Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album

[RodrigoAltaf]

I spoke with Geoff this afternoon, and I gotta say, I understand his persona a little bit more. He's not a douchebag as many of us tend to believe, but he does have his moments and is kind of tired with all the B.S. of the music business. I commented about the first single that the song is what his fans want: a nod to the old Queensryche sound, with a modern edge. He said "well, that's what a reviewer would say, but I just sit down and write songs". That was honest of him, but some people might think it's confrontational. Another moment was this:

Geoff, you mentioned that you were more involved in the songwriting process of the second Sweet Oblivion album. Can you tell me which songs you brought to the table?"

G.T.: "I can't remember".

Honestly, how do you respond that way about an album you're JUST about to release and promote? But I didn't get a sense that it comes from a place of not caring, he just didn't remember. We shared a few laughs during the interview, and spoke about recording at Le Studio and with Peter Collins, who had worked with Rush. You guys are going to enjoy this chat!

What were you expecting?

G.T.: "I remember now".

 

[EPICVIEW]

I spoke with Geoff this afternoon, and I gotta say, I understand his persona a little bit more. He's not a douchebag as many of us tend to believe, but he does have his moments and is kind of tired with all the B.S. of the music business. I commented about the first single that the song is what his fans want: a nod to the old Queensryche sound, with a modern edge. He said "well, that's what a reviewer would say, but I just sit down and write songs". That was honest of him, but some people might think it's confrontational. Another moment was this:

Geoff, you mentioned that you were more involved in the songwriting process of the second Sweet Oblivion album. Can you tell me which songs you brought to the table?"

G.T.: "I can't remember".

Honestly, how do you respond that way about an album you're JUST about to release and promote? But I didn't get a sense that it comes from a place of not caring, he just didn't remember. We shared a few laughs during the interview, and spoke about recording at Le Studio and with Peter Collins, who had worked with Rush. You guys are going to enjoy this chat!

What were you expecting?

G.T.: "I remember now".

,,,,,,,  I remember how it started......

[MHStrawn]

Speaking as someone who is planning to buy this—I LOVE 'Discography' sections, specifically, when there's a track-by-track/album-by-album commentary.

I forget which one (I have them all), but one of my KISS books has a song-by-song run-down at the end, complete with a little blurb cotaining comments from the band members...it's probably the only book I go back to, just for that reason.

Agree. Several boxsets I have include a song-by-song breakdown with comments from the artists and I too find myself going back to read them.  It's a great mechanic.

[Samsara]

I always thought Real Word was an extension of the Empire sound, rather than a lead-in to the Promised Land sound

This. Empire's producer Peter Collins produced Real World too, so I always lumped the song in with the Empire album as well. Even though Real World was recorded during the Promised Land sessions, it always felt strange to include it on the Promised Land CD.

Well, the band did start doing demos in late-1992early-1993 before they got down to business. My guess always has been that Real World and Dirty Lil Secret were some of those songs they had worked up before they went to Big Log. Which if you listen to both, both do have that extension of Empire thing going on.

That said, the original QR's writing always did follow an evolutionary arc to a degree, so who knows.

[RodrigoAltaf]

 Here's the interview with Geoff: https://www.sonicperspectives.com/interviews/interview-with-tate-geoff/?fbclid=IwAR30DZeNafmWzG0wqU7QfLuqZPzTEl-BtLK5yYYSlTNHemtDR6WLZtVmZsg

[EPICVIEW]

Here's the interview with Geoff: https://www.sonicperspectives.com/interviews/interview-with-tate-geoff/?fbclid=IwAR30DZeNafmWzG0wqU7QfLuqZPzTEl-BtLK5yYYSlTNHemtDR6WLZtVmZsg

Thank You Rod    very much enjoying your very fine interview   well done!!

[RodrigoAltaf]

 Thanks!

[romdrums]

Geoff’s explorations outside music include wine, movies and tourism, all of which are fields he inVESTED on.

 

Was that intentional?

[RodrigoAltaf]

Geoff’s explorations outside music include wine, movies and tourism, all of which are fields he inVESTED on.

 

Was that intentional?

LOL...not at this time, but I guess it was in my subconscious.

