30 years ago today (8/20/90), Queensrÿche released the hugely commercially successful Empire LP. This Seattle band’s fourth studio LP which reached a triple-platinum status, spawned six huge singles and received mammoth airplay on MTV, almost unheard of now as the five-piece was never fashionably cool and with it progressive metal leanings, Empire had more in common with Rush than Red Hot Chili Peppers. The power ballad “Silent Lucidity”, reached number 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks as Geoff Tate earned himself the nod as one of rock’s premiere lead vocalists. Watch Queensrÿche perform the captivating “Della Brown” off Empire from 1992’s MTV Unplugged session.
