The Queensr˙che Discography Thread

[Samsara]

Great vocal performance from your wife Brian

Thanks. If she had to do it all over again, I think she would have showcased more of her range. Her skill level has gone up a hundred fold after getting some tips from Pamela Moore. Her other covers (Iron Maiden and Living Colour) and original material are here - https://transworldtribe.bandcamp.com/album/defiance-e-p

I recommend checking out the original (Roller Coaster) and the Maiden cover. Those are my favorites.

Apologies to the non-singers in here for this brief off-topic nugget, but Pamela Moore is the real deal as a vocal instructor. Full disclosure, she is a personal friend, but I'm being very honest -- she's a damn good teacher. We were hanging out on a Saturday afternoon a couple summers ago, and the two of them (my wife and Pammy) disappeared for a bit. We (Pam's boyfriend and I) went down to find them, and Pam's showing my wife a technique to circumvent problems with sinuses, so that it is easier to get into your head voice. My wife's been singing her whole life, and that simple suggestion has opened up all sorts of things for her, vocally. I sing as well (I'm a baritone), and while not at the level of my wife, I had her show me what Pammy taught her, and once I got it, it was pretty eye-opening how much easier it was to transition to my head voice. So, if you're up in the Pac NW and want singing lessons, I highly recommend giving Pam a shout. It's well worth it.

Vinnie Solano went to my high school.  He was three years older than me.  I remember him fronting a band called Wild Kitty in one of our HS talent shows in '91 or '92. 

Pink zebra print spandex pants and all.   

To this day, I don't know if I've ever heard his performance on American Soldier because I've never listened to the entire album.

You really should check it out. The song is called "Dead Man's Words." Vinnie starts singing in the second verse, and then in spots throughout the rest of the song. It's one of the best songs on American Soldier. I am about halfway done with a long write-up on the record, and it's funny I Just read this, because I just wrote the paragraph that talks about this.

More on that, most likely Monday.

[cfmoran13]

Dude, it's probably the best song on American Soldier and one of the best post-DeGarmo songs the band has done.  You should check it out.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qjSmODTQsk

You really should check it out. The song is called "Dead Man's Words." Vinnie starts singing in the second verse, and then in spots throughout the rest of the song. It's one of the best songs on American Soldier. I am about halfway done with a long write-up on the record, and it's funny I Just read this, because I just wrote the paragraph that talks about this.

Two pretty positive reviews in about five minutes.  I guess I'll be giving "Dead Man's Words" a listen sometime today.  I'm surprised my curiosity about a fellow Hanover Park alumnus hasn't brought me to this song sooner.  Looks like my revulsion towards this era won out.  Until now.

[njfirefighter]

. And I can guarantee that you've heard "For What It's Worth" from Buffalo Springfield, but the song title might be throwing you off.

Just checked. Definitely. Why on earth would QR want to cover that?


Just checked the QR version. What an absolute f'n piece of crap that is. Holy shit.

 

[Lowdz]

Never bothered with the best of. OM2 was the last album I bought before the s/t.
I've heard Take Cover and thought it was complete shit. Sounded like the 'Contractual Obligation ' album if ever I heard he. Tate sounded awful, and he tried to do opera? Maybe ten years earlier...
Production was shit.
Having enjoyed Gonna Get Close and Scarborough Fair, a QR covers album should have been good. Unfortunately QR didn't exist and we just had Tateryche.

[bosk1]

^Good description of the covers album, Lowdz.  I can't disagree with any of that.

Going back to the best of album, the Myth demos, Waiting for the Kill, and the No Sanctuary demo were cool to include, and it's nice having The Real World, Infrared (acoustic), Diry Li'l Secret, Last Time in Paris, Scarborough Fair, Chasing Blue Sky, and Justified all in one place.  That's 12 tracks that, IMO, make it a worthwhile purchase.  I get that it's "not as good as it could have been," but still. 

[Samsara]

American Soldier coming up on Monday. This write-up will be...a monster. It's the longest one I've done, and the most detailed, and has a bunch of imagery attached to it as well. For those of you following the thread, if you haven't listened to it in a while (or at all), give it a spin this weekend in preparation. It's safe to say that this will be the last time in the discography that a write-up will be this detailed. This one was a lot of fun to write.

[ReaperKK]

I'll check it out tomorrow when I got for a run in the morning.

[Mladen]

I'll check it out today.

[Lowdz]

Not played AS in a long while. I don't have any great memories of it, though I know consensus is that it's a good album. Didn't do anything for me.

Will give it a go but this weekends mission is to get into the Threshold back catalogue and I think that will be more pleasurable tbh.