[Grappler]

The new Sweet Oblivion record is pretty good, despite the change in songwriterfs  I think Frontiers released singles that weren't the best songs on the album - there's some cool stuff on the album.  This is exactly the type of record that Geoff should be doing - he sounds really good singing melodic hard/heavy rock. 

[WardySI]

The new Sweet Oblivion record is pretty good, despite the change in songwriterfs  I think Frontiers released singles that weren't the best songs on the album - there's some cool stuff on the album.  This is exactly the type of record that Geoff should be doing - he sounds really good singing melodic hard/heavy rock.

Yes, and probably 'should've' been doing a long time ago...

[abydos]

I liked Geoff's solo stuff back in the day.

[Dittomist]

I liked Geoff's solo stuff back in the day.

Yeah, Geoff's solo album from 2002 was so damn good (especially "A Passenger," "Helpless," "This Moment," and "Over Me") , and I always wished he would return to that sound. 

[EPICVIEW]

I have fallen in love again with TRIBE.     it really fits the somber mood of covid life much like how it really had the  somber emotion and texture of post 9-11 life

[goo-goo]

I have fallen in love again with TRIBE.     it really fits the somber mood of covid life much like how it really had the  somber emotion and texture of post 9-11 life

Huh. I thought I was the only one that loved Tribe lol. There's a lot of memorable melodies in Tribe.

[EPICVIEW]

I have fallen in love again with TRIBE.     it really fits the somber mood of covid life much like how it really had the  somber emotion and texture of post 9-11 life

Huh. I thought I was the only one that loved Tribe lol. There's a lot of memorable melodies in Tribe.

Its an amazing CD, again timeless stuff by Tate's QR

[Dublagent66]

I should refamiliarize myself with Tribe.  Been ages since I heard it.

[Ben_Jamin]

Yup...Open is a great song I got into when it came out and was playing on the radio. I was about 11...

Then I saw them live in 2007 and they played it. It was a great setlist too.

I enjoy it quite a bit. It has a southwestern desert feel to it's atmosphere, it's heard in Desert Dance, Rhythm of Hope, and Blood.

 

[EPICVIEW]

im enjoying the TRIBE talk ..

[Ben_Jamin]

Haha...It was actually the first Queensryche album I bought. Because I liked Open.

Epic, what are your favorites and why do you enjoy Tribe?

[EPICVIEW]

Haha...It was actually the first Queensryche album I bought. Because I liked Open.

Epic, what are your favorites and why do you enjoy Tribe?

HI Ben,
Hmmmm I like Desert Dance , Rhythm of Hope , Blood,  Open and the song Tribe a real lot, I even like Doin Fine as the closer   ,, i like the texture and somber feel, it feels real authentic, its a quick album, I like every song and it was a fun tour. I enjoyed that tour like all QR tours with Geoff

[goo-goo]

Haha...It was actually the first Queensryche album I bought. Because I liked Open.

Epic, what are your favorites and why do you enjoy Tribe?

HI Ben,
Hmmmm I like Desert Dance , Rhythm of Hope , Blood,  Open and the song Tribe a real lot, I even like Doin Fine as the closer   ,, i like the texture and somber feel, it feels real authentic, its a quick album, I like every song and it was a fun tour. I enjoyed that tour like all QR tours with Geoff

Similar feelings for me as well. Reminds me of a more straightforward version of Promised Land.

[bosk1]

I liked about half of Tribe.  My opinion hasn't really changed.  About half is REALLY good, and the other half ranges from so-so to unlistenable. 

Saw them on the "co-headlining" tour with DT and FW.  Overall, it was a great tour, and great seeing my #1 and #2 favorite bands (at the time) touring together.  But Geoff sounded pretty rocky in a lot of places throughout the set, even on Open, which is NOT a hard song to sing at all.  And it was also kind of annoying that they decided to split the headlining by east/west of the Mississippi, rather than alternating.  I saw 2 California shows, and got QR headlining both.  Which was...fine.  But it would have been better getting to see them switch.  But still, they were good shows, and those joint encores were a dream come true for me as a huge fan of both bands.

[wolfking]

I have fallen in love again with TRIBE.     it really fits the somber mood of covid life much like how it really had the  somber emotion and texture of post 9-11 life

Always loved this album.  Never understood the hate.  The title track would easily make a list of my fav QR songs.

