Knights of the Roundtable: Queensrÿche’s Eddie Jackson and Armored Saint’s Joey Vera Discuss the State of Metal Bass
Even though Queensrÿche and Armored Saint were cornerstones of the ‘80s metal scene neither one fit neatly into any exclusive sub-genre of that particular era. The first two records released by Seattle’s Queensrÿche in the early ‘80s were clearly influenced by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but by the time they got to their third record, Rage for Order (EMI, 1986), a singular sound began to emerge. Incorporating a more layered and progressive quality to their songs, along with the digital recording technologies that were beginning to emerge at the time, Queensrÿche began to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. The “Queensrÿche sound” was solidified on their fourth record, Operation: Mindcrime (EMI, 1988), an ambitious concept album regarded by many as the band’s defining masterpiece.