Album · Queensryche
Empire by Queensryche
Empire is an album by Queensryche, released in 1990. 3 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 50 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Silent Lucidity”, on 37 lists with a best position of #32.
Empire, Queensrÿche's fourth studio album, came out on EMI USA in 1990, and it's the sound of the Bellevue, Washington progressive-metal brain trust stepping out from under the shadow of their own concept-album triumph, Operation: Mindcrime. Peter Collins produced, and the lineup was the one that had carried them through the '80s: Geoff Tate's soaring, operatic wail up front, Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton on guitars, Eddie Jackson on bass and Scott Rockenfield on drums.
The songs come leaner and more direct without getting dumb, and the title track and "Best I Can" hit with real force. But the one that crossed over was "Silent Lucidity", a hushed, dreamlike power ballad that climbed to number 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart and 9 on the Hot 100 and picked up a pair of Grammy nominations. Empire went triple platinum, the biggest seller the band ever had.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Empire on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silent Lucidity | 37 | #32 | – | 1991–2026 | |
| 2 | Empire | 7 | #156 | – | 1990–2002 | |
| 3 | Best I Can | 6 | #514 | – | 1990–1999 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.