Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album

[jjrock88]

Well, I try to do these countdowns for them to be fun, and really don't feel like dealing with pissing and moaning about not including anything post-90s, which I said was a non-negotiable, so I will probably just do Porcupine Tree next. Call me a grumpy bastard, but I am dealing with enough shit in real life that I'd rather do a countdown with no drama and that is fun.

Sounds good you grumpy bastard. 

I better start finding the few PT albums I have.

Wolfster, the reality is I couldn't tell you a Porcupine Tree song for anything.

[Glasser]

Well, I try to do these countdowns for them to be fun, and really don't feel like dealing with pissing and moaning about not including anything post-90s, which I said was a non-negotiable, so I will probably just do Porcupine Tree next. Call me a grumpy bastard, but I am dealing with enough shit in real life that I'd rather do a countdown with no drama and that is fun.

Sounds good you grumpy bastard. 

I better start finding the few PT albums I have.

Wolfster, the reality is I couldn't tell you a Porcupine Tree song for anything.

Same. I love MANY prog bands, they're not one of them.

[wolfking]

Well, I try to do these countdowns for them to be fun, and really don't feel like dealing with pissing and moaning about not including anything post-90s, which I said was a non-negotiable, so I will probably just do Porcupine Tree next. Call me a grumpy bastard, but I am dealing with enough shit in real life that I'd rather do a countdown with no drama and that is fun.

Sounds good you grumpy bastard. 

I better start finding the few PT albums I have.

Wolfster, the reality is I couldn't tell you a Porcupine Tree song for anything.

Mate, trust me, don't bother, you wouldn't last a single song.

[Samsara]

Does that include Frequency Unknown?

 

Of course! But I'd be pretty surprised if anyone had a song from it in their top-50.

Kev - it's your deal man. Nobody is pissing and moaning. Just giving opinions. Run it the way you want to run it. I'll still play along. 

[pg1067]

Well, I try to do these countdowns for them to be fun, and really don't feel like dealing with pissing and moaning about not including anything post-90s, which I said was a non-negotiable, so I will probably just do Porcupine Tree next. Call me a grumpy bastard, but I am dealing with enough shit in real life that I'd rather do a countdown with no drama and that is fun.

Sounds good you grumpy bastard. 

I better start finding the few PT albums I have.

Wolfster, the reality is I couldn't tell you a Porcupine Tree song for anything.

If I've ever heard a Porcupine Tree song, I don't remember.

Kev - it's your deal man. Nobody is pissing and moaning. Just giving opinions. Run it the way you want to run it. I'll still play along. 

Exactly this.  Kev, if you ask for input, you'll get it, but once you set the rules, then the rules are the rules, and you'll get no grumbling from me (unless you don't include Last Time in Paris!    ).  I just appreciate you doing these.

[bosk1]

Kev - it's your deal man. Nobody is pissing and moaning. Just giving opinions. Run it the way you want to run it. I'll still play along. 

Exactly this.  Kev, if you ask for input, you'll get it, but once you set the rules, then the rules are the rules, and you'll get no grumbling from me (unless you don't include Last Time in Paris!    ).  I just appreciate you doing these.

All of that.  And if I were to do my own with the whole discography, I would wait until after yours is done so they don't compete.  It would actually be kinda fun to see how the lists compared after the two different approaches.

[ProfessorPeart]

Paging Samsara:

https://www.backstagepasstravel.com/montana-tour-with-geoff-tate-2023/

"Who wants to spend a week in Montana with me next summer?," asks original Queensrÿche frontman, Geoff Tate. "We’ll check out ghost towns and swim in an alpine lake. We’ll do some recording so bring your voices or guitars if you play. To join me click this link for more info."

Tate's Ghost Towns And Guitars - 2023 will include:

Day 1 - Sunday - July 16th, 2023: Arrive in Montana and settle into your historic lodgings.  Go to the local brewery and enjoy the evening having a few pints with Geoff while listening to live music.  Can we talk Geoff into getting up and doing a few songs??  Stamp your local Montana Brewery/distillery passport. 

