Queensryche - I Am I

What this video is

Released in 1994 during a pivotal moment of tension for progressive metal: grunge and alternative rock had displaced arena metal from mainstream radio, yet acts like Queensrÿche responded with introspective, thematically ambitious work rather than stylistic capitulation. 'Promised Land,' the album from which 'I Am I' is drawn, was widely regarded as a darker and more personal creative statement. The video's…

Why it matters

A representative artifact of progressive metal's artistic evolution in the mid-1990s. The video demonstrates how the genre's leading acts leveraged high-concept direction and thematic visual language to maintain cultural visibility during the post-grunge transition, while retaining the production…

The director

Wayne Isham (born December 2, 1958, Vinita, Oklahoma) is an American music video and film director. A UC Santa Barbara alumnus, he was inspired by David Bowie's 'Ashes to Ashes' to pursue music video direction. He became a defining force in arena rock and…