Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album

[gzarruk]

Is there anyone else who isn't a big fan of Todd's voice? I tried listening to Condition Human the other day and I just couldn't make it through the entire record. I'm not sure whether it is the delivery or what, but there is just something about it that I don't like. An example would be the word "crucified" at 0:43 of the new song. It's not crisp and clear, and just sounds overdone.

Not with Todd, but it definitely happens to me when I listen to anything by John Arch. Thank God for Ray Alder

To me, the issue with Todd's voice, at least on the recordings, is that he sounds so proccesed and "digital". Some people complain about James LaBrie's voice being too processed for the studio albums, but I don't hear it too much vs Todd, who sounds VERY processed. Also, I think sometimes he tries too much to sound like old school Tate, and it doesn't always work.

[Samsara]

Todd's voice is thin, which to my ears, causes it to sound, for a lack of a suitable word, "sterile," on the studio recordings. There's not a lot of character in it. It is also why, to me, his voice isnt pleasing on half the Mindcrime stuff, and the Empire and PL material. It just doesnt suit his voice.

As for the new track, well, its one song, on YouTube. We'll see. My initial impression still stands after listening a couple more times.

[?]

The new song starts out good enough, but that chorus is so weak

I've started favoring shorter albums lately so 44 mins of music is totally fine with me, esp. when the bonus CD has so many tracks. Is it safe to assume Infrared and Open Road will be played on next year's tour?

[jjrock88]

I've listened to the new tune a couple of times now and I'm digging it.  I wanted them to go in a heavier direction from the first two TLT albums, and this is a little heavier for sure.  Solid tune, no real complaints.

[wolfking]

Meh.  After one listen, there's nothing really I can say I liked about that song to be honest.  Just doesn't really sound anything like them.  Quite bland, boring and generic, but it's one song, I'm still keen for the album.

[Bertielee]

OK, song not interesting at all. Pass.

B.Lee

[MoraWintersoul]

The new song starts out good enough, but that chorus is so weak

I've started favoring shorter albums lately so 44 mins of music is totally fine with me,

Signed. There's very few 70+ min albums I love without wanting to cut anything from them and I wish more prog bands would embrace shorter album lengths.

[Cruithne]

Ok song is a better chorus away from being a really good song.

My sense is they put the harmony vocals way too high in the mix for the chorus and it ends up being the predominant vocal you hear instead of the main melody and the result is a bit wishy-washy.

[Kwyjibo]

There's a lot that can be criticized about old and new Queensryche. The album length for me is not one of those points. 40-50 minute albums are just fine imo.

[Mladen]

It kind of depends on which kind of a band drops an album of such length. I would be puzzled by a 40-minute-long Dream Theater album as much as I would be puzzled by a 75-minute-long Weezer album.

[bosk1]

I would be puzzled that anyone would buy a Weezer album.

[abydos]

His voice sounds very processed, I don't like that. But it wasn't a bad song, just nothing too memorable about it.

[Mladen]

I would be puzzled that anyone would buy a Weezer album.

[King Postwhore]

I would be puzzled that anyone would buy a Weezer album.

Would you be shocked to know I own every Weezer album then?


Cool tune.  Defiantly moving towards an older sound with this. 

[TAC]

[IDontNotDoThings]

[Mebert78]

GEOFF TATE Is Working On 'Phenomenal' QUEENSRźCHE 'Empire' 30th-Anniversary Box Set

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/geoff-tate-is-working-on-phenomenal-queensryche-empire-30th-anniversary-box-set/

My question is... I thought Geoff was only permitted to perform Mindcrime in its entirety.  He's allowed to perform Empire in its entirety too?

[pg1067]

GEOFF TATE Is Working On 'Phenomenal' QUEENSRźCHE 'Empire' 30th-Anniversary Box Set

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/geoff-tate-is-working-on-phenomenal-queensryche-empire-30th-anniversary-box-set/

My question is... I thought Geoff was only permitted to perform Mindcrime in its entirety.  He's allowed to perform Empire in its entirety too?

Others know better than I, but I believe the deal was that Geoff has the exclusive right to perform Mindcrime in its entirety.  QR can still perform songs from the album but can't play the whole thing.  I'm not aware of any other restrictions on either side.

[bosk1]

Kinda misleading article title there.  I mean, it is technically accurate.  But from the body of the article, Queensryche is putting out the release, and Tate is working with them and contributing.  So the focus on him in the headline is, again, a bit misleading.

As far as him performing it, two things:
1.  I noticed that he doesn't say that he will, but that he would "like to." 
2.  I am not sure the settlement said he could not[/i[] perform any other album in its entirety, but only that he had the exclusive rights to perform Mindcrime in its entirety.  I don't know that the band maintained exclusive rights to other entire album performances.  Maybe they did and that information either wasn't released or I am just forgetting.  But it wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't addressed. 