[EPICVIEW]

Haha...It was actually the first Queensryche album I bought. Because I liked Open.

Epic, what are your favorites and why do you enjoy Tribe?

HI Ben,
Hmmmm I like Desert Dance , Rhythm of Hope , Blood,  Open and the song Tribe a real lot, I even like Doin Fine as the closer   ,, i like the texture and somber feel, it feels real authentic, its a quick album, I like every song and it was a fun tour. I enjoyed that tour like all QR tours with Geoff

Similar feelings for me as well. Reminds me of a more straightforward version of Promised Land.

agreed, I find it much better than PL as far as a whole album   

[EPICVIEW]

I have fallen in love again with TRIBE.     it really fits the somber mood of covid life much like how it really had the  somber emotion and texture of post 9-11 life

Always loved this album.  Never understood the hate.  The title track would easily make a list of my fav QR songs.

I think the hate of it came from how the band seemed a bit lost and the hype of Chris's return not materializing.   there was a ton of hype in the air and none of it was real

[EPICVIEW]

I liked about half of Tribe.  My opinion hasn't really changed.  About half is REALLY good, and the other half ranges from so-so to unlistenable. 

Saw them on the "co-headlining" tour with DT and FW.  Overall, it was a great tour, and great seeing my #1 and #2 favorite bands (at the time) touring together.  But Geoff sounded pretty rocky in a lot of places throughout the set, even on Open, which is NOT a hard song to sing at all.  And it was also kind of annoying that they decided to split the headlining by east/west of the Mississippi, rather than alternating.  I saw 2 California shows, and got QR headlining both.  Which was...fine.  But it would have been better getting to see them switch.  But still, they were good shows, and those joint encores were a dream come true for me as a huge fan of both bands.

agreed     I too enjoyed multiple shows of that tour for the same reasons Boss...

[kirksnosehair]

I liked about half of Tribe.  My opinion hasn't really changed.  About half is REALLY good, and the other half ranges from so-so to unlistenable. 

Saw them on the "co-headlining" tour with DT and FW.  Overall, it was a great tour, and great seeing my #1 and #2 favorite bands (at the time) touring together.  But Geoff sounded pretty rocky in a lot of places throughout the set, even on Open, which is NOT a hard song to sing at all.  And it was also kind of annoying that they decided to split the headlining by east/west of the Mississippi, rather than alternating.  I saw 2 California shows, and got QR headlining both.  Which was...fine.  But it would have been better getting to see them switch.  But still, they were good shows, and those joint encores were a dream come true for me as a huge fan of both bands.

I saw the same tour in Boston.  Honestly, Tate was pretty terrible.  He wouldn't shut the fuck up in between songs and if I didn't know any better it almost seemed like he was baiting one of the guitarists with his banter.  A lot of people in the audience were shouting "shut the fuck up and play!" because of his incessant bragging.  Which was really strange because his singing was very spotty and pitchy as hell.  He would move the microphone away from his mouth for every note that was even slightly high.  The highlight of that show was Nick D'Virgilio on drums with Fates Warning and Dream Theater playing Metropolis Part I at about twice the speed of the album version so they could finish before the curfew, which I think they went over by like 2 or 3 minutes and ended up paying a $30,000 fine for it.

[EPICVIEW]

I liked about half of Tribe.  My opinion hasn't really changed.  About half is REALLY good, and the other half ranges from so-so to unlistenable. 

Saw them on the "co-headlining" tour with DT and FW.  Overall, it was a great tour, and great seeing my #1 and #2 favorite bands (at the time) touring together.  But Geoff sounded pretty rocky in a lot of places throughout the set, even on Open, which is NOT a hard song to sing at all.  And it was also kind of annoying that they decided to split the headlining by east/west of the Mississippi, rather than alternating.  I saw 2 California shows, and got QR headlining both.  Which was...fine.  But it would have been better getting to see them switch.  But still, they were good shows, and those joint encores were a dream come true for me as a huge fan of both bands.