My prediction: The write up will be better than the album 😀

[Mosh]

Didn't mind the covers album. Yea Geoff Tate sounds really bad, but I liked the creative song selection and arrangements. Welcome To the Machine and Synchronicity II in particular stand out. Ironically, the worst cover IMO is Neon Knights. It's just kind of bland and adds nothing to the original. With that in mind, I think avoiding songs by Priest and Maiden was a good choice. Not only would they have further brought out Tate's vocal limitations, but they wouldn't have been anywhere near as interesting as some of the more oddball tunes they selected.

[Lowdz]

I thought the same with Neon Nights. But Innuendo was the worst cover on there. The original is fantastic but QRs attempt was pitiful.

[Mosh]

Queen is one of those bands that any attempt to cover them is really taking a risk. I like some of what they did with the arrangement but Geoff Tate blew it. He took on one of Mercury's greatest vocal performances when his own voice was probably at its weakest.   

[Lowdz]

Queen is one of those bands that any attempt to cover them is really taking a risk. I like some of what they did with the arrangement but Geoff Tate blew it. He took on one of Mercury's greatest vocal performances when his own voice was probably at its weakest.

The production killed it as much as anything. The classical guitar part (or lack of) was a let down. And I agree, hardly anyone can outdo Freddie.

[TAC]

Queen is one of those bands that any attempt to cover them is really taking a risk. I like some of what they did with the arrangement but Geoff Tate blew it. He took on one of Mercury's greatest vocal performances when his own voice was probably at its weakest.

The production killed it as much as anything. The classical guitar part (or lack of) was a let down. And I agree, hardly anyone can outdo Freddie.

Yet, Labrie f'n nailed it on the BC&SL cover album.

[Mosh]

Queen is one of those bands that any attempt to cover them is really taking a risk. I like some of what they did with the arrangement but Geoff Tate blew it. He took on one of Mercury's greatest vocal performances when his own voice was probably at its weakest.

The production killed it as much as anything. The classical guitar part (or lack of) was a let down. And I agree, hardly anyone can outdo Freddie.

Production was bad but at this point I've just come to expect that with Queensryche. Especially since this was just a stopgap release I wasn't expecting anything too polished.

Queen is one of those bands that any attempt to cover them is really taking a risk. I like some of what they did with the arrangement but Geoff Tate blew it. He took on one of Mercury's greatest vocal performances when his own voice was probably at its weakest.

The production killed it as much as anything. The classical guitar part (or lack of) was a let down. And I agree, hardly anyone can outdo Freddie.

Yet, Labrie f'n nailed it on the BC&SL cover album.

Yea, I actually don't think much of most of DT's covers but that is among the best and one of the best Queen covers period. Credit to MP too, love what he did with the backing vocals.

[Lowdz]

I thought the DT Queen cover was excellent. I play that disc as much as BC&SL.

[Mladen]

Absolutely. That's the best Queen cover I've ever heard.

EDIT: I just listened to American soldier first time through. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

[devieira73]

^Good description of the covers album, Lowdz.  I can't disagree with any of that.

Going back to the best of album, the Myth demos, Waiting for the Kill, and the No Sanctuary demo were cool to include, and it's nice having The Real World, Infrared (acoustic), Diry Li'l Secret, Last Time in Paris, Scarborough Fair, Chasing Blue Sky, and Justified all in one place.  That's 12 tracks that, IMO, make it a worthwhile purchase.  I get that it's "not as good as it could have been," but still.

I don't know if it was already said, but the prophecy on this album is the demo version from the warning recordings.

[bosk1]

I couldn't remember where that version was from and didn't look it up.  But I don't include it in my list because there were two other VERY easily-obtainable versions out there already, and both are superior, IMO.  Prphecy on Sign of the Times is pretty much a throwaway for me.

[devieira73]

I agree, maybe it's the "worst" version of the prophecy, but I found it interesting because it's the first and actually the last that I've heard!

[jammindude]

Hmmmmm....  I wonder if that's the same version that was on the Decline of Western Civilization Soundtrack?   I really liked that version because it was the first one I ever heard, and I jammed out to that version in my car for 2 years before they ever even released the other version.

[devieira73]

I guess it's this version. I only think it's worst because the recording is at EP level. But I think it has its charm with its raw quality and energetic performance.
By the way, the soundtrack version on sale on googleplay nowadays is the same of RfO. I bought it

[Samsara]

American Soldier (2009)



Lead Vocals – Geoff Tate
Lead & Rhythm Guitars – Michael Wilton
Bass Guitar – Eddie Jackson
Drums – Scott Rockenfield

Additional musicians:

Vocals on “A Dead Man's Words” - Vincent Solano
Vocals on “Home Again” - Emily Tate
Vocals (drill sergeant) on “Sliver” - AJ Fratto
Additional vocals – Jason Ames
Guitars  – Damon Johnson
Guitars – Kelly Gray

During 2008, Queensryche announced its next album would focus lyrically around a theme of military service and war. As Geoff Tate tells it, he was inspired to write songs on the topic due to his father, a Korean War veteran, who finally (after many years of not wanting to speak about it) sat down and talked to Geoff about his combat experiences. Tate recorded the conversations with his father, and was convinced by his wife, Susan, to use his story as a template for Queensryche's next record.

