Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album

[jjrock88]

I think fans will accept change..........compare the QR debut to Promised Land; completely different, yet are well liked and respected by fans.  While they are different, the music itself is excellent.  The music on DTC is helacious.  QR isn't listening to their fans and this is the end result.  Based on QR's loyal fanbase, they should be selling 20,000 minimum opening week.  The fans have spoken and hopefully somebody in the band, anybody, is listening (kind of a pun)

[bosk1]

I don’t like DREAM THEATER, for example. I don’t get that band at all and I’ve listened to a lot of their stuff. It’s just not something that connects with me at all musically, but I appreciate the fact that they’re really into it and there are a lot of people that like what they do and that’s cool. I don’t down them for anything. In fact, any band that can make a living writing music and creating art… there’s some talent there. One comment I can’t abide by is that one associate of yours that was listening to our record the first time and said ‘this sucks’. No album, to me, sucks. There is no ‘good’ music or ‘bad’ music. There’s just music and it’s up to the individual whether they can accept it or relate to it or not. It’s a purely personal journey. There’s no way you can say an album by Queensrÿche sucks. There’s no way. It doesn’t even make sense to make that statement. Queensrÿche, like you said, is an incredibly successful band. We’ve been together and making music for thirty years. There’s nothing that we write that sucks. It’s that you (the particular listener) don’t relate to that song or album.”

https://www.bravewords.com/news/165041

So...QR don't write anything that sucks. If you don't like it, it's just because you can't relate to it.  Music in general doesn't suck.  Well, except for Dream Theater, but good for them and their fans that they are artistic.  But, otherwise, yeah.  Music doesn't suck.  Especially Queensryche music. 

[Gadough]

Holy shit.

They're trolling. They have to be.

[bosk1]

I'm not generally into stupid band vs. band drama, but I have to say, I'm looking forward to seeing DT's first week numbers FAR outstripping Queensryche's meager 8,000.

[Gadough]

Didn't Queensryche and DT do a headlining tour together in 2003? I mean, I know it's all business, but did Geoff not like them then either? Must have been awkward.

[Ravenheart]

Geoff is either trolling, delusional, or both.

Didn't Queensryche and DT do a headlining tour together in 2003? I mean, I know it's all business, but did Geoff not like them then either? Must have been awkward.

Yeah, I was thinking about that the whole time I was reading that article excerpt.

[bosk1]

Didn't Queensryche and DT do a headlining tour together in 2003? I mean, I know it's all business, but did Geoff not like them then either? Must have been awkward.

I think a lot of tension between some members of the two bands developed during that tour, yes.

[wolfking]

8k is actually more than I thought it would sell. Am I the only one surprised it's that high?

No.  I first thing I saw in that sentence was the number 70 and thought it must have only sold 70 copies, and then I read the whole thing.    Very surprised it sold that much.

[The Dark Master]

@ GT



In all seriousness, Geoff Tate has an opinion.  Good for him.  I actually agree with him that the quality of music is completely relative, but the point he is missing here is that any piece of music released is going to be judged on two distinct levels:  who wrote it, and what it sounds like.  Comparing DTC to other Queensryche albums, especially their legendary releases from the 80's/early 90's casts it in a very unappealing light because it just goes to show how this band (who used to be a dominant trend-setter) has become such a trend-follower over the past 15 years.  Comparing it to other bands that sound similar makes it seem even worse because it just goes to show how they were attempting to copy the work of others and failed to reach that level of quality (to me, DTC sounds like an attempt to combine U2 with ambient pop/rock a la Curve; a very uninspired, half-assed attempt.  I would take any U2 or Curve album over DTC, I promise you that).  On both levels, the album fails to stand up to the standard set by the works that proceeded it.  And don't even get me started on the lyrics.  Maybe the quality of the music is subjective, but it is pretty easy to distinguish between good writing and bad writing where lyrics are concerned, and DTC is clearly in the latter category.

Oh, and the poorly veiled jab at Dream Theater was totally uncalled for, unprofessional and in extremely poor taste.  We all know the history between Queensryche and Dream Theater, and it's no secret that GT is butt hurt over the fact that a band that takes QR as one of their biggest influences has over the past decade surpassed them in popularity and, more recently, mainstream exposure.  Perhaps if Tate wasn't so blinded by jealousy and the dollar signs in his eyes, he would see that DT are successful because they have always made music that is both true to themselves and appealing to the majority of their fans; rather then constantly trying to play catch-up with whatever is hip or cool at the moment, then calling it "artistic license" when it fails.  I don't blame Queensryche for all the things that have gone poorly for them in the past decade and a half, but I do blame them for not being able to deal with it in a manner that is both faithful to themselves and their fans.  Making music on your own terms is a noble thing, but making music that is at odds with who you are, just because it fancies you at the moment, is a career killing mistake.

