Geoff Tate's "Operation: Mindcrime" (not Queensryche)

[Lethean]

Just when you start enjoying the music, then you get Tate telling interviewers (again) that he "IS" Queensryche, and referring to Wilton as a rhythm guitar player. Unreal.

https://allthatshreds.com/geoff-tate-i-am-queensryche/

 

Is there a "SIGH" emoji too?

Wow.  Dude.  SMH

I found this interesting:

"Scott Rockenfield abruptly left and hasn’t been in the band as of late. Not much has been said about it and it seems rather odd.

GT: No it’s not.  Not at all. It was just a matter of time. They can spin it how they want. It’s really too bad. I hope that he does well. Even after all the pain he inflicted on everybody around him, I still have high hopes that he recovers from his problems and comes back to the music. The music will save you, no matter how far off the deep end you go.  If you just rely on the music, it will bring you back. That’s my belief at least."

Sounds like he might be implying alcohol or drug problems.

[bl5150]

Yeah.............didn't sound like there's much going on with Tate and Rockenfield anyway 

[Grappler]

The common implication when someone says that would be in reference to drug and alcohol problems, but people can have problems that aren't related to those as well. 

Edit:  The author of the interview claims to have omitted a comment from Geoff where he blatantly said that Scott is abusing drugs.

[jammindude]

He's one to talk about "pain inflicted on everyone around him".... 

[IDontNotDoThings]

Just when you start enjoying the music, then you get Tate telling interviewers (again) that he "IS" Queensryche, and referring to Wilton as a rhythm guitar player. Unreal.

Wilton was the rhythm guitarist though, wasn't he? 

[Kwyjibo]

No, DeGarmo and Wilton both played solos and both played rhythm guitar. That's just Tate being an ass and trying to degrade Wilton's contributions over the years.

[wolfking]

He probably is still struggling with getting spit on all the time from Tate himself.

[Samsara]

The common implication when someone says that would be in reference to drug and alcohol problems, but people can have problems that aren't related to those as well. 

Edit:  The author of the interview claims to have omitted a comment from Geoff where he blatantly said that Scott is abusing drugs.

WOW. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised, but that's awful.

[KevShmev]

Is anyone really surprised that Tate said what he said?  He has been an arrogant jack ass for as long as I can remember.

[pg1067]

Just when you start enjoying the music, then you get Tate telling interviewers (again) that he "IS" Queensryche, and referring to Wilton as a rhythm guitar player. Unreal.

Wilton was the rhythm guitarist though, wasn't he? 

No.  DeGarmo and Wilton were dual lead guitarists at least through Empire (I can't speak to the time after that because, although I had Promised Land, I thought and still think it mostly sucks and fell out of interest with the band after that).  If you watch the introductions on the Live in Tokyo video right before QOTR, Tate introduces both as "lead guitar."  I think they were generally credited simply as "guitars" on the albums.

[Samsara]

Wilton and DeGarmo were ALWAYS co-lead and rhythm guitarists. Wilton's solos dropped off a little bit with Promised Land and HITNF. But through Empire, they were generally equal.

[T-ski]

seems there is more to the story from the All That Shreds interview....

per twitter...



Not sure it was a good idea for the interviewer to put that out there, but there it is.

[bosk1]

Well, IMO, Todd should zip it and take the high road.  Todd's range these days is superior to Tate's.  But Todd suffers from other limitations in areas where Tate can still outshine him even at his age.  He would be well served to keep quiet.  As the saying goes, "better to remain quiet and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

[Mebert78]

Fascinating details about Geoff and Simone butting heads on the Sweet Oblivion project: https://sleazeroxx.com/simone-mularoni-outlines-difficulties-working-with-geoff-tate-on-sweet-oblivion-project/?fbclid=IwAR2yohFpGd85Adbr2lTpi_VbyCjpOZrmJrmbfc2EjQePM-aK6rHTui2Kcp4

[KevShmev]

Well, IMO, Todd should zip it and take the high road.  Todd's range these days is superior to Tate's.  But Todd suffers from other limitations in areas where Tate can still outshine him even at his age.  He would be well served to keep quiet.  As the saying goes, "better to remain quiet and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

I think agree with this.  Tate, despite being a monster douche, is set in stone as one of the truly great singers in metal, while La Torre is merely another in a long line of "hey, let's get a younger guy who sounds a lot like the singer we used to have" replacement singers who will be long forgotten.  He should be happy he has the gig that he does.

[TAC]

100% Correct!

[bosk1]

Fascinating details about Geoff and Simone butting heads on the Sweet Oblivion project: https://sleazeroxx.com/simone-mularoni-outlines-difficulties-working-with-geoff-tate-on-sweet-oblivion-project/?fbclid=IwAR2yohFpGd85Adbr2lTpi_VbyCjpOZrmJrmbfc2EjQePM-aK6rHTui2Kcp4

Not surprising. This is completely consistent with just about every story I have heard about anyone who has had personal contact with Tate.  Simone's version of the facts is 180 degrees from Tate's.  One of these men has a reputation for lying.  I wonder which one I believe...