To expand on the idea, Tate interviewed and recorded various American armed forces members while on tour in 2008, learning about war and military service through the experiences of those that lived it, and wanted to present their stories as they told it. The band bought into the idea, and the seeds of American Soldier were planted.

Songwriting & Recording

Musically, American Soldier was mostly written by producer Jason Slater. Work on the record commenced in mid-2008, with Slater writing songs while Queensryche was on the road. Slater also traveled up to Seattle multiple times that summer and fall (2008) to write with Tate and oversee some of the recording process.

Editor's note: In addition, American Soldier features a couple of unused tracks from the band Slave to the System – a side project of Kelly Gray and Scott Rockenfield, along with Brother Cane members Damon Johnson and Roman Glick. Those tracks were “Middle of Hell,” and “Home Again.” It was just the music to the songs, however. Tate wrote the lyrics.

American Soldier is unique for Queensryche in that it was the first album the band had made that didn't feature any actual songs written by the band members (other than Tate, who is credited as the sole lyricist on the record). Rockenfield received credit for the two songs he helped write musically with Slave to the System, but those weren't originally intended for Queensryche. It would be normal to assume then, that American Soldier probably doesn't sound much like Queensryche if no one in the actual band wrote anything for the record. Surprisingly, however, it most certainly does.

American Soldier is a 12-track effort consisting of moody hard rock, with some great guitar solos reminiscent of the Operation: Mindcrime and Empire eras written and recorded by Michael Wilton (note that solos aren't enough to get a writing credit). It's modern heavy rock and metal riffs, but with powerful, melodic choruses and good hooks. The album is mostly mid-tempo, but it has a few aggressive cuts and a couple of ballads to balance it out.

Here are the songs and who wrote them.

1. Sliver (Jason Slater/Geoff Tate)
2. Unafraid (Slater/Tate)
3. Hundred Mile Stare (Kelly Gray/Tate)
4. At 30,000 Ft. (Slater/Tate)
5. A Dead Man's Words (Slater/Tate)
6. The Killer (Slater/Tate)
7. Middle of Hell (Gray/Damon Johnson/Scott Rockenfield/Tate)
8. If I Were King (Slater/Tate)
9. Man Down! (Gray/Tate)
10. Remember Me (Slater/Tate)
11. Home Again (Gray/Johnson/Rockenfield/Tate)
12. The Voice (Slater/Tate)

Editor's note: In regard to the writing credits, Slater has said that he wrote “Man Down!” and it is improperly credited to Gray. What Gray's thought on the issue has never (to my knowledge) been publicly discussed.

The songs for American Soldier were all recorded by Wilton, Jackson, and Rockenfield. This differed from the Operation: Mindcrime II sessions, where the band only recorded certain parts of the album. As explained by Slater during the promotional cycle for American Soldier (sorry, I can't find anything that corroborates this, but I know I read it, and he did also say this to me at the time), once the band had the songs, they worked very hard to fine tune and tweak them to their playing style, and give the best performances possible for the album. The effort gave the record a distinctly Queensryche feel to it, despite the band's musicians not having written the material (aside from Wilton's solos, and Rockenfield's writing contributions to to the unused Slave to the System tracks).

Drums for American Soldier were recorded by Rockenfield at London Bridge Studios in Redmond, Wash. The rest of the album was recorded at the band members' personal home studios and a couple of other locations. Like Take Cover, the vocals were also done at Tate's house. Speaking of Take Cover, the winner of the Take Cover singing contest, Vincent Solano, recorded his vocals with Kelly Gray for the track “A Dead Man's Words.” Solano trades lead vocals on the song and does background vocals as well.

American Soldier is credited as being produced by “Jason Slater with Kelly Gray.” The real story isn't as clear cut, however. The project was...confusing.Technically, Slater produced the album. But he was asked by Tate to work with Gray on the project. Slater agreed, but under the condition that he (Slater) would mix the album, because the majority of the songs were written by him. Gray would engineer the sessions and record the band. The arrangement, however, was doomed from the start.

Gray lived near Tate (rumor has it he was living WITH the Tates at the time), and given his past experience recording, mixing, and producing bands (including Queensryche), he was capable of performing all the necessary tasks for the album himself. As labeled above, he wrote a couple tunes for it as well. In addition, the band was probably more comfortable with Gray than they were with Slater, particularly given what happened with outside people recording Operation: Mindcrime II.

