‘The Verdict’ is the fifteenth full-length studio album by American heavy metal band Queensrÿche, originally released in 2019 by Century Media Records. Produced by Chris “Zeuss” Harris, it’s the third album featuring singer Todd La Torre, and universally hailed as the strongest of the post-Geoff Tate period, featuring all the typical aspects of the band’s early classics – prog sophistication, charging ahead twin-guitar harmonies and amazing paint-peeling vocal work.
Building on the momentum of their self-titled comeback and ‘Condition Hüman’, ‘The Verdict’ finds Queensrÿche refining their modern sound while staying true to their roots in cerebral, melodic metal. The album blends sharp riffing and layered harmonies with themes of social unrest, inner conflict, and resilience. La Torre’s dual performance (he also played drums due to Scott Rockenfield’s absence) and the band’s tight, dynamic arrangements underline a group once again fully in command of its identity: modern, purposeful, and unmistakably Queensrÿche.
Side A:
1. Blood of the Levant / 2. Man the Machine / 3. Light-Years / 4. Inside Out / 5. Propaganda Fashion
Side B:
6. Dark Reverie / 7. Bent / 8. Inner Unrest / 9. Launder the Conscience / 10. Portrait
