Incredibly talented progressive rock band that is often incorrectly defined as an "80s metal" band. Although they formed in the 80s, Queensryche has continually released studio albums every few years since their inception in 1983, most recently the album "Tribe", which was released in July, 2003. They are currently working on Operation Mindcrime II, a sequel to what is arguably their most
popular album and also one of the first concept albums to enjoy commercial success, "Operation Mindcrime." Queensryche has remained fresh and retained their enormous, rabidly loyal fan base by continually re-inventing themselves, while, unlike many rock bands with their origins in the 80s, "selling out" to current trends, such as nu-metal. They were recently voted the "Number 8 Greatest American Rock Band" in a USA Today poll.
The band is composed of all the original members (Eddie
Jackson,
Michael Wilton, Geoff
Tate, and
Scott Rockenfield), with the exception of lead guitarist Chris DeGarmo, who left the band in 1997 amid a great
deal of controversy, due to a difference in artistic vision between himself and the singer, Geoff
Tate. The current guitarist replacing Chris is Mike
Stone.
"Queensryche's most underrated album is most certainly "Promised Land". A
dark, introspective album fusing a myriad of musical styles, this album was truly a work of genius, both lyrically and musically."
"Queensryche should not be referred to as an 80s metal band, as they have continually been producing music since that
time, and their current musical style is far from the screaming-
banshee stylings of the 80s."