As you can probably imagine, as the band recorded, Gray ended up doing initial mixes anyway, and showing them to Tate, who approved of the work as a final product. That was sent to Slater, who was extremely...irritated...and as a result, would remix things to his liking. That back-and-forth happened for the entire project and caused a great deal of drama. Ultimately, Gray was credited for American Soldier's engineering and mixing. But to-date, Slater maintains that not all of those mixes are Gray's.

There's a bunch of leftover material from the American Soldier sessions, including demos and alternate takes. One of the more notable tracks is a demo of “Unafraid” that has lyrics in the verses (instead of soldier commentary that is in the final cut) and Geoff singing in a style somewhat similar to “I'm American” from Operation: Mindcrime II. Mitch Doran, who was Slater's assistant during the Operation: Mindcrime II sessions, and later split off from Slater, claims that he wrote “Unafraid” with Tate, and posted the track on SoundCloud as proof of that claim a number of years ago. The final version of the song is credited to Slater/Tate.

As you'll hear below, the chorus in the original/demo version of “Unafraid” is the same, but the solo is obviously different, and there is more electronica in the demo version of the song (which in this writer's opinion, leads me to believe it was Slater's song that Doran embellished on, but that is solely my opinion).

"Unafraid” (demo) – https://soundcloud.com/mdoran13/unafraid-demo-mitchell-j-doran

The other demo of note is Slater's original version of “At 30,000 Ft.” While it hasn't been (to my knowledge) publicly shared, I've heard it, and it is a bit more Rage for Order era-like in its early form. The vocals are a bit more spacey, and the song overall is much more atmospheric and more reliant on keyboards. Slater's assistant at the time, a musician by the first name of Leo, most likely did the keyboards on the demo. Slater commented when he played it for me that he remembers having to convince Geoff to make it a bit heavier and guitar-oriented, which the final track certainly was.

Getting back to the album proper, however, overall, each track on American Soldier tells a certain aspect of a soldier's life. From the eye-opening experience of a fresh recruit hitting boot camp in “Sliver,” to returning home after war and dealing with PTSD in “Man Down!,” the record brings the listener into the boots of a soldier (notice the album cover tie-in). Whatever your opinion of the songs may be, it was a truly an inspiring approach for Tate to pursue.

Tate himself offered a track-by-track take on American Soldier. I ended up posting it at my old forum, The Breakdown Room, years ago (I don't even remember this), and BraveWords apparently picked it up – https://bravewords.com/news/queensryches-geoff-tate-offers-american-soldier-track-by-track-commentary. 

Stone Departs

As the creative process for American Soldier was wrapping up in February 2009, Mike Stone made an announcement that he was leaving the band. You can see the Blabbermouth report here:

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/guitarist-mike-stone-quits-queensr-che/.

Stone had endeared himself to much of the fanbase over the six years he worked with the band, and while the press release was respectful, it didn't quite tell the whole story about his leaving. Yes, he had his side project, but rumor has it Stone was also doing what most musicians do – leveraging his involvement with Queensryche to help him get endorsements and other deals.

While that is a normal practice in the industry, it apparently did not sit well with the Tates. That, allegedly, was a major factor in Stone “leaving” (a.k.a. being fired from) the band. From what I recall, Michael Wilton was not at all happy with the decision, particularly after building a good chemistry with Stone. Stone, being the consummate professional he is, has not talked about his departure publicly, other than reiterating basically what the press release said.

[Samsara]

Here is one of the band promotional pictures used for the American Soldier record cycle:



Reception & Touring

The first single from American Soldier was “If I Were King,” a mid-tempo cut that the band shot a video for. If I recall correctly, it was put out around the time of Stone's announcement. Here was Rhino Record's press release on American Soldier:

“THE EYES OF A SOLDIER: Queensr˙che Salutes The Troops With American Soldier
Concept Album Inspired By Veterans’ Stories Examines Consequences Of War From The Soldiers’ Perspective” –  https://media.rhino.com/press-release/american-soldier

But it wasn't Stone's departure, the new video, or the press release on the album that got fans talking about American Soldier initially. It was the cover art of the record that was posted online before the album was released.

Note the final artwork for the album's front and back covers at the beginning of this write-up. Now, look below for the initial cover art released by the band for American Soldier:



As you can see, it depicts the American flag on the ground. As most Americans know, the flag laying on the ground is NOT ok (at least to most Americans). It is generally viewed as a sign of disrespect to the nation (and to an extent, those that serve to protect the county). It was brought up on a few online sites, and about three or four days later, the cover art was removed and replaced with the version of the album cover that was printed that we all know.