[Samsara]

Original interview is here:

https://www.eonmusic.co.uk/geoff-tate-eonmusic-interview-november-2018.html

This is great news. Glad they are doing a box set. Empire deserves it.

Tate absolutely CAN play any tune from, and all of Empire, in sequence, if he wished to. The only thing stipulated was Mindcrime and Mindcrime II. That was what Tate requested. Empire in sequence and performance rights to that are open. I mean, I saw Tate play four songs from it earlier this year, and QR plays whatever they want from it now.

But Tate's comment is interesting for sure. Does he mean with his solo band, or does he mean with the band?

Either way, I don't care. I am just glad a 30th anniversary box for Empire is being done, and that Tate is contributing. I hope DeGarmo is contributing too. I'm sure he is. Wouldn't make a lot of sense if he didn't. Hopefully the box set meets lofty expectations. I can't wait to check it out.

[bosk1]

I have mixed feelings.  Despite my recent frustrations with the band, I will gladly pay for a box set of one of my favorite albums of all time IF it is worth it.  If it is overpriced, or if there aren't a sufficient amount of exclusives to make it worthwhile, I won't get it.  My days of being a QR completist are long since gone.  And while I hate to be a pessimist, they have a history of doing things in a half-baked way rather that putting in the minimal effort it would take to put out something truly special.  So I am in "wait and see" mode.

[Samsara]

re: Anybody Listening?

The original Queensryche performed it very little. They did play it live four or five times on January 3, 1992 in Spokane, Washington, in order to get the live footage for the music video for the song. https://anybodylistening.net/1-3-92.html

In addition, they played it acoustically on April 27, 1992, at the MTV Unplugged session - https://anybodylistening.net/4-27-92.html

FInally, they also played it in-full at the June 6, 1992 Rock the Environment benefit show - https://anybodylistening.net/6-6-92.html

To my knowledge, that was the last time the ORIGINAL lineup of Queensryche played the song live. So, three apperances (albeit the first time it was a number of times).

Post-original lineup, Queensryche played it in 2003 on the Tribe headline tour, maybe once or twice. I saw it myself in October 2003, at the Westbury Music Fair, on Long Island. But it wasn't technically in-concert. They did it in-full at soundcheck, but didn't play it during the show.

Then it fell off the map again until 2008. They played it at the Pain in the Grass Festival outside of Seattle, that summer (August, I believe).

After that, I'm honestly not sure. Probably just a couple of times. I remember Michael once saying that since the song is a tad longer, it generally takes up two song slots in the setlist, so they don't do it much.

I'm not sure if the band post-Tate has ever done it live. I saw the TLT-fronted band...man, I don't know, eight or nine times, and they didn't do it then. I know they've done it in rehearsal, though. Parker mentioned that he thought TLT nailed it and it sounded good.

I have mixed feelings.  Despite my recent frustrations with the band, I will gladly pay for a box set of one of my favorite albums of all time IF it is worth it.  If it is overpriced, or if there aren't a sufficient amount of exclusives to make it worthwhile, I won't get it.  My days of being a QR completist are long since gone.  And while I hate to be a pessimist, they have a history of doing things in a half-baked way rather that putting in the minimal effort it would take to put out something truly special.  So I am in "wait and see" mode.

I completely understand. I am not a completist any longer of the band in-total, but I am with the original lineup. This is an automatic buy for me.

[bosk1]

I just hope it (the box set) has something worthwhile that was previously unreleased.  A few odd live tracks and a track or two from the Unplugged show probably won't cut it for me.  I mean, I guess for a "box set," there will probably be enough extras in total to please everybody, which will include some stuff that was previously released, some extra live stuff to pad it, and some new stuff.  I'm not expecting 30-60 minutes of brand new exclusive material.  But at least a couple of new things would be nice.  They actually did a pretty good job with the deluxe edition of Sign of the Times, a few years back.  Between giving a pretty complete set of their bonus songs/B-sides, some of the Myth demos, and a few other rarities, it was a great compilation.  I know there was something else that a few "in-the-know" fans were upset wasn't included, but I forget what that was now.  I'm not sure what else exists that is truly unreleased would make sense on this release, but I'm hopeful there is something to sink our teeth into.

Regarding Anybody Listening?, I seem to have a vague recollection of it being in rotation on a tour in the '00s (maybe a leg of the Take Cover tour?), but I could be misremembering.  I will defer to Samsara on that.


EDIT:  Oh, and revisiting the track list on Sign of the Times has also made me remember that I was ever so slightly miffed at the band for putting out an official release that included Last Time in Paris.  After spending hours of my time in the '90s scouring various bins at used CD stores to finally find a copy of the Ford Fairlane soundtrack, I was selfishly a bit annoyed that anybody and everybody could now have that track. 

