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Artist News: Queensryche - New Singer, New Shows...

Posted on Wednesday, August 15 @ 23:00:00 UTC by nightowl

So.... while we were on hiatus, seems that quite a bit was brewing over in the Queensrÿche camp. Far too much to post here in depth, of course. And given the time lag between when it happened and now (a warm evening in mid-August), you probably know all the details anyway.

But, in short... Geoff Tate, the long time voice (at least) of Queensrÿche, is out and Todd La Torre (Crimson Glory) is in. And that has lead to what appears to be suits and countersuits over just who is and should be Queensrÿche.

But that hasn't stopped - at least so far - the remaining members of the band to schedule some more live dates... and so what follows is a posting from Blabbermouth.net that covers this and more...

The new Queensrÿche lineup has been confirmed for the Monsters Of Rock Cruise, which will embark on its second voyage from March 16 to March 20, 2013.

Departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this cruise will visit the private island of CocoCay, plus Nassau, Bahamas with a rockin' bonus day at sea, sailing the emerald waters in this unprecedented floating heavy metal festival.

For one all-inclusive price, fans will enjoy a myriad of special heavy metal concerts, events and activities, designed to please the most discerning rock 'n' roll metalhead. While the music is the centerpiece, this is more than a concert cruise event. It is fantasy camp designed for interaction between artists and fans. The fun will begin the moment fans begin to board the beautiful MSC Poesia, meeting new friends poolside during the kickoff Sailaway Concert.

For more information, visit MonstersOfRockCruise.com.

The new Queensrÿche lineup made its official live debut as the headliner of the last day of this year's Halfway Jam, which took place July 26-28 in Royalton, Minnesota.

Queensrÿche members Michael Wilton (guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass), Scott Rockenfield (drums) and Parker Lundgren (guitar) announced on June 20 that they were parting ways with singer Geoff Tate and recruiting powerhouse vocalist Todd La Torre of Crimson Glory as his replacement. The new Queensrÿche lineup previously played two shows in their home city of Seattle under the name Rising West.

Wilton, Jackson and Rockenfield defeated Tate's motion for a preliminary injunction on July 13 that would have kept them from touring and operating under the band name. Tate and his wife, Susan, Queensrÿche's former manager, filed a lawsuit against Geoff's ex-bandmates on June 22 in King County Superior Court over whether he should be awarded the Queensrÿche name after being dismissed from the group in June. Their complaint states Rockenfield, Wilton and Jackson wrongfully fired the singer and are tarnishing the group's brand by attempting to move forward without him.

If the case goes to trial, the date is set for November 18, 2013.

In the meantime, Wilton, Jackson and Rockenfield, along with Lundgren and La Torre have launched a new web site at www.queensrycheofficial.com [the previous - original - website, www.queensryche.com is currently down for maintenance. We'll wait and see before we update all our links... -ed.].

In response to a number of questions regarding his vocal performance at the concert, La Torre posted the following message on his Facebook page:

"I've been asked about backing vocal tracks and that many believe they are hearing [original Queenrÿ; singer Geoff] Tate's voice on them. Let me clearly state that there are NO backing vocals with his voice in ANY songs with my performance. Any tracks that have accompanied backing vocals have all been re-recorded with my voice and Eddie's [Jackson, bass]. We don't use any tracks to fake a lead vocal with me, but to simple give a fuller nicer sound to a chorus as backing vocals, NOT to replace my lead vocal role. Yes, they are very similar and would naturally be heard as Geoff's, but they are not. All recordings are time-stamped and recorded in the computer and Pro Tools and my point is indisputable."

He added, "[I] just needed to clarify that, and I also sing the full chorus live to 'Empire' since some have asked me about that."

Queensrÿche's setlist for the Halfway Jam was as follows:

01. Queen Of The Reich
02. Speak
03. Neue Regel
04. Walk In The Shadows
05. En Force
06. I Don't Believe In Love
07. Child Of Fire
08. The Whisper
09. Warning
10. Spreading The Disease
11. The Needle Lies
12. Prophecy
13. Take Hold Of The Flame
14. My Empty Room
15. Eyes Of A Stranger
16. Empire
--------------
17. Wrathchild (Iron Maiden cover)
18. Jet City Woman
19. Roads To Madness

An audio-only recording of the "Roads To Madness" performance is available here.

Lundgren was briefly married to Geoff's stepdaughter Miranda; they have since divorced.

[Source: Blabbermouth.net; photo credit: Mike Savoia Photography]

Posted in Band News (tours, comings/goings, etc)