Hugh Syme did all the art for American Soldier (and a few Queensryche releases). If you click here https://hughsyme.com/#135 and scroll to the right (take your mouse cursor and basically swipe left on the images) you'll see a smattering of stuff done for Queensryche. The site is a little difficult to navigate, but in the Queensryche stuff, you'll find the original cover of American Soldier and some of the art pieces connected to it. Here are a couple of them:



Editor's note: I also recall a call-in line being established (the timeframe escapes me) where soldiers, or family members of soldiers could call in, potentially be recorded, and it would be eventually used as a promotional tool for American Soldier. I can't find anything on it now. But it was a gimmick at the time that got a little bit of traction.

American Soldier was released on Mar. 31, 2009. While anticipation was high among the hardcore fan base, a lot of time (three years) had passed between Operation: Mindcrime II and its follow-up, and that was reflected in American Soldier's initial showing. It debuted at #25 on the Billboard chart, which by most standards is a great first week. But it quickly dropped off the chart in the two weeks that followed. By way of comparison, Operation: Mindcrime II debuted at  #14 in 2006, and had some staying power over the next six weeks.

Going back to the theme of American Soldier, while it was a bold and patriotic move on the surface, many fans who were either military members or family of military members noticed some glaring omissions from the record. Most notably, while each song reflected a certain emotional perspective, the situations selected by Tate to write lyrics on were generally all negative. There weren't any songs that illustrated feelings of pride in serving the country, the lifelong bonds forged by those who served together, or any positive references.

American Soldier was marketed by Tate as him telling the stories of soldiers, but the story is unfortunately, incomplete and not completely representative of a soldier's life, even in wartime. Add to that the original album cover with the American flag on the ground, and it begged the question – was American Soldier a tribute to soldiers, or was it purposefully trying to shame the government? It could be both, or it could be neither. To-date, at least to my recollection, no one has really sat down and discussed that with Tate, and the singer has generally stuck with the initial marketing talking points regarding the album.

On a more positive note, however, from a song perspective, there were quite a few tracks on American Soldier that were popular with fans. Of note is “At 30,000 Ft.,” which gives the perspective of a bomber pilot being isolated and laying waste to the target area. “A Dead Man's Words” was also spotlighted for its depiction of a wounded soldier hoping to be rescued on the battlefield. “Home Again,” a ballad between father-and-daughter, was also quite endearing to people. The track provided perspective from both a soldier away from home, and his young child waiting for his return. Tate and his daughter Emily sang the song together on the album, and a handful of times live. Tate's father's voice was featured in the opening of “The Voice,” which closes the album.

Also notable, unfortunately, was the quality of vocals on the album. Tate's voice sounded much like it was on Take Cover – nasally and strained. In addition, those with an ear for it suggested that Gray may have auto-tuned some of Tate's vocals. To be fair, however, there are spots Tate does shine on American Soldier. So, it's really a crap shoot. In retrospect, it's probably safe to say that quality control on the vocals was lacking.

That said, American Soldier has a great pace through the first nine songs on the album. It ebbs and flows nicely, and the songs are very well written and performed, with a lot going on in the background. Check out the drum work by Rockenfield during Wilton's guitar solo in “The Killer.” The military cadence really helps boost the vibe of the tune. American Soldier loses steam with tracks 10, 11, and 12, as it gets ballad heavy, and the closer, “The Voice,” nods a bit too strongly to Led Zeppelin. The record is generally regarded by most fans as a solid offering, but it often flies under-the-radar with mainstream progressive hard rock and metal listeners.

Editor's note: I found the original review I wrote of American Soldier more than eight years ago. It still stands up as accurate for me:

https://breakdownroom.net/queensryche-as.html.

The singles from American Soldier were “If I Were King” (a song about a soldier that survived and his guilt that a friend did not), “Home Again” and “Man Down!”



The tour for American Soldier borrowed the“suites” style used for the Live Evolution tour in 2001. Queensryche performed three “suites” of songs, each of which highlighted tracks from Rage for Order, Empire, and American Soldier, respectively. The band would alternate which songs would appear in the suites, enabling fans going to multiple shows to really get their money's worth.

This was a welcome change. For years, fans crucified Queensryche for playing a static setlist. Well, the band dabbled with changing things up a bit on the headline tour for Tribe in 2003, and really embraced it fully (albeit it temporarily) in 2009 with American Soldier. Rarities such as “Chemical Youth,” “London,” “Resistance,” “I Dream in Infrared,” and “One and Only” were played to the delight of hardcore fans.

Editor's notes: If you can excuse jumpy footage, check out a bunch of songs I recorded from the April 19, 2009, show in Chico, Calif., at the Senator Theatre. This was shot with an old digital camera.

