Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album

[Cool Chris]

How Queensryche orders a coffee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6_Qfffs0Yc
The ones for Nightwish and Kamelot are also hilarious! Such a clever gimmick and that guy has quite an impressive vocal range

Haven't read this thread in ages, randomly saw this post in the Recent Posts link, and thought the Nightwish video was 16 levels of awesome!

[bosk1]

Not familiar with Sabaton, but that one just about had me on the floor.

[Samsara]

Revisiting the 2013 self-titled Queensrÿche album today. Putting aside the hot mastering, the songs really have really stood the test of time for me. There was a looseness and genuine passion in these tunes and in the playing that really resonate with me as a listener.

What spurred this is a recent performance of "Don't Look Back," one of my favorites from this album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgWM7LeWR-0&t=195s

It was really nicely done, particularly since Rockenfield and Lundgren (who recorded the track) are now replaced by Grillo and Stone, respectively.

Obviously, my biggest passion for this band is the original lineup and its catalog. But I really enjoy this album a lot. In some ways, I feel like it is the best crop of songs the TLT-era has produced. Don't get me wrong, Condition Human, The Verdict, and Digital Noise Alliance have their high points. But there's this vibe on the 2013 self-titled that just sits in a spot for me.

In retrospect, they might have played with the track order a bit (maybe put a more aggressive opener), and fleshed a few things out more, but given the time constraints they were under, it was pretty damn cool.

On a side note, the cover artist for my new book, Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensrÿche (1981-1997), loves the cover concept myself and Brian Naron came up with, and is getting to work on illustrating the cover. It will be a wrap-around cover, and it should look amazing once he's done with it. I'll share it as soon as it is final. Pre-orders for the book will probably be late-October, perhaps early-November. No sense doing it TOO early (it will publish in March), but I was adamant I wanted it up for pre-order this fall. Also, we just secured a photo set that will blow peoples' minds. Can't wait to share this with everyone.

With my touring history book in March 2024, Halfin's killer (but expensive) photo book coming out in November 2023, and Tate's forthcoming autobiography/memoir, there will be plenty of new Queensryche books going around. Tate mentioned a month or so ago how hard it was to write a book. Ha! Yes, yes it is. Looking forward to reading what he comes up with. I have many of those public journals he wrote on the Tribe tour saved and looked at them from time to time. It'll be cool to see what format he takes with his book.

[Mladen]

What that self-titled album misses is a great epic track and better production. It could have been a damn good record.

[WardySI]

And while its closer is a highlight it needed be at least couple minutes longer.  That whole album feels rushed which while understandable at the time was a real shame. 

[Grappler]

I went through all of the Todd records earlier this year and really enjoyed the self titled after not listening to it for a long time.  The production kills it, but I love what they did on the album.  Like others, I just wish some songs were a bit longer and that the album got a proper representation live.  I was happy to hear 3 songs live when I saw them in 2013 (Redemption, Where Dreams go to Die, Fallout).  Sadly, I've missed the tours where they broke out other songs from the album.

[MinistroRaven]

QUEENSRŸCHE covering 'Rebel Yell' Of BILLY IDOL
https://lotsofmuzik.com/queensryche-shares-music-video-for-rendition-of-billy-idols-smash-hit-rebel-yell/

[bosk1]

It's a decent cover.  I always thought it was a bit odd the lengths that Todd goes to channel Billy Idol.  And for some reason, the keyboards bother me a bit.  But it's still solid and a nice little addition at the end of the album. 

I have just had a really hard time getting into these last two albums, which is a shame because I really like the first two.  Echoing some of the comments above about the first one, I have always felt similarly:  It was a really strong effort and a terrific return to form after a string of questionable albums that culminated in D2C.  If not for the "rushed" feeling of some of the songs just needing a bit more development, it would be near perfect.  I put it right up there with the best of the classic run from Rage through HITNF.  And I liked Condition Human even more.  The run of the first 6 songs on that album is nearly flawless, and there are some real gems on the back half as well.  Unfortunately, the title song is an absolute disaster as far as I'm concerned.  It's obvious that they tried a bit too hard to emulate some of their earlier epics, and just got lost along the way.  But despite that and some questionable lyrical choices that grate on me a bit, it's a really fantastic album, and I still reach for it regularly when I want modern QR.  The last two albums just haven't connected with me very deeply, which is a bummer.  I struggle to even remember anything from the prior one.  I don't know if DNA is a step up from that or if I only know it better just because it is more recent. 

