QUEENSRŸCHE is currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on their 12th studio album, American Soldier. The concept album, due this spring from Rhino/Atco, finds the band once again tackling some heavy subject matter, this time focusing on telling the story of war from a firsthand perspective. Singer and chief songwriter Geoff Tate has spent the last few years conducting extensive interviews with veterans and has crafted their thoughts into this epic tale. American Soldier examines American wars from World War II through Iraq from the viewpoint of those in the trenches and on the frontlines. Following the album's release, Queensrÿche plan to present tracks from the album live on an extensive spring tour of the U.S., with international dates to follow later in 2009. The first date of the tour will be a hometown gig at Seattle's Snoqualmie Casino on April 16.

"Queensrÿche has always had incredible support from members of the Armed Services," says Tate. "It seems like after every show, I'd end up speaking with a fan that was or had been involved with the military. The more and more I began to hear their accounts and feelings, the more I really felt a conviction to tell their story. Over the last two years, I've conducted dozens of one-on-one interviews with veterans of many different American wars. I listened to their amazing and moving recounts and did my best to examine war through their eyes."

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Product Description
Queensryche envisions war through the eyes of a soldier with the band's 12th studio release, the epic concept album, American Soldier. The ambitious album encompasses a dozen songs inspired by numerous interviews with veterans conducted by Geoff Tate, the group's singer and chief songwriter, who was intent on telling their story using their words. After speaking with soldiers who served in various conflicts - from World War II to Iraq - Tate turned their firsthand experiences from the frontlines into an unflinching musical examination of the life of a soldier and the consequences of war.

1. Sliver
2. Unafraid
3. Hundred Mile Stare
4. At 30,000 Ft
5. A Dead Man's Words
6. The Killer
7. Middle Of Hell
8. If I Were King
9. Man Down!
10. Remember Me
11. Home Again
12. The Voice

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001QVMJV0/?tag=imwan-20

I still like these guys, but they've really been struggling to find their way for years now, and this sounds kinda iffy. We'll see.

From Billboard.com:

Queensryche examines the plight of the American soldier on a new album of the same name, due March 31 on Atco/Rhino.

The project details the physical and emotional effects of combat experience. Songs like "Middle of Hell" relate what it's like to be in a war zone, while "The Killer" looks at sacrifice. Homesickness is addressed in "Remember Me" and the readjustment to civilian life is the story behind "Man Down!"

The 12 songs on "American Soldier" were inspired by conversations that singer Geoff Tate had with fans who are veterans. He shares a bit of common ground with them, as his father served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

"My father was a career military man, but until very recently he never spoke about what he went through. I think that reticence is true of a lot of veterans, which means most people never truly understand what it means to be a soldier at war," Tate says. "Hearing what he and some of our fans have endured made me want to share their stories with the world. This is an album about the soldiers, for the soldiers, as told by the soldiers themselves."

The voices of the troops literally made their way onto the album. Tate conducted interviews with soldiers from conflicts that span from World War II to Iraq, and dialogue from the recorded conversations is heard on several tracks. A few troops even recorded some vocals for "Unafraid."

"I was surprised to learn how little has changed through the generations," Tate observes. "I spoke with a Vietnam vet whose experience wasn't all that different from a soldier who fought in Somalia almost 30 years later. But what surprised me the most was how anti-war most soldiers are. To me, that makes their sacrifices even more moving."

Sacrifice is again addressed on the duet "Home Again," which embodies the emotional toll war takes on a family. In another nod to blood ties, Tate's own 10-year-old daughter Emily performs with him on the song: Tate supplies the voice of the soldier and Emily sings from a daughter's perspective of waiting for him back at home.

A concept record with politically related content is not new to Queensryche. The group broke into the mainstream in 1988 with its landmark album "Operation: Mindcrime" and released a sequel in 2006.

Queensryche is supporting "American Soldier" with a North American tour that starts April 16 at Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualimie, Wash. So far dates have been confirmed into June, and international dates are to be announced.

