Will The Real Queensrÿche Please Stand Up

Band breakups can be filled with as much drama as any case in divorce court. I was once in a band that grew so tired of our guitarist’s antics that we fired him right on stage. However, the split last year between Queensrÿche vocalist Geoff Tate and his bandmates were of a scale not seen since the Van Halen brothers last fired a singer.

The events directly leading up to the breakup included the firing of Tate’s wife and stepdaughter from their management roles, Tate spitting at drummer Scott Rockenfield on stage, security guards being posted on stage to prevent physical altercations and Tate berating the audience, after which he was fired. The terms of the separation are now in court with the judge ruling that both parties can use the name until a hearing later in the year.

With custody of the name at stake both camps hit the road and made plans to release albums. Tate was up first with his Frequency Unknown, with cover art that seemed to taunt his ex-bandmates with a “F.U.” The other version of the band responded late last month with a release they simply titled “Queensrÿche.”

I knew from seeing the band before their split that the musicians still had their chops and these are on full display on this album. If Tate was writing most of the older material as he has claimed, his former bandmates are good studies. This album is definitely modern sounding while retaining a distinctly Queensrÿche feel.

Vocal duties on the album are handled by Todd La Torre, who could easily be mistaken for his predecessor in his prime. He has filled some very big shoes in a very big way. In fact, this version of the band’s responding F. U. to their former singer seems to be the inclusion of a live version of “Queen of the Reich” from the original eponymous EP as a bonus track. Their new singer handles the vocal gymnastics of this song with ease. The last time I saw the full band live Tate did not even attempt the most difficult parts.