[jjrock88]

Meh.  But excellent boobs in the front row.  I'm a big Billy Idol fan, but meh. 

[wolfking]

No way those chick's even know who the fuck Queensryche even are.

[jjrock88]

haha thought the same, but still impressive racks, right Wolf?

[Stadler]

Meh.  But excellent boobs in the front row.  I'm a big Billy Idol fan, but meh.

That's kind of it for me too; the original is pretty killer all things considered, and what did this do to further that?  I'm not seeing it.

[T-ski]

QUEENSRŸCHE covering 'Rebel Yell' Of BILLY IDOL
https://lotsofmuzik.com/queensryche-shares-music-video-for-rendition-of-billy-idols-smash-hit-rebel-yell/

That's the most un-Queensryche video I've seen. 

[Samsara]

Not much interest in QR these days on here (understandable, since they are just doing one-off gigs and have done their tour), but for those interested in my new book, Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensrÿche (1981-1997), we just approved the cover art last night. It's actually a full wraparound cover. It borrows thematic elements from a few different artists. Specifically, the back cover will remind folks of Hugh Syme's work to a degree. The front cover is pretty dramatic. I'm really proud of it. The whole art piece was conceived of by myself and Brian Naron, who assisted me with the book. It was brought to life by our designer.

I can't share it quite yet, but it's done and approved, and I'm excited as hell to launch pre-orders. The publisher has said early November for that. It looks like we're headed into the design stage at the end of this month. I'm doing the final proof on all 419 pages of text (that is without pictures, so it'll probably be over a 500 page book) over the next week or so. So getting very close. I'll also have a very old school (honestly, completely obsolete), HTML-based website up to promote the book at www.roadstomadness.com before the book is published. Just a place to promote the book, where I'll eventually have the tour dates all republished and various imagery we ended up not using in the book. There's just a holding page there now that directs folks to our Facebook page for the latest info.

I'm a fan, I created this book for fans like me, and sitting back and doing the final edits, I'm really blown away at how much info I was able to confirm and put into this book. If you're a fan of classic Queensrÿche, I think you'll love it. I'll post again here when we drop the cover art. I need to talk with the publisher on when that may be appropriate. I'm guessing for pre-orders...

[pg1067]

Can't wait to see it, Brian!  How does one secure a SIGNED copy?

[DragonAttack]

 

[Samsara]

Can't wait to see it, Brian!  How does one secure a SIGNED copy?

I haven't discussed the specifics with the publisher yet, but I do know we're doing a limited edition run of hardcover, and a paperback edition. Both will be full color. 9.5" x 11.5" (or 12, I forget). The paperbacks will feature that same "soft"-like cover that the QR biography did. (We like that material.) And my guess is, we'll sign all the hardcovers on the title page inside the book. I'll probably fly up to Seattle so Naron and I can do that together. I'll know more as we get into November. We'll likely have a call soon to make sure we're all on the same page.

A lot of hard work to go with layout and image placement and all of that. But now that the text is done (aside from the final proof I am doing), and the cover is done, I can make my last small copy edits, and then get into all that design work with the designer at the end of the month. He's finishing up a biography on Metal Church (which is up for preorder now) that Naron and our friend James Beach did (I wasn't a part of that one -- too busy with this one).

Anyway, in a perfect world, P, I'd love to hand-deliver a copy to you. So, if we can make that happen, I'd love to. Happy to take a weekend with the fam and come down by you, and meet up somewhere along the way. Either way, I'll make sure your copy is personalized by me, if you'd like that. Thanks for contributing some anecdotes!

[DTwwbwMP]

Looking forward to this so much, Bri!

[Samsara]

Thanks Mike! Gettin' closer!

[Samsara]

Front cover reveal of Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensrÿche (1981-1997) is tomorrow! I'll post it here as well for any interested. Looks like pre-orders will start about four weeks from today. The week beginning November 13 or so. Limited edition hardcover, paperback, and electronic version (most likely a Kindle file). Completely full color. More tomorrow. 

[ReaperKK]

You can count on me for a pre-order

[Samsara]

Here's the announcement and front cover reveal. Hope those of you interested in the book dig it.

B

October 17, 2023

Contact:

Brian J. Heaton – brianheaton444@gmail.com
James R. Beach – nwmetalworxmusic@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensrÿche Book Cover Revealed

LONGVIEW, Wash. – NW Metalworx Music is proud to reveal the front cover of its upcoming book, Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensrÿche (1981-1997).