Day 2 - Monday - July 17th, 2023: Get up in the morning and tour a local distillery. Learn how they distill several different spirits and watch Geoff and Kieran make up some new cocktails for you to try. Goto a local restaurant and try some Montana gourmet.  Finally, finish the night with a campfire complete with guitar playing and sing along with Geoff and the band.

Day 3 - Tuesday - July 18th, 2023: Hike to a pristine mountain lake and jump in!!  It’s hot outside, but that water comes straight off the snow melt!!  Change for the evening and visit another Montana distillery and have dinner in a classic Montana Steakhouse. 

Day 4 - Wednesday - July 19th, 2023: Drive to Flathead Lake, stopping at the Old Jesuit Mission at the foot of the Mission Mountains.  Next, take a party boat with Geoff and the band around the lake and do some shopping in a artists town later for some souvenirs. 

Day 5 - Thursday - July 20th, 2023: Geoff will take everyone out to visit Big Hole National Battlefield which was created to honor the 90 Nez Perce indians who fought and died in August of 1877.  Next we will continue a day of history by visiting an incredibly well preserved, true old west ghost town.  This ghost town was the site of Montana’s first major gold discovery in 1862.  We will then come home to have another campfire and a chilly dinner.

Day 6 - Friday - July 21st, 2023: Go to see some raptors and hear from a wildlife rehabilitation expert.  Next we embark on a day of horseback riding and other activities.  You can choose to learn to do some roping and or some fly fishing.  Or, secondly you could try your hand at western line dancing and marvel at what an amazing dancer Geoff’s drummer Danny is!  Finally we have dinner and music to finish off the evening.

Day 7 - Saturday - July 22nd, 2023: Check out the local farmer’s market and taste some of the treats from the local restaurants.  Shop for those one of a kind artisan items for a keepsake reminder of your trip.  Next, return to the band’s lodge and record a song with the band.  If you play guitar, you are welcome to bring yours along and have a chance to add some of your playing to the song as well.

Day 8 - Sunday - July 23rd, 2023: Rides back to the airport to head home after your wild west adventure.

[pg1067]

Didn't he do this once before (or maybe he just planned it and it got COVID-fucked)?

Honestly, it's not a bad deal at all, although I'm not a huge fan of pre-planned stuff.

[Samsara]

Paging Samsara:

Sounds like a fun trip, but for $4,500 per couple, I think we could do something cooler. I've paid to see Geoff Tate perform 40+x, I think this one is a hard pass. 

[Stadler]

Samsara, you probably know this better than most, but for me, as much as it sounds like fun, the devil is in the details.  Is Geoff personable enough and open enough to make all that a meaningful experience?  I mean, are you riding a horse alongside him and able to ask, "what's the deal with Sister Mary, for reals?"  Or is he ducking in after dinner for some handshakes and an arm's length sing-along?   I'm not being critical, I'm not suggesting he's not, but there's risk in all that IF you're not up for the entire trip sans Geoff for that price.  Does that make sense?

[pg1067]

It'd actually be worth a few hundred buck to me to remind him of our prior encounter (which I believe I've previously posted about here).  When Metallica was touring for AJFA and QR opened, my friend won a contest on the radio to meet the bands (if I recall correctly, it was a pre-show meet & greet).  All of the people who won (probably only a couple dozen because I don't recall more than 40-50 people in the room) were entered into a raffle to win a Kirk Hammett signed guitar, and my friend won that also.

Anyway, my friend took me as his "plus 1," and the singer in our band asked us to ask Tate how he warmed up his voice.  His response:  "I masturbate in the shower."  I kid you not.

[bosk1]

Samsara, you probably know this better than most, but for me, as much as it sounds like fun, the devil is in the details.  Is Geoff personable enough and open enough to make all that a meaningful experience?  I mean, are you riding a horse alongside him and able to ask, "what's the deal with Sister Mary, for reals?"  Or is he ducking in after dinner for some handshakes and an arm's length sing-along?   I'm not being critical, I'm not suggesting he's not, but there's risk in all that IF you're not up for the entire trip sans Geoff for that price.  Does that make sense?