Here are Queensryche's tour dates:

April 16-17: Snoqualmie, Wash. (Snoqualmie Casino)
April 18: Portland, Ore. (Roseland Theatre)
April 19: Chico, Calif. (Senator Theatre)
April 22: Anaheim, Calif. (House of Blues)
April 23: San Diego (House of Blues)
April 24: Los Angeles (House of Blues)
April 25: Las Vegas (House of Blues)
April 26: Salt Lake City (Depot)
April 28: Denver (Paramount Theatre)
April 29: Kansas City, Mo. (Voodoo Lounge)
April 30, May 1: Milwaukee (Northern Lights)
May 3: Walker, Minn. (Northern Lights)
May 5: Grand Rapids, Mich. (Intersection)
May 7-8: Chicago (House of Blues)
May 9: Mt. Clemens, Mich. (Emerald Theatre)
May 10: Greensburg, Pa. (Palace Theatre)
May 12: Verona, N.Y. (Turing Stone Casino)
May 13: Stamford, Conn. (Palace Theatre)
May 15: New York (Nokia Theatre)
May 16: Atlantic City, N.J. (House of Blues)
May 17: Myrtle Beach, S.C. (House of Blues)
May 19: Tampa, Fla. (Ruth Eckerd Hall)
May 20: Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (House of Blues)
May 21: New Orleans (House of Blues)
May 22: Houston, Texas (House of Blues)
May 23: San Antonio (Hemisfair Park)
May 24: Dallas (House of Blues)
May 29: Albuquerque, N.M. (Kiva Auditorium)
May 30: Phoenix (Dodge Theatre)
June 4: San Francisco (Fillmore)
June 5: Kelseyville, Calif. (Konocti Harbor)

Can't wait for this

Posted on Tuesday, February 03, 2009 at 19:09:39 EST

QUEENSRŸCHE has issued the following update:

"Mike Stone has decided he will not be touring with Queensrÿche this spring. We will miss him. He is a wonderful player and has contributed to our lives musically and spiritually. We wish him the best and hope to see him succeed in everything he chooses to participate in."

He adds this statement: "After much consideration, I will not be joining Queensrÿche on the 2009 American Soldier Tour. I feel now is the time to focus on other musical endeavors, including my new band SPEED X with Nick Catanese of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. I would like to thank all of the Queensrÿche fans around the world for being nothing less than amazing to me during my time with the band. You have treated me like gold, and I will never forget it. It has been an honor to be a part of the Queensrÿche family, and I wish Geoff, Michael, Scott and Eddie nothing but the very best."

Queensrÿche envisions war through the eyes of a soldier with the band's twelfth studio release, the epic concept album American Soldier. The ambitious album encompasses a dozen songs inspired by numerous interviews with veterans conducted by Geoff Tate, the group's singer and chief songwriter, who was intent on telling their story using their words. After speaking with soldiers who served in various conflicts-from World War II to Iraq-Tate turned their firsthand experiences from the frontlines into an unflinching musical examination of the life of a solider and the consequences of war. American Soldier will be available from Atco/Rhino on March 31st.

Tate, Michael Wilton (guitar), Ed Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums) recorded the album in 2008 over the course of nine months. The idea for American Soldier, Tate says, came from hearing stories from fans that are veterans, as well as his own father, who served in both Korea and Vietnam. "My father was a career military man, but until very recently he never spoke about what he went through. I think that reticence is true of a lot of veterans, which means most people never truly understand what it means to be a soldier at war. Hearing what he and some of our fans have endured made me want to share their stories with the world. This is an album about the soldiers, for the soldiers, as told by the soldiers themselves."

Those stories resonate at the heart of AMERICAN SOLDIER, imbuing each song with vivid details about both the emotional and physical impacts of war, evoking war zone battles ('Middle Of Hell'), sacrifice ('The Killer'), loss ('If I Were King'), the longing for home ('Remember Me'), and adjusting to society after returning from war ('Man Down!').