[Gadough]

Just a funny comparison, Limp Bizkit's new album sold 27k in the first week:

https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=160353

lol

[wolfking]

I don’t like DREAM THEATER, for example. I don’t get that band at all and I’ve listened to a lot of their stuff. It’s just not something that connects with me at all musically, but I appreciate the fact that they’re really into it and there are a lot of people that like what they do and that’s cool. I don’t down them for anything. In fact, any band that can make a living writing music and creating art… there’s some talent there. One comment I can’t abide by is that one associate of yours that was listening to our record the first time and said ‘this sucks’. No album, to me, sucks. There is no ‘good’ music or ‘bad’ music. There’s just music and it’s up to the individual whether they can accept it or relate to it or not. It’s a purely personal journey. There’s no way you can say an album by Queensrÿche sucks. There’s no way. It doesn’t even make sense to make that statement. Queensrÿche, like you said, is an incredibly successful band. We’ve been together and making music for thirty years. There’s nothing that we write that sucks. It’s that you (the particular listener) don’t relate to that song or album.”

https://www.bravewords.com/news/165041

So...QR don't write anything that sucks. If you don't like it, it's just because you can't relate to it.  Music in general doesn't suck.  Well, except for Dream Theater, but good for them and their fans that they are artistic.  But, otherwise, yeah.  Music doesn't suck.  Especially Queensryche music. 

WTF?  Geoff needs to get his head out of his ass.  His band and DT shared the stage so many times.  He seemed to performed well and enjoyed his duets with James and the band on Art of Live and other youtube vids I've seen. 

[wolfking]

Just a funny comparison, Limp Bizkit's new album sold 27k in the first week:

https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=160353

lol

I haven't heard either album, but there is a very good chance that Gold Cobra could be a much better album.

[Gadough]

I've heard both albums.

It is better.

But then again, I like Limp Bizkit, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

[wolfking]

I've heard both albums.

It is better.

But then again, I like Limp Bizkit, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

How is it compared to their old stuff?  Are they doing anything new?

[Gadough]

Not really. I wouldn't say it's as good as Chocolate Starfish or Significant Other, but it's better than Results May Vary.

[bosk1]

...but there is a very good chance that Gold Cobra could be a much better album.

I don't even like LB at all, but I suspect I would think their album is better.

[ariich]

The jab at DT was a bit random and stupid, but am I the only one who agrees with the rest of that?

[Gadough]

Yes, Rich. You're the only one. Leave the hall.

[wolfking]

Not really. I wouldn't say it's as good as Chocolate Starfish or Significant Other, but it's better than Results May Vary.

I might give it a listen.

[The Dark Master]

The jab at DT was a bit random and stupid, but am I the only one who agrees with the rest of that?

As I said, I actually agree a lot with what he said about music be subjective, but that argument doesn't work with DTC because the album itself just doesn't work.  It doesn't sound like it was made by a band that is known for making that sort of music well, nor does it sound like it meshes with other works of that genre.  It is a wolf in sheep's clothing, something trying to pretend it is something else and failing miserably at the ruse.  Queensryche should not be trying to be U2, or Curve, or the Beatles, or any other the other bands that were blatantly ripped off and imitated in DTC.  Queensryche should be Queensryche and no one else.  That doesn't mean they need to remake Operation Mindcrime ad nauseam, nor does it mean they need to be strictly metal, but it does mean they should be writing music that is consistent with who they are, and I really do not understand why Tate and Co. find this principle so damn hard to comprehend.  You don't have to make something that is musically completely left of field for you to be considered "progressive" and "unique".  I consider each and every Dream Theater album to be a world unto itself, and yet, DT's popularity (since Falling Into Infinity) has gone nowhere but up.  Why?  Because no matter what musical territory Dream Theater explores on each album, it is always consistent with who they are.  Take Train of Thought: on the one hand, DT had never made a metal album before, but they had always had metal songs.  So while the idea of the album was something new, the precedent for the style of the album had been established in DT's back catalog.  Now a lot of DT fans didn't really like this metal DT, but many liked it enough that it held the interest of the majority of their established fanbase, while simultaneously gaining the band a renewed interest from the metal crowd and a lot of new fans to young to remember Pull Me Under.  This is what Queensryhe should be doing, not pulling a 180 every 2 or 3 albums and musically starting from scratch again.  The fact that DTC is receiving such a backlash is proof of this, yet sadly the band is too blind to perceive it.  I have a very hard time believing that QR can recover from this debacle.  The fact that he talks about another solo album in that article (when his last sold all of maybe 2 copies) implies that stock in the QR name is falling at such an alarming rate that it may be time to bail.  

