Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album

[Samsara]

I think OM-II was a decent idea in principle badly executed and Tate desperately needed a DeGarmo to bounce ideas off and ask pertinent questions such as "how is a convicted murderer going to get anywhere near the ultra-rich and politically powerful Dr X to try and kill him in the first place?"

The basic setup of a schizophrenic Nikki getting out of prison, having only ever been convicted for Mary's murder(?), and going after Dr X has plenty of potential but the actual story is embryonic, at best.

It didn't help that the album sounds like it was recorded on the cheap.

OM-II seemed like a bit of a cash grab anyway. He's going to have to work hard to justify III.

The way Tate and Slater (plus Stone) wrote the majority of Operation: Mindcrime II was this:

Tate would give Slater a theme to write to. He and Stone, who were living in Tate's basement while doing this, would craft several pieces of music to that theme. If Tate got inspired, it became a song, and then Tate would write lyrics and the melody and flesh out the rest of the tune.

I agree completely that Tate should have been working with someone on lyrics/vocal melodies. There were rumors he was, and always had, outside of DeGarmo. But it's never been confirmed. But I do remember Slater telling me that Tate would slip away and have conversations with someone on the phone about lyrics.

Mindcrime II was not necessarily done on the cheap. They had plenty of time, and not a ton of money was needed, because they could write and record as they went along. The drum situation was a mess, but essentially, Scott did a quick first pass, and then as the songs changed, and Scott was busy with Slave to the System, Slater recut the drums with Matt Lucich down at the Annex, and then did some replacing of hits and such as needed. Vocals were done at Tate's house and the Annex (Slater's studio in Menlo Park, CA). All the guitars and bass were tracked as they went along. Ed Jackson plays a bunch of bass, but a lot of it is Slater's playing. Guitars were mostly handled by Stone, with bits from Wilton, and some from Slater's assistant at the time (the solo in Murderer was performed by Slater's ex-assistant, Mitch Doran).

So not a ton of money was needed. But by involving Slater, who could do it all, they could write/record/mix and get it all done without a huge budget. It doesn't sound cheap. It was mixed differently so that Tate's voice didn't sound like it was above the track like on so many albums in the past. It was mixed down a bit, bringing the guitars and bass up. TBH, it was really the last album that Tate sounded good on. Tate sounded awful on Take Cover and American Soldier, and that was Kelly Gray recording him, not Slater.

Operation: Mindcrime II wasn't needed, artistically. It was needed to help the band pay off debts and fill their coffers. And it did that, immediately. Because they didn't need to spend a lot, it recouped the advance Rhino gave them in two weeks, and the rest was profit to the folks who wrote and recorded it. From that standpoint, it was incredibly successful.

Operation: Mindcrime III - I can only surmise really what I said above - it's a retirement plan for Tate. Folks will either buy in, or they won't. But the very fact people are talking about it and are curious (even if it is wanting to tune in for the train wreck) is exactly what Tate is counting on. Announcing MC III enables him to trot out Mindcrime I, II, and III to promoters for live shows, which always increases what Tate's guarantee is, enabling him to set up tours.

It is what it is. I know I won't buy the record or see the tour, but I'll listen to it. But many will jump on it and buy tickets for a grand Mindcrime trilogy tour, and that's exactly what he's hoping for, to set up retirement.

[EPICVIEW]

The crowds are certainly into it from what I can see. But they are dwindling. He's starting to hit the small clubs now. This will likely raise his profile to enable him to play slightly bigger clubs again. The same places his old band plays.

Tate seems to be doing fine financially and he seems happy and healthy now since the heart surgery. Tate just enjoys the stage period to my eyes,   I wonder who the band will be for the OMCIII tour?  he seems to have a rotation of band members in Europe and somehow they feel very QR and I like to moody stage colors etc. I like that for as much as Tate leans on OMC he still seems to be doing a lot of music and staying relevant. 

[Samsara]

Tate seems to be doing fine financially and he seems happy and healthy now since the heart surgery. Tate just enjoys the stage period to my eyes,   I wonder who the band will be for the OMCIII tour?  he seems to have a rotation of band members in Europe and somehow they feel very QR and I like to moody stage colors etc. I like that for as much as Tate leans on OMC he still seems to be doing a lot of music and staying relevant. 

I am sure he's making a living. But he's downsized considerably since 2013. If you're not familiar with the industry, it is getting increasingly difficult for bands to tour and make ends meet. Especially acts like Tate and QR's size, and ridiculously more difficult to tour, financially, since Covid. The rotating band is also likely to keep costs down. If you think those dudes are making much of anything, think again.

Obviously, I can't tell you for sure, but this is a complete cash grab, grasping for the one thing that may entice more people to buy concert tickets and merchandise, and have promoters book them in bigger venues and get a bigger guaranteed pay day. Trust me. Tate hasn't done new music under his own name for a long time, and it's pretty clear why. It doesn't draw. He hasn't been relevant in a long time. And even with this new record, obviously he's honing in on the Mindcrime name to get a few more people to buy it. Believe what you want to believe. But it's pretty obvious what Tate is doing and why.

[EPICVIEW]

I am sure he's making a living. But he's downsized considerably since 2013. If you're not familiar with the industry, it is getting increasingly difficult for bands to tour and make ends meet. Especially acts like Tate and QR's size, and ridiculously more difficult to tour, financially, since Covid. The rotating band is also likely to keep costs down. If you think those dudes are making much of anything, think again.

Obviously, I can't tell you for sure, but this is a complete cash grab, grasping for the one thing that may entice more people to buy concert tickets and merchandise, and have promoters book them in bigger venues and get a bigger guaranteed pay day. Trust me. Tate hasn't done new music under his own name for a long time, and it's pretty clear why. It doesn't draw. He hasn't been relevant in a long time. And even with this new record, obviously he's honing in on the Mindcrime name to get a few more people to buy it. Believe what you want to believe. But it's pretty obvious what Tate is doing and why.

hard to really say what his motives are.... maybe he just does an OMC every 18 years or so lol.?   : )

[Schurftkut]

Queensryche is coming with a new album in 2025, let's see who does it better ;-)

[devieira73]

https://ratpakrecordsamerica.com/michaelwilton
Solo album

[Mebert78]

With regard to OM3, perhaps Tate is going to go the route of having a child of Dr. X, Nikki or Mary be the main character.  Perhaps one or more of them had a child that was kept on the down low and now they are old enough to be repeating the mistakes of their parent, etc.