30 Years Later, Looking Back On Operation Mindcrime by Queensryche

Thirty years ago, on May 3rd 1988, rock band Queensryche released their third studio album album Operation Mindcrime, an album that would bring revolution to the genre of rock. A concept album and rock opera with some of the band’s greatest singles, this hour-long album follows the narrative of an addict called Nikki, who is fed up how corrupt his society is and ends up joining a revolutionary group as an assassin.

The story would be told alongside the accompanying music videos, and in 2007, Queensryche would release a DVD where they would perform the album and its sequel, Operation Mindcrime 2. The album is responsible for much of Queensryche’s fame and success, containing some of the band’s most popular songs. In honour of this genre defining piece of art, it seemed appropriate to revisit it in the week of its thirtieth birthday.

The narrative follows the character of Nikki, starting off with him in a hospital, only able to remember parts of his past. Nikki’s memories come back to him, remembering his past life as a heroin addict and would-be political radical frustrated with his corrupted society, told through the hit song “Revolution Calling”, a song that German publication Rock Hard would rank as 34th in “The 250 Best Metal and Hard Rock Songs of All Time” in 2011.

In the song “Operation Mindcrime”, he ends up joining an underground revolutionary group, led by the mysterious Dr. X. Eventually Dr X uses Nikki’s addiction and brainwashing techniques to become a hitman for the cause, willing to commit any murder he wants in the song “Speak”. Through one of Dr. X’s associates, a corrupt priest named Father William, Nikki comes into contact with a prostitute-turned-nun named Sister Mary and talks about their shared past in the track “Spreading the Disease”. As their relationship develops, Nikki starts to question the nature of what he is doing, seeing that Dr. X has his own agenda. Taking notice of this, Dr X orders Nikki to kill both sister Mary and the priest, signalling the beginning of the longest song in the album, “Suite Sister Mary”. In a duet, Nikki spares Mary, and they decide to leave. Nikki goes to tell Dr X. However, he reminds Nikki of his addiction, and that he is the only one who can provide for that addiction in “The Needle Lies”. Nikki leaves, conflicted and uncertain, and he returns to Mary only to find her dead.

Over the course of the two songs “Breaking the Silence” and “I Don’t Believe In Love”, Nikki suffers from Mary’s loss. Mixed with the thought that he may have killed her without knowing it, he starts to lose his mind. He runs through the streets calling her name, which eventually causes the police to subdue him. A gun is found on Nikki, and he is arrested for the suspicion of Mary’s murder, as well as the previous murders he committed for Dr X. Nikki is then put into a mental hospital after completely losing his memory. While in the hospital, he sees a news report about the recent political murders, jogging his memory and returns us to the beginning of him telling his story.

A year after the release of the album, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) would give it a gold certification and then a platinum certification after it sold over a million in 1991. At the time of its release, UK based magazine Kerrang would call it the second-best album of the year, the first one being King’s X’s album Out of The Silent Planet. Though the band would split up in 2012, the legacy of this album would go on. The frontman of Queensryche, Geoff Tate, would go on to create a new project of the same name. Publications would continue to visit this album again and again, ranking number 70 in Kerrang’s 1998 article ‘The Kerrang! 100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die’ and number 42 in Classic Rock’s piece ‘The 100 Greatest Rock Albums of All Time’.

Personally, this album is a masterpiece in unconventional storytelling and just fuels my love of rock and metal. I love the mix between the first half of the album’s tracks praising revolution and the last half focusing on Nikki’s loss, which we can relate to on some level. Lyrically, some of these songs are absolutely timeless. Geoff Tate’s wide musical range and powerful vocals helps bring the story to life, accompanied by the roaring guitars played by Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton, who switched lead positions between tracks. However, what personally makes it for me is Eddie Jackson playing the bass, especially in the song which shares the same name of the album. Filled with heavy chords, excellent guitar solos, memorable ballads and anarchic lyrics, I can’t help but agree with Kerrang’s judgment on this: everybody should listen to this album.