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Digital Noise Alliance is the fourth Queensrÿche album since the split with original vocalist Geoff Tate, and sixteenth overall in a career entering its fifth decade. If you've heard any of the three previous records, you've got a good idea of what you can expect on Digital Noise Alliance as the band has found a sound and formula that works, and they stick to it.

Singer Todd LaTorre is something of a Tate doppelganger and probably one of the few who could step into those shoes, both from a studio perspective and, most importantly, in the live setting. He's got his own voice, but when he belts out the vocal lines on songs such as "Hold on," it is like hearing classic post Operation: Mindcrime Queensrÿche. The band has certainly not forgotten what the fans like. That's also true of "Lost in Sorrow," a song with a driving Eddie Jackson bass line and LaTorre delivering an emotional performance of someone desperately reaching for help. If you told me this was a leftover from the Rage for Order sessions, I might just believe you. There's more good stuff on here like "In Extremis" and "Out of the Black" that should easily please long-time 'Rÿche fans and also some stuff that is a little different, kind of the "modern" sound of the band that I can't say is bad, but doesn't really ring the bell as much for me, but I still like it well enough. The only questionable move is a cover of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell." The band does fine with it, but why? They play a nearly identical version, so it isn't a song they felt they could make their own and since when does Queensrÿche do covers anyway? I don't see the point. The original is an OK song at best and the best part about this version is that it's at the end of the album, so I can it turn off when it comes on and know I've heard everything I want to hear.

Obviously, the heady days of Operation: Mindcrime are unlikely to ever been heard again, but if this version of Queensrÿche can give us something approaching Empire every couple of years, that works fine for me.