Empire is the largest-selling album in Queensr?che's history. Following up the band's first commercial success (Operation: Mindcrime), Empire couldn't be more different musically. Empire's songs all stand by themselves as tough singles, though arguably"Silent Lucidity" stands head and shoulders above the rest. Empire opens with the frighteningly heavy and catchy"Best I Can," with its twinning of metal guitars and shimmering keyboards and near operatic crescendos. Guitarist Chris DeGarmo's heading up of the project and his focus in keeping the band as far away as possible from the tropes of Mindcrime is, in large part, the key to the album's success as a pop record.