Tate recorded many of his interviews with the soldiers, and some dialogue from these discussions is mixed into several of tracks, allowing the soldiers' own words to help tell their compelling stories. The band also brought a few of the soldiers into the studio with them to record vocals. The verses of the track 'Unafraid' feature the voices of Chris Devine, a Vietnam veteran, and Sean Lenahan, a veteran of Somalia, recalling their war experiences while Tate provides the anthemic chorus. Also making a guest vocal appearance is Tate's 10-year-old daughter Emily on the gripping duet 'Home Again', which examines the emotional toll of war from two perspectives, with Geoff singing from the soldier's point of view and his daughter singing from the viewpoint of the child left behind.

Making the album, Tate says, was an enlightening process. "I was surprised to learn how little has changed through the generations. I spoke with a Vietnam vet whose experience wasn't all that different from a soldier who fought in Somalia almost 30 years later. But what surprised me the most was how antiwar most soldiers are. To me, that makes their sacrifices even more moving."

Soon after the release of American Soldier, Queensrÿche will launch an extensive spring tour of the U.S., with international dates to follow later in 2009. The shows will be presented in three suites, with the band performing sets from American Soldier, Rage For Order, and Empire. The first date of the tour will be April 16th at Snoqualmie Casino in the band's hometown of Seattle.

Does that mean Stone wasn't part of the recording sessions? I thought he was a full-time member of Queensryche, not just a touring guitarist.

According to postings on AnybodyListening.net's message board, The Breakdown Room, Parker Lundgren, a member of QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate's solo band, has officially joined QUEENSRŸCHE as the group's new touring guitarist.

Lundgren, who is apparently engaged to Tate's daughter Miranda, played several shows with the QUEENSRŸCHE frontman last September and joined Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton for a rare all-acoustic set at KISW's annual Holiday Hangover Ball on December 12, 2008 at Showbox SoDo in Seattle, Washington.

Parker's addition to QUEENSRŸCHE's touring lineup was officially announced by Tate in a podcast that is currently available only to members of the band's fan club. Geoff added that the group is "glad to have him."

The first song to be released from the album, "If I Were King", is now available on mp3 via Amazon.



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0023BD2U4/?tag=imwan-20

Got my hands on this today. It's good. Really good. It's no Mindcrime (and for the record - pun intended - there's no shame in that; every band has a "best" record, and not equaling that record doesn't necessarily mean they can't produce another great record), but it's really good. There are some very poignant moments on this - "Home Again", with Geoff Tate's daughter, is a real mother to get through without choking up. The young Ms. Tate is not a highly trained affected singer (I saw Christina Aguilera singing the national anthem at Pittsburgh Penguin games when she was about six or seven, and you could tell mommy and daddy were grooming her for a career), but that makes it much more effective. She sounds like a kid singing to her dad. And if she never records another note, she's done something more emotionally effective than 90% of the singers out there. Major kudos to QR, Jason Slater and Kelly Gray for resisting the urge to make that a highly polished yet soulless performance.

Beyond that, the first half is heavier than the second, but it sounds like Queensryche, moreso than some of their other efforts. Other tracks that stood out at first and second listen were "Remember Me", "A Dead Man's Words", "Hundred Mile Stare" and "Middle Of Hell". I didn't really hear any track that I couldn't stand to listen to again. Another very effective tool they used is audio from the interviews that Tate did with the soldiers - the words are powerful enough, but to realize they're coming from the guys who were actually there gives them even more weight.

It's a good one.

Alan

Looking forward to it-but guarded. Geoff Tate was on MTV2's Headbanger's Ball Saturday night and had some interesting things to say about the album and tour. His favorite song was "Home Again". They also showed the new video for "If I Were King" which was cool.
I think this might do fairly well as there's more buzz about this album than the disappointing but still decent "Operation: Mindcrime II" which made the Top 20 but quickly faded away.

Supposedly the tour will feature "extended suites" from Rage For Order, American Soldier, and Empire... no additional details on the band's site, though.

Picked this up yesterday at Looney Tunes on LI.