Unknown Soldier

It should be said that I’ve never been much of a Queen fan at all, but credit where its due, as the band were truly capable of portraying a sound that at the same time ensconced elements of hard rock, heavy metal, progressive rock and theatrical rock all in a viable commercial sound. The band presented their musical array as a densely layered sound, with operatic overtones and was able to appeal to glamsters, rockers and popsters. The band was always stable with Roger Taylor, John Deacon and Brian May with his coin picking guitar style providing the backbone of the band. But of course it was vocalist Freddie Mercury, who was the undoubted frontman and shining light of the band. The consummate frontman and with a voice to die for, which was full of distinctive power, that was able to saunter from heavy edged rockers to casual humour with equal aplomb. Queen were certainly able to compose great songs that kept within the style of the band, but these songs were often few and far between compared to some of their main rivals back in the 1970s and the band may well have been one of the best advocates around, for knowing how to bulk out their albums with quality filler based around the voice of Freddie Mercury! Their debut album the eponymous Queen, an album that is often cited as being a great album by some critics, is in reality no more than an album based around a collection of ideas, rather than being an album of any real substance and quality. The band though came into their own with their second album Queen II which was an album I never used to like that much, but have recently come to think of it as an album that really showcases the band’s sound perfectly and is a major step up from the debut album. Their major breakthrough came on Sheer Heart Attack and was the band’s boldest and heaviest statement, before the band switched over to their more overblown rock epics of the mid-1970s. Taking the band for what they were, rather than dissecting them quality wise, is probably the best way to look at Queen, because they offered the heavy genre of the 1970s, a very viable commercial outlet whilst showcasing their excesses.

__________________
Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History