I saw the same tour in Boston.  Honestly, Tate was pretty terrible.  He wouldn't shut the fuck up in between songs and if I didn't know any better it almost seemed like he was baiting one of the guitarists with his banter.  A lot of people in the audience were shouting "shut the fuck up and play!" because of his incessant bragging.  Which was really strange because his singing was very spotty and pitchy as hell.  He would move the microphone away from his mouth for every note that was even slightly high.  The highlight of that show was Nick D'Virgilio on drums with Fates Warning and Dream Theater playing Metropolis Part II at about twice the speed of the album version so they could finish before the curfew, which I think they went over by like 2 or 3 minutes and ended up paying a $30,000 fine for it.

Interesting KNH. Tate was fine when I saw him,  but maybe it was the co headlining thing that was bothering him , who knows. at one of my shows I noticed DT as the opener was not very loud and seemed to have tech issues.

[kirksnosehair]

I liked about half of Tribe.  My opinion hasn't really changed.  About half is REALLY good, and the other half ranges from so-so to unlistenable. 

Saw them on the "co-headlining" tour with DT and FW.  Overall, it was a great tour, and great seeing my #1 and #2 favorite bands (at the time) touring together.  But Geoff sounded pretty rocky in a lot of places throughout the set, even on Open, which is NOT a hard song to sing at all.  And it was also kind of annoying that they decided to split the headlining by east/west of the Mississippi, rather than alternating.  I saw 2 California shows, and got QR headlining both.  Which was...fine.  But it would have been better getting to see them switch.  But still, they were good shows, and those joint encores were a dream come true for me as a huge fan of both bands.

I saw the same tour in Boston.  Honestly, Tate was pretty terrible.  He wouldn't shut the fuck up in between songs and if I didn't know any better it almost seemed like he was baiting one of the guitarists with his banter.  A lot of people in the audience were shouting "shut the fuck up and play!" because of his incessant bragging.  Which was really strange because his singing was very spotty and pitchy as hell.  He would move the microphone away from his mouth for every note that was even slightly high.  The highlight of that show was Nick D'Virgilio on drums with Fates Warning and Dream Theater playing Metropolis Part II at about twice the speed of the album version so they could finish before the curfew, which I think they went over by like 2 or 3 minutes and ended up paying a $30,000 fine for it.

Interesting KNH. Tate was fine when I saw him,  but maybe it was the co headlining thing that was bothering him , who knows. at one of my shows I noticed DT as the opener was not very loud and seemed to have tech issues.

It was just before he quit (or was thrown out depending on who is telling the story) so there was a lot of tension.  Oddly enough I saw them play Operation: Mindcrime live back in the day and he was fucking breathtaking.  Just incredible.  And it hadn't all gone to his head yet or at least he wasn't carrying himself like a total douchenozzle.  I think the end of his time with QR was probably very stressful. 

[Setlist Scotty]

The highlight of that show was Nick D'Virgilio on drums with Fates Warning and Dream Theater playing Metropolis Part II at about twice the speed of the album version so they could finish before the curfew, which I think they went over by like 2 or 3 minutes and ended up paying a $30,000 fine for it.

Just a clarification: it was Metropolis part 1 that they sped up, and the point where they went over by 3 minutes and got docked for $30,000 was for the Score show.   

[emtee]

As a fan of both bands, it was a great experience. PLUS, Fates with NDV. Ironic though that bad blood between some band members fueled As I Am and drove the fatal spike in QR's stint with Tate.

[bosk1]

Since we are discussing a past album, I'll go ahead and briefly give me thoughts on each one.  But my order will be a bit...unconventional, for reasons that will make sense below.

Mindcrime:  Queensryche was not on my radar.  I had seen the random add here and there in Hit Parader or Circus, but hadn't heard them, and didn't really know anything about them.  When I was in the Marine Corps, a guy that learned that I liked hard rock gave me a copy of Mindcrime to listen to.  At first, it didn't take.  It was just a bit too...out there for me.  But I didn't dislike what I was hearing either, and some of it wasn't bad.  Then I saw a cover band in a little club cover I Don't Believe In Love.  In fact, they played it TWICE.  And that made me revisit the album.  A lot.  And this time, it did click.  I started listening to it quite a bit.

