Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Thirty-five years ago, a newspaper review of Queensrÿche's Empire made a bold claim:
"Heavy metal ballads are stupid."
That statement opens the door to a much bigger discussion.
In this episode, Robert John Hadfield revisits a fascinating 1990 review of Empire and explores how the definition of heavy metal was changing right before our eyes. As thrash metal exploded, glam metal embraced power ballads, and grunge waited just around the corner, Queensrÿche seemed to carve out a completely different path.
Was Empire really a heavy metal album? Or had Queensrÿche become something entirely different?
Along the way we'll discuss Jeff Tate's vocals, Peter Collins' production, Operation: Mindcrime, the rise of grunge, and why this article may have predicted where rock music was headed.
What do you think? Is Empire a heavy metal album?
00:00 Heavy metal ballads are stupid?
00:39 Queensrÿche trivia challenge
02:11 A fascinating 1990 review
03:31 What was "heavy metal" in 1990?
05:05 From Mindcrime to Empire
07:26 When is a metal album not metal?
09:20 A very metal band making a non-metal album
12:32 The article attacks metal ballads
14:16 One week before Empire: Facelift
15:31 Jeff Tate's secret weapon
18:45 Did excess create grunge?
20:58 The guitar work on Empire
22:13 What really makes an album metal?
23:55 Why "Empire" was the first single
25:31 The article's final verdict
26:01 Trivia answers
27:46 Opening the mystery package
28:10 Thailand trip announcement
Thirty-five years ago, a newspaper review of Queensrÿche's Empire made a bold claim:
"Heavy metal ballads are stupid."
That statement opens the door to a much bigger discussion.
In this episode, Robert John Hadfield revisits a fascinating 1990 review of Empire and explores how the definition of heavy metal was changing right before our eyes. As thrash metal exploded, glam metal embraced power ballads, and grunge waited just around the corner, Queensrÿche seemed to carve out a completely different path.
Was Empire really a heavy metal album? Or had Queensrÿche become something entirely different?
Along the way we'll discuss Jeff Tate's vocals, Peter Collins' production, Operation: Mindcrime, the rise of grunge, and why this article may have predicted where rock music was headed.
What do you think? Is Empire a heavy metal album?
00:00 Heavy metal ballads are stupid?
00:39 Queensrÿche trivia challenge
02:11 A fascinating 1990 review
03:31 What was "heavy metal" in 1990?
05:05 From Mindcrime to Empire
07:26 When is a metal album not metal?
09:20 A very metal band making a non-metal album
12:32 The article attacks metal ballads
14:16 One week before Empire: Facelift
15:31 Jeff Tate's secret weapon
18:45 Did excess create grunge?
20:58 The guitar work on Empire
22:13 What really makes an album metal?
23:55 Why "Empire" was the first single
25:31 The article's final verdict
26:01 Trivia answers
27:46 Opening the mystery package
28:10 Thailand trip announcement