[Samsara]

Here is what I'd like to see from an Empire 30th box set:

1. The CD, with a non-redlined remaster (needs to be done)
2. Empire on 2 LP of the new remaster version mentioned above. (May be redundant given the pressing earlier this year.)
3. The Empire demos and alternate versions on CD (all of us bootleg collectors have this stuff, but I know the masters of it all exist and they all have copies).
4. A complete 2 DVD or 1 Blu-ray (if shot in high enough quality) live show from the tour that isn't LIVEcrime, along with a companion 2 CD set of the same show.
5. MTV Unplugged, complete (CD and DVD) - it exists, so fingers crossed.
6. Building Empires on Blu-ray (if shot in high enough quality to re-render)
7. Re-release of Empire as a 5.1 remix (exists on the now out-of-print Empire DVD-A).
8. Huge hardcover book with all the live photos of the band and candids from the tour, along with the stage setups, and commentary from the band
9. Band image lithos of the imagery from the liner notes of the original LP
10. Extra DVD with a new, hour-long documentary/interview with all five original members together, discussing the making of Empire, the songs, the tour, and the band during this time period.

For me, that's the wish list. Personally, I'd pay $250 for that. Metallica's for And Justice for All was on Amazon for 189.99, plus tax, so it was 200 (I paid 236 with tax and shipping from Metallica directly). So I'd be fine with spending that and a little more on this, just because of my fandom of the original lineup of Queensryche. But it would need to include the above stuff. If they cheap out, and just re-cycle previously released stuff, I am not sure I could justify it.

[bosk1]

I'd be happy with 1, 3, 4, and 5.  10 would be incredible, but I would be shocked if that materialized. 

[goo-goo]

Would love to have an audio cd of the MTV unplugged show.

Would definitely try to get this box set if anything close to Samsara's list is released.

Was the 2010 release remastered?

[Samsara]

Was the 2010 release remastered?

No. The 25th anniversary edition re-packaged the 2003 remaster with the bonus live stuff. So if you have the 2003 version, you have the 2010 version, sonically.

[jjrock88]

That MTV Unplugged show needs an official release no question!

[TAC]

Dear Santa,

Here is what I'd like:

1. The CD, with a non-redlined remaster (needs to be done)
2. Empire on 2 LP of the new remaster version mentioned above. (May be redundant given the pressing earlier this year.)
3. The Empire demos and alternate versions on CD (all of us bootleg collectors have this stuff, but I know the masters of it all exist and they all have copies).
4. A complete 2 DVD or 1 Blu-ray (if shot in high enough quality) live show from the tour that isn't LIVEcrime, along with a companion 2 CD set of the same show.
5. MTV Unplugged, complete (CD and DVD) - it exists, so fingers crossed.
6. Building Empires on Blu-ray (if shot in high enough quality to re-render)
7. Re-release of Empire as a 5.1 remix (exists on the now out-of-print Empire DVD-A).
8. Huge hardcover book with all the live photos of the band and candids from the tour, along with the stage setups, and commentary from the band
9. Band image lithos of the imagery from the liner notes of the original LP
10. Extra DVD with a new, hour-long documentary/interview with all five original members together, discussing the making of Empire, the songs, the tour, and the band during this time period.

[Samsara]

Seriously, TAC, half of that probably won't happen. My guess is:

Empire re-mastered again

Repackaging of whole show released on 25th anniversary releases of Mindcrime and Empire

Disc of b-sides (repackaged) that include Last Time in Paris (which was in those sessions) and some demos.

Probably a 4 CD set with a small book, featuring some new liner notes by Tate and DeGarmo.

That's probably more like reality. Which is a bit of a bummer. But we'll wait and see.

[bosk1]

Probably Scarborough Fair as well, since that was a B-side for one of the singles from that era if I remember correctly. 

[King Postwhore]

I was happy to get Last Time In Paris.  That was what sold me.

[bosk1]

I was happy to get Last Time In Paris.  That was what sold me.

  What are you talking about?  It isn't out yet.

[King Postwhore]

The original remaster that Sam was talking about. 

[Samsara]

The original remaster that Sam was talking about.

Yep, 2003 edition, bosk.

The problem I had with that (aside from the poor remastering job), was a historical inaccuracy. They lumped Dirty Lil Secret onto it. That track is actually a Promised Land b-side. As far as I can tell, it came on one of the singles from that album (I think it was Bridge). I love that tune. A quirky one, just like Last Time in Paris.

Dirty Lil Secret is one of the tunes I can't find any official information on. Wiki lists DeGarmo, Tate as the writers, and Northfield as the engineer, which would indicate Empire. But I think that listing is inaccurate and a stopgap. Looking at BMI, where the catalog is listed for DeGarmo and Tate, the song isn't even on there. But unless it was written specifically written for Empire, but released during PL, that's the only way it would belong on Empire. But I remember people asking about that song, and the band saying it was written around the same time as Real World, which was post-Empire. I wish it could be clarified.