Empire:  When Empire came out, the pump had been sufficiently primed.  I bought it, loved it, and played it to death.  Many a lonely night in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during the Gulf War had this album or Mother Love Bone's Apple playing on my headphones.  When I got back, I saw them on this tour with Suicidal Tendencies opening, and them playing Mindcrime in its entirety.  Total game changer.  I had a new favorite band.  I began to explore the back catalog from here.

EP:  I really liked The Lady Wore Black, but the rest was so-so to me.  It wasn't until I heard version of a lot of these songs on Live In Tokyo later that I REALLY appreciated them.

Warning:  Didn't really care for it as a whole, but there are a lot of strong tracks. 

Rage:  Really experimental and cool.  This album is all over the place, and I really liked (and still do like) that.

Promised Land:  A slow grower, but this one competes with Empire for my top spot, depending on mood.  I Am I and Damaged are amazing.  But the lack of heaviness really through me at first and left me wanting more.  Gradually, I began to appreciate the album for what it is, and loved getting lost in the atmosphere and the head space of it.

Hear in the Now Frontier:  I don't know anyone who loves this album as much as I do.  It is different for them, but it totally worked for me.  For a long time, this was a band that could adopt things into their music that reflected a particular style without being that particular style.  I like that the stripped-down, simple nature of the album reflected the grunge movement without being grunge, and was done in a very QR style.  To this day, his is a top album for me.

Q2K:  One of their weaker albums.  I wanted to like it a lot more than I do.  In fairness, they were struggling to find themselves after DeGarmo left, and I don't hold it against them.  It's just that, beyond a few songs, the album doesn't click for me as a whole.  But I do enjoy a lot of it every once in a great while.

Tribe:  I loved it when it came out, but it lacked staying power.  The problems are what I highlighted above.  It is just a very inconsistent album.  I love Open, Desert Dance, and Art of Life.  Doing Fine and the title song are okay, and [controversial opinion warning!] I don't hate Losing Myself.  The other songs either bore me to tears or I actively dislike them.

Mindcrime II:  Some really, REALLY cool moments, but...the last 1/3 of the album is a hot mess, and is all over the place in terms of quality, and it brings the album down for me.  I like it, but wanted to love it.  Such a missed opportunity that it feels almost criminal.

I'm not rating the covers album.

American Soldier:  VERY good album.  It suffers a bit from odd sequencing, with two ballads leading into a final song that may not feel as triumphantly climactic as the subject matter deserves.  But I can set that aside.  What really gets me is that Geoff's "singing" is really painful to listen to and he almost ruins the album at times.  This is SO close to being a favorite, but, as much as I once thought I would never utter these words, Geoff Tate is the weak link and drags the album down. 

Dedicated To Chaos:  Worst thing they have ever done, and it isn't close.  I listened to it twice (second time was just to confirm that it was as bad as I initially thought, and it wasn't just because I wasn't in the right headspace the first time, or anything like that).  I will probably never voluntarily listen to ANY song from it ever again.  This was the only album I hadn't bought, up to this point, and I refused to until I found it used for a few bucks and bought it just to be a completist. 

Queensryche:  WOW!  What a return to classic form, with a modern sound.  LOVE this album!  The only slight knocks on it are that, at times, it feels like they hadn't found their feet as a new writing team yet without Tate, and it is too short.

Condition Human:  Even better than its predecessor.  Best thing they've done since Promised Land, and probably my #3 or #4 overall.

The Verdict:  Probably my least favorite of the Todd era, but it has grown on me quite a bit after initially not liking it.  Solid album.

[Dedalus]

I recently did my ranking:

01. Operation: Mindcrime
02. Rage for Order
03. Empire
04. The Warning
05. Promised Land
06. Condition Hüman
07. The Verdict
08. Queensr˙che
09. Hear in the Now Frontier
10. Operation: Mindcrime II
11. American Soldier
12. Tribe
13. Q2K
14. Dedicated to Chaos
15. Frequency Unknown

[kirksnosehair]

The highlight of that show was Nick D'Virgilio on drums with Fates Warning and Dream Theater playing Metropolis Part II at about twice the speed of the album version so they could finish before the curfew, which I think they went over by like 2 or 3 minutes and ended up paying a $30,000 fine for it.

Just a clarification: it was Metropolis part 1 that they sped up, and the point where they went over by 3 minutes and got docked for $30,000 was for the Score show.   

I always do that for some reason