Band History

Queensrÿche is a band whose musical approach is unique and refreshing in comparison to others in the heavy metal genre. Their extensive career has lasted nearly 20 years and has traversed many high and low roads, yet somehow they continue to survive long after other bands like them have come and gone. The members of the band are content with it's current state and are looking forward to a new future. But what about their past? They have faced many challenges on their road to the Promised Land, but Queensrÿche has endured and grown stronger from it.

Queensrÿche hails from the Pacific Northwest city of Seattle Washington. Formed in 1981 by guitarists Michael Wilton and Chris DeGarmo, the band was known as "The Mob" in the early days. Soon bassist Eddie Jackson and drummer Scott Rockenfield were on board and the DeGarmo began to write the songs that would change their lives forever. All they needed was a vocalist, and that vocalist would turn out to be Geoff Tate, who fronted a local club band called "Myth". Thinking that this move would help both band's career's, Tate did the vocals for the 3 songs Degarmo had written and wrote lyrics for the 4th, a tune called "The Lady Wore Black". The EP was recorded at Triad Studios, which was owned by the band's management Kim and Diana Harris and was released on their own private label, "206 Records". The back of the album cover featured a logo that has remained with the band for the duration of it's career, the Tri-ryche, although it has evolved somewhat from it's original form.
One of the 206 copies of the EP reached a writer named Paul Suter, who graced the band with a very pleasant interview, proclaiming them "the future of heavy metal". Then EMI Records discovered them and signed them to a deal that would last three-quarters of their career. The Queensrÿche EP was re-released on EMI Records and the band did their first pair of live shows in Portland Oregon, and Seattle Washington opening for a band called Zebra. The band even got the opportunity to make a music video for their song, "Queen of the Reich". The band then toured in Europe with Ronnie James Dio, and then in the US with Twisted Sister.

Late 1983 took Queensryche into the studio to write and record their first full length album. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, "The Warning" was really a sign of what was to come from the band. Produced by James Guthrie, who was the genius behind Pink Floyd's "The Wall", "The Warning" is a sonic orchestral masterpiece about a child who has the power to see the future, and the future he sees isn't so pleasant. Notable tracks from "The Warning" are "NM-156", "Roads to Madness" and "Take Hold of the Flame". "The Warning" was released in 1984, and those who had already heard the EP were not disappointed. The band also released "Live in Tokyo" on VHS to support the album. The album's influences are clearly Pink Floyd and Iron Maiden. In 1984 - 1985, Queensryche toured the world, opening for Dio again in Europe, KISS in North America, and seven spectacular shows at the Radio City Music Hall, opening for Iron Maiden on their phonemonally huge "Powerslave" tour.

Not taking a break from their hectic schedule, the band returned to Seattle and began writing for their next album, which would be more experimental in approach and a departure to the Iron Maiden/Judas Priest influence that had originally inspired them. The band would push the envelope on recording techniques, and more instrumentation would be added, including Geoff's use of the keyboard. Scott began by recording all of his drum tracks in a large, abandoned warehouse using Le Mobile Remote Studios. This would give him the big drum sound that he is well known for. The remainder of the material was to be recorded at Mushroom Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia with Neil Kernon producing. At the period of writing, the band had become very engrossed in reading Anne Rice's vampire chronicles and this became a common theme in much of "Rage For Order", including the band's image. "Rage For Order" was released in 1986 and notable tracks on it are, "Walk in the Shadows", "Gonna Get Close to You", and "Screaming in Digital". Queensryche toured the summer of 1986 with AC/DC in the US, and Autumn in Europe with Ozzy Osbourne. During this period, the band and Harris Management chose to part ways, which gave the band a lot of fire and energy for their next work.

During the "Rage For Order" Tour, it is rumored that the band made a stop at an exotic club somewhere in the frozen wasteland of northern Europe. The show that they witnessed became the beginning of what was to be the concept for their next album. Watching the show, Tate and DeGarmo created a backstory for the character who would become a central figure in the story.

In the spring and summer of 1987, the band began recording their third full length album, Operation:Mindcrime. The band had decided to return to a more traditional heavy metal sound and look for the album and stripped away any evidence of the vampiric Rage For Order look. Recording Commenced at Liberty Studios in Pennsylvania and Le Studio in Montreal. And work continued with Peter Collins, who produced Rush's "Moving Pictures", handling all the chores behind the console. After recording, teh tapes were sent to Wisseloord Studio in Holland for the final mixdown. This would become what is known to the fans and to the reviewers as Queensryche's most lyrically intense album. At this point, the band signed with the management agency Q-Prime, who managed Dokken, Metallica, and Def Leppard.
Operation:Mindcrime was released in 1988 and gave the band three singles, "I Don't Believe in Love", "Eyes of a Stranger", and "Revolution Calling". Operation:Mindcrime is a concept album about lovers caught in the middle of a politcal revolution and reflects a lot of political views of that point in American history.
In the summer of 1988, Queensryche toured with Def Leppard on their wildly successful Hysteria tour. They then toured with Metallica on support of their ". . .And Justice for All" album. Queensryche and Metallica made a very good pair touring together that year, because the themes of Mindcrime and Justice were very similar. After the Metallica tour, Queensryche then headed off to Japan in 1989 for some headlining shows. The band also released Video:Mindcrime that year and it became the best selling music video ever up to that point, achieving platinum status. Although the band had played for years now, and released a few albums, nothing could prepare them for what was to come.

Queensryche returned to their home city of Seattle Washington and drew upon the inspiration of their own home to write the next album. While recording in 1990 in Vacouver BC, Queensryche was asked to contribute a song for the Andrew Dice Clay film, "Adventures of Ford Fairlaine, Rock and Roll Detective", the result was "Last Time in Paris", a song about the bands misadventures in the city of love.
Again, Peter Collins was asked to produce the band's music, as the recording continued. On August 12, 1990, the band's fourth full length album, Empire was released. The album went gold in only seven days, it was a new high for the band. However the album's first two singles "Empire", and "Best I Can" didn't do as well as orginally anticipated. But in the spring of 1991, the third single "Silent Lucidity". This single was #1 on many different trade magazine charts for a long time and the video dominated the MTV airwaves for months.
The Building Empires Tour, which had started in November 1990 featured Operation:Mindcrime performed live in it's entireity. The show was augmented with lasers and video, which made the concert well worth it's money. This would be released in a special, limited edition box set called "Operation:LIVEcrime". The band would release 3 other singles from Empire, "Jet City Woman", "Another Rainy Night(Without You)", and "Anybody Listening?" The band would pick up a people's choice award that year for Silent Lucidity, and the song would be nominated for a Grammy award. The band performed at the People's Choice Awards, Day on the Green, and at the MTV video Music awards. And at the end of the Empire Tour in 1992, the band would record an episode of MTV unplugged. Empire did triple platinum business for the band and launched their career into overdrive. After the Empire tour ended, Queensryche performed at the Rock the Environment show at the Gorge, in George Washington. At the end of 1992, wrapping up the Empire Era, the band released Building Empires, a video anthology that covered the band's whole career.