[TAC]

Well, that would explain Geoff's completely phoned in performance.

I feel like anyone accepting this album as anything but the farce it is is so hard up for "old days" Tate that they are seriously dropping their standards.




Furthermore... He mentions that "He" doesn't need the Queensryche name. The other guys need it, or something to that effect. Well, WTF? He's touring one Queensryche album in full this year, and next year, he's doing another. So who fucking needs the Queensryche name? He certainly needs the Queensryche material.

[Lethean]

I wonder what the question was that prompted Simone to come out with all of that.  I don't doubt that he's telling the truth, but it seems weird to go into that kind of detail.  Unless the interviewer put him in a spot where he'd have to lie otherwise... or unless maybe he wants to make sure Frontiers doesn't try to make him write a follow up?

[IDontNotDoThings]

Edit:  The author of the interview claims to have omitted a comment from Geoff where he blatantly said that Scott is abusing drugs.

Sorry to go back on an older post, but I just read this and I have to say: bad fucking show from that interviewer for blatantly taking things out of context. Tate is enough of a dickhead already, you don't need to twist his words for people to realise that.

[Lethean]

Edit:  The author of the interview claims to have omitted a comment from Geoff where he blatantly said that Scott is abusing drugs.

Sorry to go back on an older post, but I just read this and I have to say: bad fucking show from that interviewer for blatantly taking things out of context. Tate is enough of a dickhead already, you don't need to twist his words for people to realise that.

Where did the interview say that he omitted the comment?

[Grappler]

Edit:  The author of the interview claims to have omitted a comment from Geoff where he blatantly said that Scott is abusing drugs.

Sorry to go back on an older post, but I just read this and I have to say: bad fucking show from that interviewer for blatantly taking things out of context. Tate is enough of a dickhead already, you don't need to twist his words for people to realise that.

Where did the interview say that he omitted the comment?

It was not in the interview itself.  It is buried in some comments in a Facebook group that I sometimes read.  His interview started gaining some traction in the group and the author popped up to blab and take credit.

I wonder what the question was that prompted Simone to come out with all of that.  I don't doubt that he's telling the truth, but it seems weird to go into that kind of detail.  Unless the interviewer put him in a spot where he'd have to lie otherwise... or unless maybe he wants to make sure Frontiers doesn't try to make him write a follow up?

In that same Facebook group, Joel Barrios from Sonic Perspectives commented that he will be interviewing Simone shortly. Joel said that he had reached out to Simone for his comment on the Aardshok interview.  Simone said that despite it being true, he told the Aardshok interviewer everything off of the record. 

[MirrorMask]

I was going to comment that it's cheap for someone 30 years younger to boast about singing in the original key, then I checked and holy damn, Todd LaTorre is 45!  I'd have made him in his 30's.

Still, not wanting to defend Tate but he's 60, everyone loses range at that age, the bodt / throat is a singer's instrument and the instrument physically changes.

[wolfking]

seems there is more to the story from the All That Shreds interview....

per twitter...



Not sure it was a good idea for the interviewer to put that out there, but there it is.

Both Todd and the interviewer here are way out of order.  Shut the fuck up, both of you.

[wolfking]

Fascinating details about Geoff and Simone butting heads on the Sweet Oblivion project: https://sleazeroxx.com/simone-mularoni-outlines-difficulties-working-with-geoff-tate-on-sweet-oblivion-project/?fbclid=IwAR2yohFpGd85Adbr2lTpi_VbyCjpOZrmJrmbfc2EjQePM-aK6rHTui2Kcp4

Wowsers.  I admit and said right away Simone wrote this for himself not so much Geoff but I like it.  I can see where Tate would be coming from in regards to the self indulgent guitar solos, but we know Simone would be on point in what Tate wanted to do with the songs. And yes this explains Tates average performance but it's not horrible.

I feel for Simone.  Seferino who is the head of Frontiers tells Simone to contact Geoff himself but then gets called into the office when Tate or his wife complains about him, please.  Poor form from Seferino and really shows this label is becoming a factory churning out the same rubbish to make a buck and doesn't gice a fuck about who is producing their music.  Seferino should have had some correspondence with Geoff also in the direction of the songs.  Simone obviously joined them for a paycheck as his output has increased but wow poor form from Frontiers.  Wouldn't be surprised if Simone gets dropped for exposing this.

[wolfking]

I feel like anyone accepting this album as anything but the farce it is is so hard up for "old days" Tate that they are seriously dropping their standards.

Nah mate, maybe some but not me. I like Simone's guitar playing a lot and would have checked it even if some shit singer I hated was on it.  Well, maybe except Issa.  I've always found his songwriting a bit below par but don't mind the songs here.  Won't have long lasting affect and the whole thing sounds like it's veen shit out in 5 minutes but his shred is enough to keep me somewhat interested.  Don't see me going back to it a lot over time though.

[TAC]

I feel like anyone accepting this album as anything but the farce it is is so hard up for "old days" Tate that they are seriously dropping their standards.

