking him when the band began to suck.