I agree.  For serious fans of Tate, I think it's a pretty good value regardless.  With the same itinerary, even though a few of the events are alcohol-centered and I don't drink, I would probably consider this and get a lot out of it if it were any of the members of DT, or if it were Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse, or a select few others.  Even if the interaction with bandmembers was more "arms-length," it would still be worth it, IMO. 

Think of it this way:  Meet-and-greets are a pretty arms-length transaction, but yet they are often experiences of a lifetime for fans.  Imagine getting 7 straight days of extended meet-and-greets where, even if the band interaction is heavily regulated, it is still less formal than a concert meet-and-greet, and the artist has time to get a bit familiar with you, and there is at least a minimal opportunity for there to be continuity and follow-up conversation over that 7 days.  And that doesn't even take into account the sightseeing and other activities.  So, yeah, while I agree with you that a lot of the details may need to be fleshed out to decide whether it is worth it on an individual basis, I think there is a lot of value provided here that makes the price tag pretty reasonable.  If I were still a fan of Tate like I was in the '90s and early '00s, I might jump at something like this.

[Stadler]

I agree with all that.  Makes sense.  I'm sure if you're a big enough fan that's got to be special.

[Samsara]

Samsara, you probably know this better than most, but for me, as much as it sounds like fun, the devil is in the details.  Is Geoff personable enough and open enough to make all that a meaningful experience?  I mean, are you riding a horse alongside him and able to ask, "what's the deal with Sister Mary, for reals?"  Or is he ducking in after dinner for some handshakes and an arm's length sing-along?   I'm not being critical, I'm not suggesting he's not, but there's risk in all that IF you're not up for the entire trip sans Geoff for that price.  Does that make sense?

Let me preface this by saying I don't know Geoff personally. I've met him in fan settings, exchanged emails about things, etc., but it's not like some of my other relationships. So my guess is, he's probably very available on these trips, but I would say he's probably not going to be your best buddy either. I've never gone on one, but while he's certainly social, I don't know the extent of "access" a person would have. Based on the description, it seems like everyone is the same areas and does some things each day as a group, but it's not all hand-in-hand the entire time.

If this was 25 years ago and I had the resources then that I'd have now, and all I knew was he was (back then) my favorite singer, I'm still not sure I would do it. But I am sure it is very worth it for many fans.

[Peter Mc]

New song is a bit of a snoozefest on first listen for me unfortunately.  Based on these two songs though it definitely fuels my feeling that Todd has stopped doing a Geoff Tate impersonation on this record.  Definitely feels less identifiable as Queensryche because of that but I really like the first single in it’s own right so am hopeful for a good album.

[WardySI]

New song is a bit of a snoozefest on first listen for me unfortunately.  Based on these two songs though it definitely fuels my feeling that Todd has stopped doing a Geoff Tate impersonation on this record.  Definitely feels less identifiable as Queensryche because of that but I really like the first single in it’s own right so am hopeful for a good album.

You mean FOREST?  Yeah saw that single dropped overnight and agree, doesn't sound like the Todd we have come to know which isn't a bad thing but the song itself doesn't do much fer me either kinda weird choice for second single IMO but kudos for doing something different

[Deathless]

The music itself has a really strong QR vibe (PL? I'm not sure). But I felt like they missed an opportunity for an impactful vocal melody on top of it. Overall it's fine, I enjoyed listening to it a couple times to start the day.

[The Curious Orange]

Paging Samsara:

https://www.backstagepasstravel.com/montana-tour-with-geoff-tate-2023/

"Who wants to spend a week in Montana with me next summer?," asks original Queensrÿche frontman, Geoff Tate. "We’ll check out ghost towns and swim in an alpine lake. We’ll do some recording so bring your voices or guitars if you play. To join me click this link for more info."