[ariich]

None of that matters. I don't believe that bands or artists have to do a certain thing or play in a certain style. American Soldier was not like QR at all, but it was one of their best albums in years.

It sounds like I won't like the album at all, but that doesn't mean it sucks, that just means it's not for me.

[Cookstar]

This is sad.  Queensryche was my first favorite band.  It was probably 1991 while Empire was fresh when I started listening to them.  (I discovered Images and Words about a year later.)  Q2K was the last album I bought though.  I was checking out their website store and found this. 

https://shop.queensryche.com/products-page/clothing/womens-eat-cock-not-cake-black/ 

"Eat cock not cake".  I can't believe they sunk to selling this sleeze.

[Gadough]

That girl is cute though.

[bosk1]

None of that matters. I don't believe that bands or artists have to do a certain thing or play in a certain style.

That's true up to a point, but that line is crossed where what the band is putting out sounds like they are just giving the fans the finger, and every action and public statement by the band confirms that they understand what the fans who have given them their past success want, and simply don't care.  And the line is crossed when it is apparent there is no quality control whatsoever and the band is just releasing inferior product.

American Soldier was not like QR at all

 What?

[The Dark Master]

Ariich, I guess we have to agree to disagree, because while I felt AS wasn't exactly classic QR, it was closer to that band then anything they had put out in a while.  At the very least, it sounded like a logical late-2000's metal extrapolation of Queensryche.  Ultimately, though, I liked American Soldier because I like the majority of the tracks on the album (about 7 of the 12 tracks I felt were pretty good, and most of the others at least had promise, even if the execution was flawed).  On this new album there is maybe ONE track (At the Edge), that I genuinely like, and another (Hot Spot Junkie) that I enjoyed enough to not want to skip it.  Out of SIXTEEN SONGS!  The rest was forgettable filler at best, and pure tripe at the worst.  And even the songs I did like were not all that memorable, simply more enjoyable and less difficult to listen to then the rest of the album.  And the lyrics are an abomination.  That is not a subjective opinion, I assure you, it is a fact literacy and writing skills.

[Cookstar]

That girl is cute though.

I wouldn't mind if that was her own personal motto

but that's not about the music I used to love

[Gadough]

That girl is cute though.

I wouldn't mind if that was her own personal motto

but that's not about the music I used to love

Her motto should be "eat cock and bake me a cake"

[dongringo]

"There’s no way you can say an album by Queensrÿche sucks. There’s no way. It doesn’t even make sense to make that statement. Queensrÿche, like you said, is an incredibly successful band. We’ve been together and making music for thirty years. There’s nothing that we write that sucks.”

This makes sense actually. DTC wasn't written by Queensryche and therefore isn't a Queensryche album. So I agree with Geoff. 

[bosk1]

[Jirpo]

LOL at the interview.

[ytserush]

I've not heard a note of the new album yet.

But based on that interview, Tate doesn't sound like a man who is teetering on the tightrope on insanity.

[SystematicThought]

Didn't Queensryche and DT do a headlining tour together in 2003? I mean, I know it's all business, but did Geoff not like them then either? Must have been awkward.

Yeah, and their former guitarist Mike Stone was giving John tips on playing guitars, thus we have the inspiration for As I Am. I believe that's how the lyrics came about

[wolfking]

Didn't Queensryche and DT do a headlining tour together in 2003? I mean, I know it's all business, but did Geoff not like them then either? Must have been awkward.

Yeah, and their former guitarist Mike Stone was giving John tips on playing guitars, thus we have the inspiration for As I Am. I believe that's how the lyrics came about

Mike giving John tips? wut? 

[Nick]

Didn't Queensryche and DT do a headlining tour together in 2003? I mean, I know it's all business, but did Geoff not like them then either? Must have been awkward.

Yeah, and their former guitarist Mike Stone was giving John tips on playing guitars, thus we have the inspiration for As I Am. I believe that's how the lyrics came about

Mike giving John tips? wut? 

For the record it inspired one stanza of As I Am, not the entire song.

[Nel]

I really hope Geoff Tate's incredibly wacky way of singing "On YouuuTUBE On YouuuTUBE" doesn't stay stuck in my head.