Queensryche – April 19, 2009 – Chico, Calif. (live): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZuonKGERyw&list=PLJI-MjWF9aD8WPgnvkHta-YrhL7BYYiPR

In addition, I wrote a review of the gig for a local paper in the area before moving it to my website (I can't find it on the paper's website any longer). I had to leave a few minutes before the end of the main set to get to my laptop and file the review before I made the long drive home, and as it turns out, I missed them performing my favorite song from the band, “Anybody Listening?” as the closer to the main set, and the two-song encore of “Empire” and “Take Hold of the Flame.” I still regret that to this day. Check out the review here:

“Queensryche Rocks the Senator in Chico” - https://breakdownroom.net/queensryche-4-19-09.html

Some new blood was also on the stage for Queensryche. The guitarist playing stage right in those videos referenced above is Parker Lundgren. This was his debut tour with Queensryche. The selection of Parker was cruicified by many fans (myself among them) due to Parker being Tate's son-in-law at the time of his hiring. In fact, he had guitar picks made up saying “Dude, I am totally nailing Geoff Tate's daughter...”



This was during the time that Queensryche was really starting to become the Tate Family business, and many of the Tate family were employed by the band. Jason Ames (Susan Tate's ex-husband), who played keyboards, rhythm guitar, and sang background and some lead vocals was also on tour with Queensryche. Tate's family ran the fan club, and also did merchandise sales (along with Scott Rockenfield's then-wife, Mystii.

However, as time has shown, Parker's selection to follow Mike Stone in filling Chris DeGarmo's shoes was not just because he was a part of the Tate family – he's an outstanding guitar player, and took a lot of time to learn DeGarmo's work and pay homage to it in his playing. He doesn't play Chris' lead parts note for note, but he's much more in the ballpark than either Gray or Stone. Wilton, however, in what should have probably happened in 1999, finally took the opportunity on this tour to take many of DeGarmo's single guitar leads (such as “Jet City Woman”). As a result, Lundgren only solos with Wilton on the harmonized pieces, and in the trade-offs. As of this writing in September 2017, Wilton still plays DeGarmo's single guitar solos.

Editor's note: Lundgren's marriage to Tate's daughter Miranda did not last long, and as most know, Lundgren is still with Queensryche today.

The tour also featured a variety of t-shirt designs. Here are a few of the notable ones:



Queensryche played  for the troops at various dates in 2009, including at Fort Benning, Georgia, and on the flight deck of the USS Mount Whitney. It wasn't until 2010 that Queensryche made it to the Middle East, however. Once there, they played five dates for the troops at various military installations. Once they returned, the band was pretty shook up by the experience, recalling how bombs were going off in the distance and various emergency situations popped up.

Check out here for some pictures of the shows – https://www.dvidshub.net/tags/image/queensryche. (Aside from these shows, the next entry will cover Queensryche's activities in 2010 and 2011.)

The tour for American Soldier began in April 2009 (not counting the shows for the troops in 2010) and ran through the end of the year. In a strange twist, however, Queensryche paired up with Lita Ford and ex-Nitro singer Jim Gillette (then Lita's husband) in the fall of 2009 for a final run of dates to support American Soldier. Lita and Jim didn't open for Queensryche, however. Instead, in what was a bizarre move, they played following the second suite of songs (which was typically the American Soldier cuts).

Queensryche played as Lita's backing band for this portion of the show, as she and Jim (along with Queensryche) performed a trio of Lita's songs, most often two new ones (“Crave,” “Patriotic S.O.B.”) and “Close My Eyes Forever,” where Lita would duet with Tate. Once it was over, Queensryche resumed its set. Lita was supporting her first album in 15 years, Wicked Wonderland. That record featured many songs with strong sexual overtones. And while this is hard to believe, that may have had an influence on what Geoff Tate had planned next for Queensryche...

Samsara's top-tracks from American Soldier: At 30,000 Ft., A Dead Man's Words, The Killer, Man Down!

Next up: The Queensryche Cabaret and Dedicated to Chaos (2010-2011)

[MirrorMask]

Another excellent read.

I should try and go back to this album, all I remember is the chorus to Man Down!, which I always liked since the beginning.

I find the pick more disrespectful than the flag down, honestly  but I understand there's a certain protocol to the use of flags and that a flag lying on the ground isn't a nice sight. It's a pity the album lyrics got mixed reviews, the idea behind the album concept was quite good.

