Queensrÿche arguably peaked in 1988, with the release of Operation: Mindcrime—an essential concept album about censorship, government corruption and political revolution. Three years later, the band released a live version of that album (Operation: Livecrime), which was recorded at arena shows in Milwaukee, Madison and La Crosse and cracked the Billboard 200.
In the ensuing years, Queensrÿche refused to rest on its laurels, issuing albums every few years that sounded nothing like Operation: Mindcrime. The band from Bellevue, Wash., with a history dating back to 1980, forged onward with back-to-back Top 10 albums (1990’s Empire and 1994’s Promised Land) before heading in darker, more experimental directions with little obvious interest in revisiting mainstream success. At some point in the late Nineties or early 2000s, longtime fans could be forgiven for believing that Queensrÿche had lost its way.
In 2012, a series of inter-band spats led to the firing of original lead singer Geoff Tate and battles over the Queensrÿche name. Tate’s replacement was Todd La Torre, formerly of Florida-based progressive-metal band Crimson Glory. With him at the vocal helm, Queensrÿche has released three albums that stylistically recall the group’s heavier heyday.
La Torre is a dead ringer for Tate, covering multiple octaves, and he appears to have reinvigorated original members Michael Wilton (guitar) and Eddie Jackson (bass). The Verdict, Queensrÿche’s 15th studio album, was released in 2019 is the best of the La Torre era.
“I think that it’s worked to my advantage, as well as the band’s advantage,” the singer told BigMusicGeek.com in June, referring to taking over for Tate. “Most people are like, ‘Hey, here’s a younger guy that can hit all the notes and that’s getting all the inflections. He’s a true fan of metal and this band and respects the legacy.’”