Imagined by author Brian J. Heaton, and initially sketched by Brian L. Naron, the striking fictional Seattle roadway scene was brought to life by designer Cyrus Wraith Walker. The cover's concept was inspired by the works of renowned artist Hugh Syme. The entire book cover will be presented in a wraparound format, with the back imagery to be revealed at a later date.

Roads to Madness is a deep dive into all the concert dates that feature Queensrÿche's original lineup of Chris DeGarmo, Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield, Geoff Tate, and Michael Wilton. The book spans over 400 pages, and includes concert dates, verified setlists, tour history essays, fan commentary on shows, stage banter, live photos, show memorabilia imagery, and much more. The tome's foreword was penned by Fates Warning biographer Jeff Wagner.

Roads to Madness will be published in March 2024. Pre-orders begin in mid-November 2023 at https://nwmetalworxmusic.com/. The book will be available in a variety of formats, including a limited-edition hardcover, an oversized deluxe paperback, and an electronic version. For more information, visit https://www.roadstomadness.com. 

Brian J. Heaton co-wrote (with James R. Beach and Brian L. Naron), Building An Empire: The Story of Queensrÿche, the first biography of the band, which was published in 2021 by NW Metalworx Music.

NW Metalworx Music is owned by James R. Beach and Brian L. Naron. The company reissues and issues LPs and CDs of great Pacific Northwest heavy metal and hard rock bands from the
1970s-1990s, along with books that celebrate the history of the scene.

###

[bosk1]

Nice!  At first,  I was like, "What?  No triryche?"  Then I found it. 

[Samsara]

Whatever do you mean, bosk? I just see some cloud formations.

[Grappler]

Whatever do you mean, bosk? I just see some cloud formations.

You misspelled bat signal.

Love the cover!

[pg1067]

Can't wait to see it, Brian!  How does one secure a SIGNED copy?

I haven't discussed the specifics with the publisher yet, but I do know we're doing a limited edition run of hardcover, and a paperback edition. Both will be full color. 9.5" x 11.5" (or 12, I forget). The paperbacks will feature that same "soft"-like cover that the QR biography did. (We like that material.) And my guess is, we'll sign all the hardcovers on the title page inside the book. I'll probably fly up to Seattle so Naron and I can do that together. I'll know more as we get into November. We'll likely have a call soon to make sure we're all on the same page.

A lot of hard work to go with layout and image placement and all of that. But now that the text is done (aside from the final proof I am doing), and the cover is done, I can make my last small copy edits, and then get into all that design work with the designer at the end of the month. He's finishing up a biography on Metal Church (which is up for preorder now) that Naron and our friend James Beach did (I wasn't a part of that one -- too busy with this one).

Anyway, in a perfect world, P, I'd love to hand-deliver a copy to you. So, if we can make that happen, I'd love to. Happy to take a weekend with the fam and come down by you, and meet up somewhere along the way. Either way, I'll make sure your copy is personalized by me, if you'd like that. Thanks for contributing some anecdotes!

Whatever works will work out.  The cover looks great, BTW!

[Samsara]

Thank you!

[Setlist Scotty]

Whatever do you mean, bosk? I just see some cloud formations.

You misspelled bat signal.

I noticed that right away too! 

[TAC]

That is one BADASS book cover!

[jjrock88]

Outstanding book cover!! 

[Samsara]

Thanks guys. Wait til you see the back cover. It's sparser, but really harkens to Hugh Syme' work. It's one big wraparound image. We're going to do posters and have them as a special bonus with the hardcover edition of the book (or at least in some sort of a bundle, we haven't decided). As for the Bat Symbol. HA! Believe it or not, I never really noticed that. Would be fitting if that reminds folks of it, given my Bat-fandom. It's all just cloud formations...

[jjrock88]

When it comes to Batman, I might be in the minority, but I think the Michael Keaton version is the greatest Batman of all time.  But great Batman cover while intentionally or not.

[wolfking]

When it comes to Batman, I might be in the minority, but I think the Michael Keaton version is the greatest Batman of all time.  But great Batman cover while intentionally or not.

I agree with you 100%.  There's no contest with any if the others IMO.  Not really counting Adam West though.

[King Postwhore]

Sam, go to the post something funny thread for a QR joke.

[TAC]

When it comes to Batman, I might be in the minority, but I think the Michael Keaton version is the greatest Batman of all time.  But great Batman cover while intentionally or not.

I agree with you 100%.  There's no contest with any if the others IMO.  Not really counting Adam West though.

Adam West is the ONLY Batman.