Empire (Queensrÿche song)

"Empire" is a song by the progressive metal band Queensrÿche, appearing on their 1990 album Empire. The lyrical content of the song warns of a foreboding and unstoppable "Empire" of drug trafficking within the United States and its related crimes, that will inevitably lead to the breakdown of civility in American society.

ReleasedOctober 29, 1990^[1]

RecordedSpring 1990

Genre

• Heavy metal^[2][3][4]
• progressive rock^[5]

Length5:24

Quick facts Single by Queensrÿche, from the album ...

"Empire"
Single by Queensrÿche
from the album Empire
Released	October 29, 1990[1]
Recorded	Spring 1990
Genre	Heavy metal[2][3][4] progressive rock[5]
Length	5:24
Label	EMI USA
Songwriters	Geoff Tate Michael Wilton
Producer	Peter Collins
Queensrÿche singles chronology
"Last Time in Paris" (1990) "Empire" (1990) "Best I Can" (1990)
Audio sample
file help
Music video
"Empire" on YouTube

Close

Known as a fan favorite, the group has played the song often live, doing so over a thousand times as of April 2016, and the track is the band's second most played song in its setlist history. It is exceeded only by "Eyes of a Stranger".^[6]