Geoff Tate gives the fans what they want on Sweet Oblivion' Relentless

Sweet Oblivion' Relentless shows it's all 'ryche now as former Queensryche frontman Geoff Tate revives the sound of his early years

By Essi Berelian
( Classic Rock )
published
Sweet Oblivion feat Geoff Tate: Relentless
(Image: © Frontiers)

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It’s quite a commercially nifty idea, giving Geoff Tate a vehicle that harks back to Queensryche’s early career. And with the fans’ hunger for the classic sound at least partially sated by 2019’s first album, Relentless continues the delivery of songs that could have bridged the gap between the Queensryche pair Empire and Promised Land. 

This time round, virtuoso guitarist/ producer Aldo Lonobile is Tate’s songwriting collaborator. Not that this makes a huge difference to the direction.

Lonobile and a completely new line-up are perfectly adept at conjuring up the required vibe, and Relentless hits the spot time and time again with Remember Me, Anybody Out There, Wake Up Call and excellent single Strong Pressure. 

Lonobile even conjures up a ’Ryche-style tune in Aria with Tate singing in Italian. Strong songs, and Geoff Tate at the front giving the fans what they want? A (guilty?) pleasure indeed.

Essi Berelian
Essi Berelian

Whether it’s magazines, books or online, Essi has been writing about rock ’n’ metal for around thirty years. He has been reviews editor for Classic Rock and Metal Hammer, rock reviews editor for lads mag Front and worked for Kerrang!. He has also written the Rough Guide to Heavy Metal and contributed to the Rough Guide to Rock and Rough Guide Book of Playlists, and the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles (13th edition). Most fun interview? Tenacious D – Jack Black and Kyle Gass – for The Pick of Destiny movie book. An avid record/CD/tape collector, he’s amassed more music than he could ever possibly listen to, which annoys his wife no end.