The tour for this album marked the second and so far final time I have seen Queensryche live. I figure out that if there's ever gonna be a third time, it's gonna be at a festival where I already am for other bands - and a festival was where I saw them, here's the setlist:

Neue Regel
The Whisper
Screaming in Digital
Walk in the Shadows
The Killer
Man Down!
A Dead Man's Words
Best I Can
The Thin Line
Jet City Woman
Empire


Couple of funny things I remember: rain starting to appear, and Geoff Tate brushing it off as "Oh, come on, what's a little rain... where we are it always rain", with me humorously replying "Of course you're used to it, that doesn't mean it should rain in June!!!", and the intro tape blocking on Best I Can, prompting the keyboard player to shout "Eh che cazzo!!!", which is "What the f-" in italian 

All in all a nice show, not that I remember much more from it. Dream Theater were headliners at that festival, but the next day if I remember correctly.

[Cruithne]

The only real entertainment American Soldier has ever provided me was hunting down where I'd heard the riff to Man Down! before (for the record, The Almighty - The Unreal Thing... it's not exact but it's pretty close).

I never bought the record, the promo video for If I Were King gave me a good reason to be very wary, I've only ever listened to it on Spotify and my overriding impression was that of dull plodders badly sung. I can't even be bothered giving it another listen now - every year or two I go through a phase of binge listening to QR for a week or two and each time since it was released I've given American Soldier another go during that phase and it's never gotten any more appealing.

Nice idea. Bland execution.

[Samsara]

For me personally, American Soldier was the highlight of the so-called "Tateryche" period of Queensryche. To my ears, Slater had really captured the essence of the classic Queensryche sound. With the actual band recording it, and Wilton writing solos, I found myself really in love with most of the album and being captivated by the theme.

It bothered me a great deal that the band didn't write it. I wasn't (and I'm still not) shy about expressing that. Queensryche, prior to Operation: Mindcrime II, always wrote its own material. But at the end of the day, good songs are good songs, and I think American Soldier is an underrated album, flaws and all.

The four songs I listed as my "top tracks" from the record – At 30k Ft., A Dead Man's Words, The Killer, and Man Down are all, for me, exactly the sort of songs I wanted to hear from Queensryche at this point in time. Epic, with melody, great guitar solos, heavy riffs, etc. For me, I'd put those tracks up there as some of the best from Queensryche, all-time. Yes, seriously. No, not in the top-10, but a couple in the top-20, for sure. It's all subjective, of course. But for me, Slater, Tate, and the band nailed it with those four tunes. And, generally, the rest of the tracks from 1-9 were good.

Re: "Unafraid"

"Unafraid," with that huge chorus, could have been one of the best songs the band ever recorded...had Tate actually wrote and recorded lyrics for the verses. I think the decision not to convert the original/demo version from Slater and Mitch Doran into a song with lyrics on American Soldier was one of the dumbest things Queensryche has ever done in its career. That chorus is just plain powerful. It's huge, beautifully sung, and full of emotion. And the song loses all the punch without lyrics. I get the arty vibe Tate was looking for. But this wasn't the song to do it with, IMO. You can barely hear the soldier commentary, because it drops down in volume. And even if you could hear it clearly, it's not the same for me as hearing a lead vocal sing. Still a good song, with one of my favorite Wilton solos, but man...all I can think about when I hear it is...how incredible that tune could have been. That would have been #1 for me on the record, and made five outstanding tracks (again, for me personally) from it.

Other thoughts...

One of my beefs with American Soldier, just like with Operation: Mindcrime II, is that it fizzles at the end. Mindcrime II sort of dies after Murderer. American Soldier dies after Man Down. I get the sentiment behind Remember Me and Home Again. And I think those are very important elements of a soldier's life to portray. But they come off to me as pure cheese, and not at all heart-string tugging. I mean, I'm a dad of a little girl myself – I can only imagine how it feels to be a soldier and leaving her. But the way Tate and his daughter sang Home Again was just...what they were trying to accomplish didn't do it for me.

The Voice – way too much Kashmir for me. I think that track is OK. A lot of people love it (including Slater). But it doesn't do much for me. I think the lyrics and the story of that song is good, but it deserved the classic Queensryche epic ending tune treatment – and we didn't get it. So, it was a bit of a let down.

Generally, I let the record play through Man Down, and turn it off. I also agree wholeheartedly with the criticisms regarding the album lacking the complete soldier perspective and the original disrespectful portrayal with the American flag. But I try not to let that bother me when listening to the album. I enjoy American Soldier quite a bit and feel it is vastly underappreciated. I love the theme, I love the artwork (the gripe about the flag aside), and I love how descriptive a lot of the lyrics are. It paints a very clear and riveting picture in my mind that captures and holds my attention. I feel really fortunate (aside from missing Anybody Listening – grrrr) to have seen the tour. I'm glad I went.

And I really do encourage any of you that checked out of Queensryche well before this, at least give the four songs I recommended above a shot, just on their own merits. I think you'll come away at least feeling like they stand up well with some of the band's better material.

