Cold. Hard. Truth.

Queensrÿche has never been shy to speak their minds in their music. Their outspoken and political style have make them one of the most distinguished bands of all time. They’ve written about war, drugs, politics, and everything in between. Their hit song “Empire” is no different, but just how accurate is it in regards to political information and current events? VERY!

“Empire” was originally a narrative about a young man who sold drugs and got too deep into the business, but plot-line of this song is SHOCKINGLY factual!

In the bridge of this iconic song, you’ll hear frontman Geoff Tate recite factual information about government spending. Though the information was based off of statistics from 1990, the information isn’t actually as dated as you would think!

“In fiscal year nineteen eighty six to eighty seven 
Local, state and federal governments spent 
A combined total of sixty point six million dollars on law enforcement
Federal law enforcement expenditures ranked last in absolute dollars
And accounted for only six percent of all federal spending
By way of comparison, the federal government spent twenty-four million more on space exploration
And forty-three times more on national defense and international relations than the law enforcement”

The bridge is truly compelling and resonates heavily to this day. But the most shocking part is how true and impactful this song is just with this factual information alone. It’s always scary when a song predicts the future, but I’ve seen on such a level as Queensrÿche just did. Now excuse me while I go shiver in fear.