Nah mate, maybe some but not me. I like Simone's guitar playing a lot and would have checked it even if some shit singer I hated was on it.  Well, maybe except Issa.  I've always found his songwriting a bit below par but don't mind the songs here.  Won't have long lasting affect and the whole thing sounds like it's veen shit out in 5 minutes but his shred is enough to keep me somewhat interested.  Don't see me going back to it a lot over time though.

OK, I understand. I'm not talking about the songs themselves or the playing. I'm talking specifically about Tate.

[Grappler]

I feel like anyone accepting this album as anything but the farce it is is so hard up for "old days" Tate that they are seriously dropping their standards.

Nah mate, maybe some but not me. I like Simone's guitar playing a lot and would have checked it even if some shit singer I hated was on it.  Well, maybe except Issa.  I've always found his songwriting a bit below par but don't mind the songs here.  Won't have long lasting affect and the whole thing sounds like it's veen shit out in 5 minutes but his shred is enough to keep me somewhat interested.  Don't see me going back to it a lot over time though.

OK, I understand. I'm not talking about the songs themselves or the playing. I'm talking specifically about Tate.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the record, really.  It's designed to be evocative of classic QR - melodic heavy metal.  Tate sounds alright, which is surprising, given that he recorded his vocals on a tour bus.  Credit to Simone for being able to work with such sub-standard material and make it come out sounding ok.

I'm enjoying it for what it is and it's nice to hear Geoff sing on this type of music again, regardless of the drama that now surrounds the album.

[TAC]

I went into it with a positive attitude. I didn't go into it down on Tate. The first single was pretty decent.

But those comments really tie it up for me. Tate's heart was not in it, and that was clear on the first listen.


It bothers me because this has promise. It's clear to me that Tate didn't give a shit about this, which was basically backed up by Simone's comments.

[Grappler]

I went into it with a positive attitude. I didn't go into it down on Tate. The first single was pretty decent.

But those comments really tie it up for me. Tate's heart was not in it, and that was clear on the first listen.


It bothers me because this has promise. It's clear to me that Tate didn't give a shit about this, which was basically backed up by Simone's comments.

That I agree with.  I've just learned to disassociate from the drama.  The record came out alright and I can enjoy it for what it is without contemplating Tate's attitude towards the project.  Simone is right - it would have been so much better if he put his full effort into it.  But he didn't.  So be it. 

[Samsara]

That I agree with.  I've just learned to disassociate from the drama.  The record came out alright and I can enjoy it for what it is without contemplating Tate's attitude towards the project.  Simone is right - it would have been so much better if he put his full effort into it.  But he didn't.  So be it.

Amen. That's what we have to do. At the end of the day, you are entertained by music. Music is entertainment. It's not the people making it, its the music itself. Sweet Oblivion was obviously a paycheck, and nothing more, to Tate. And that's not really surprising, given his interests. So, leaving that aside, what was created is enjoyable.

[pg1067]

Both Todd and the interviewer here are way out of order.  Shut the fuck up, both of you.

Agree.  Can't imagine why anyone would give that clown an interview.

[TAC]

That I agree with.  I've just learned to disassociate from the drama.  The record came out alright and I can enjoy it for what it is without contemplating Tate's attitude towards the project.  Simone is right - it would have been so much better if he put his full effort into it.  But he didn't.  So be it.

Amen. That's what we have to do. At the end of the day, you are entertained by music. Music is entertainment. It's not the people making it, its the music itself. Sweet Oblivion was obviously a paycheck, and nothing more, to Tate. And that's not really surprising, given his interests. So, leaving that aside, what was created is enjoyable.

I didn’t know Tate’s attitude until after I listened.

I WANTED to like this and past drama played no part in it. It’s just a phoned in performance. His lack of interest bleeds through the speakers.  If people still enjoy that, that’s totally cool.

I just think that’s a pretty low bar. Again, not a comment on the songs or the music. But I guess Frontiers think there’s value in Tate’s name and they’re probably right.

[cramx3]

It's funny how all I ever heard about him was how he's an ass etc and then I see him with Avantasia and Tobi always posts pics of him with Geoff making it look like they are happy, Geoff sounds good.  I go see Geoff's show, he looks happy he smiles gives m a high five, I start to wonder, maybe he aint such a bad dude..... and then this.  All of this drama is a major turn off for me wanting to check out more of his work, and it goes for QR too.  It's not like Todd looks good saying these things either. 

[Adami]

It's funny how all I ever heard about him was how he's an ass etc and then I see him with Avantasia and Tobi always posts pics of him with Geoff making it look like they are happy, Geoff sounds good.  I go see Geoff's show, he looks happy he smiles gives m a high five, I start to wonder, maybe he aint such a bad dude..... and then this.  All of this drama is a major turn off for me wanting to check out more of his work, and it goes for QR too.  It's not like Todd looks good saying these things either.

I don't know anything about Tate really, but I have worked with dozens of singers in my day, and just other difficult people. Even the most difficult people in the world to work with have some people they click with very well anyway and things are good. Look at Axl Rose. Dude is, or at least historically, NOT been easy to work with, but Sebastian Bach is always happen to be with him, you know? Sometimes people can be difficult in 95% of the situations and great in the other 5%. Neither negates the other.