[Grappler]

And the song loses all the punch without lyrics. I get the arty vibe Tate was looking for. But this wasn't the song to do it with, IMO. You can barely hear the soldier commentary, because it drops down in volume. And even if you could hear it clearly, it's not the same for me as hearing a lead vocal sing.

I had that same exact thought last week when I listened to American Solider again - probably the first time I have listened to the album in at least 5 years, if not longer.  You can tell that the interviews were recorded with something handheld, as opposed to having them recorded professionally for a nice, clean sound.  And I'd definitely prefer to hear a lead vocal.

At the time, I really loved the record.  I was glad to see something inspired come from them, and musically, it's a really cool record.  But after time, the soldier interviews seemed too gimmicky and it makes the album's emotional impact way too heavy.  I don't want to listen to soldiers talk about their experiences when I listen to music - I put on music for escapism, to rock out and have some fun.  It's also the first time that I've ever felt that Geoff's vocals were laid on top of the song, as opposed to flowing through the song.  It just doesn't sound like they are mixed that well.

The album completely peters out after Man Down for me as well.  I think by then, I'm just tired of listening to it.  Still some fantastic songs though, and a great idea, though I agree that the execution could have been a lot better, and there could have been some broader opinions of military service featured on the album.

[T-ski]

I absolutely love "At 30,000 Feet".  Probably the last best song of the Tate era.  Man Down, Hundred Mile Stare, Middle of Hell and The Voice were all good tracks as well.  Dead Mans Words starts off interesting then turns into an Alice In Chains song.

I get what they were trying to do with "Home Again", but its unlistenable due to Tate's daughters vocals.

When I saw the video for "If I Were King" and wondered what high school A/V club won the chance to shoot it.

[MirrorMask]

Sorry for the possibily dumb question - how the credits back in this era were explicity indicated in the booklet? I mean, imagine how this forum would implode if one would open the booklet of DT14 and read a name not of the band member in the credits, was Slater's name all over the credits in these albums or it was not stated?

[Samsara]

Sorry for the possibily dumb question - how the credits back in this era were explicity indicated in the booklet? I mean, imagine how this forum would implode if one would open the booklet of DT14 and read a name not of the band member in the credits, was Slater's name all over the credits in these albums or it was not stated?

I don't have the booklet in front of me, so I don't remember off-hand. However, I DO remember that the band gave the credits online when they released the track names. That was a big thing, because they sort of avoided that on Mindcrime II, trying to mask it a bit that the band wasn't involved much. So, on American Soldier, I do remember a lot of "hey, they came clean" when they posted the credits of who wrote what.

[jjrock88]

This album had alot of potential for me, but in the end didn't really click.  Dead Mans Words and 30,000 feet are excellent songs, but overall, Geoff's vocal performance and the ballad heavy ending really soured me on this album.

Just listening to the demo of Unafraid and I will say that the demo is 10 times better than what made the album.  Wow, that really is a lost opportunity for a outstanding tune.

[Lowdz]

Another great write up and as I predicted it's far better than the album.
It sounds like QR, but only rubbish, post PL QR. Same pace, heavy eastern sounding riffs that Tate still pedals today, samey ballads.

I listened again a couple of nights ago and my opinion hasn't changed. It's not a complete write off but nothing here worth bothering with.

And the duet with his daughter would have been better with a better child singer.

[njfirefighter]

Pretty much agree with Lowdz here. As much as I didn't want to because it was a chore, I gave it another quick skim through the other night as well, didn't even make it through most songs. Right from the start the rap like vocals and chant shouts in the first track are a turn off for me. The songs are plodding , the vocals strained and way too much spoken word singing and the commentary throughout is annoying and takes away from the songs. it is just a collection of shoddy vocals, boring songs with some nice guitar work here and there, but that doesn't rescue the songs as a whole and it is poorly mixed and put together and the record as a whole does absolutely nothing for me. The best song on the record IMO is Home Again, and that sure as hell ain't saying much for the material on this album. Take Cover and this album are nothing but collectors of dust in my collection, I was smart enough to not even purchase Dedicated to Chaos (and still haven't). The tour was cool however, I saw two shows on the tour.     

[Cyclopssss]

I thought American Sodier was a bold move, at the time and there was a lot to like on it. However, I didn't give much thought about the artwork at the time your writeup clears up a lot about it. I actually did my turn in the military and we had to raise and lower the flag during the watches. You DO NOT let your country's flag TOUCH THE GROUND. We were reminded sternly again and again and there would be a severe talking to if you let it slip.

As I said, musically I again liked a lot of songs (again...) from the first half of the album. The songs sounded great and I loved the themes. But again it petered out way too fast and I lost interest alltogether. Didn't know about the Lita Ford support spot abroad, interesting read. Yeah, I'm affraid it's all REALLY downhill from here, so I'll shut up now. Thumbs up again to the writer.