On American Soldier, Queensrÿche examine the theme of war with all the unflinching honesty of embedded reporters. The proggy metalheads employ chunky, start-stop riffage mixed with harrowing soldier testimonials to capture the strangeness of landing in enemy territory (“Unafraid”) and use ominously chiming chords and crying saxophones when detailing battlefield horrors (“The Middle of Hell”). The usually acrobatic Geoff Tate turns in one of his most tender vocals on “Home Again,” an undulating meditation on missing family that he sings with his daughter.