Blimey, I thought Armie Hammer selling timeshares in Guatemala was sad enough, how broke must Geoff be to be moonlighting as a tour guide?

[T-ski]

Forest is an interesting curve from the Maiden-esque first single. Very DeGarmo like vibe. Todd’s voice seems very thin singing over the top of it however, it just doesn’t haven’t the warmth it needs to IMO.

[bosk1]

Paging Samsara:

https://www.backstagepasstravel.com/montana-tour-with-geoff-tate-2023/

"Who wants to spend a week in Montana with me next summer?," asks original Queensrÿche frontman, Geoff Tate. "We’ll check out ghost towns and swim in an alpine lake. We’ll do some recording so bring your voices or guitars if you play. To join me click this link for more info."

Blimey, I thought Armie Hammer selling timeshares in Guatemala was sad enough, how broke must Geoff be to be moonlighting as a tour guide?

He's been doing similar things for awhile now.  I don't think it's about being "broke."  But think about it--he's a musician that is WAY past his prime, isn't putting out new music that very many are interested in, and when touring, is only really able to play clubs.  That isn't bringing in a lot of money at all.  He's smart to find a unique way to parlay his celebrity into other interests to generate income.  More power to him.

[Deathless]

Forest is an interesting curve from the Maiden-esque first single. Very DeGarmo like vibe. Todd’s voice seems very thin singing over the top of it however, it just doesn’t haven’t the warmth it needs to IMO.

My thoughts exactly. I was trying to place the vibe and then I realized it was very close to Silent Lucidity! I'm enjoying it though.

[Samsara]

In all honesty, I'm not getting a Lucidity vibe other than it being acoustic and having orchestration. This song really just goes along. We'll have to see how it sits in context of the record.

[bosk1]

I'm not getting that vibe either.  But it's a decent enough song. 

[Deathless]

Sorry I didn't clarify - not the entire song but the guitar/solo section reminded me of it. Vocally/melodically not at all.

[Grappler]

I found the song to be pretty boring. 

[jjrock88]

Meh, It's an ok song, still not into this era of QR.

[TAC]

I really hope they didn't sit there say we need a Silent Lucidity styled song. Knowing them, they probably did.

[jjrock88]

I really hope they didn't sit there say we need a Silent Lucidity styled song. Knowing them, they probably did.

Yeah not even close to Silent Lucidity.

[jammindude]

I wasn’t impressed with the first single at all. Just really bland. But I will try to give it another spin.

The ballad I ended up enjoying more than I thought I would. It maintains the soul of a Queensrÿche ballad and even harkens back to some of the classic guitar tones without necessarily sounding anything like any previous songs.

[TAC]

I wasn’t impressed with the first single at all. Just really bland. But I will try to give it another spin.

The ballad I ended up enjoying more than I thought I would. It maintains the soul of a Queensrÿche ballad and even harkens back to some of the classic guitar tones without necessarily sounding anything like any previous songs.

Oh of course.

[bosk1]

The ballad I ended up enjoying more than I thought I would. It maintains the soul of a Queensrÿche ballad and even harkens back to some of the classic guitar tones without necessarily sounding anything like any previous songs.

I agree.  After one spin, it didn't grab me as anything overly special.  But it wasn't bad either. 

[emtee]

New balled, Forest is very good. I'm coming back to these new songs about once a week and really enjoying them. I have a feeling this might be in contention for album of the year.

[TAC]

I thought I'd watch a little of the Live In Tokyo show on youtube tonight. And I am reminded why I never watch it, even though The Warning is my favorite album by them. Those vocals are totally dubbed in, and it sucks.

[bosk1]

Not sure whether I know the story behind that.  Is it dubbed from another show, or redone in the studio?  I have an audio only silver disk of that show, which I believe is just the audio that was ripped to CD, and it sounds fantastic, but I've never watched the video.

[TAC]

The video is brutal. It sounds like it was cut in the studio, honestly, and the words don't always match his mouth.