OT-QUEENSRŸCHE Part Ways With Guitarist Mike Stone

by **Invisible Cajun** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:51 pm

Posted on Tuesday, February 03, 2009 at 19:09:39 EST

QUEENSRŸCHE has issued the following update:

"Mike Stone has decided he will not be touring with Queensrÿche this spring. We will miss him. He is a wonderful player and has contributed to our lives musically and spiritually. We wish him the best and hope to see him succeed in everything he chooses to participate in."

He adds this statement: "After much consideration, I will not be joining Queensrÿche on the 2009 American Soldier Tour. I feel now is the time to focus on other musical endeavors, including my new band SPEED X with Nick Catanese of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. I would like to thank all of the Queensrÿche fans around the world for being nothing less than amazing to me during my time with the band. You have treated me like gold, and I will never forget it. It has been an honor to be a part of the Queensrÿche family, and I wish Geoff, Michael, Scott and Eddie nothing but the very best."

Queensrÿche envisions war through the eyes of a soldier with the band's twelfth studio release, the epic concept album American Soldier. The ambitious album encompasses a dozen songs inspired by numerous interviews with veterans conducted by Geoff Tate, the group's singer and chief songwriter, who was intent on telling their story using their words. After speaking with soldiers who served in various conflicts-from World War II to Iraq-Tate turned their firsthand experiences from the frontlines into an unflinching musical examination of the life of a solider and the consequences of war. American Soldier will be available from Atco/Rhino on March 31st.

Tate, Michael Wilton (guitar), Ed Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums) recorded the album in 2008 over the course of nine months. The idea for American Soldier, Tate says, came from hearing stories from fans that are veterans, as well as his own father, who served in both Korea and Vietnam. "My father was a career military man, but until very recently he never spoke about what he went through. I think that reticence is true of a lot of veterans, which means most people never truly understand what it means to be a soldier at war. Hearing what he and some of our fans have endured made me want to share their stories with the world. This is an album about the soldiers, for the soldiers, as told by the soldiers themselves."

Those stories resonate at the heart of AMERICAN SOLDIER, imbuing each song with vivid details about both the emotional and physical impacts of war, evoking war zone battles ('Middle Of Hell'), sacrifice ('The Killer'), loss ('If I Were King'), the longing for home ('Remember Me'), and adjusting to society after returning from war ('Man Down!').

Tate recorded many of his interviews with the soldiers, and some dialogue from these discussions is mixed into several of tracks, allowing the soldiers' own words to help tell their compelling stories. The band also brought a few of the soldiers into the studio with them to record vocals. The verses of the track 'Unafraid' feature the voices of Chris Devine, a Vietnam veteran, and Sean Lenahan, a veteran of Somalia, recalling their war experiences while Tate provides the anthemic chorus. Also making a guest vocal appearance is Tate's 10-year-old daughter Emily on the gripping duet 'Home Again', which examines the emotional toll of war from two perspectives, with Geoff singing from the soldier's point of view and his daughter singing from the viewpoint of the child left behind.

Making the album, Tate says, was an enlightening process. "I was surprised to learn how little has changed through the generations. I spoke with a Vietnam vet whose experience wasn't all that different from a soldier who fought in Somalia almost 30 years later. But what surprised me the most was how antiwar most soldiers are. To me, that makes their sacrifices even more moving."

Soon after the release of American Soldier, Queensrÿche will launch an extensive spring tour of the U.S., with international dates to follow later in 2009. The shows will be presented in three suites, with the band performing sets from American Soldier, Rage For Order, and Empire. The first date of the tour will be April 16th at Snoqualmie Casino in the band's hometown of Seattle.

by **Rockindeano** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 2:13 pm

And......just who exactly gives two shits?

Queensryche is about as relevant as Donnie and Marie.

by **Ehwmatt** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 2:15 pm

Sadly these fuckers haven't been relevant for a long time. Shame, Empire and OM 1 are two of the best albums in prog history. They suck now, and we can thank Geoff Tate's overblown ego for that.

by **Carla777** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 2:21 pm

Queensryche rocks!...hope they come back to their fantastic sound they have..thanks for the info invisible cajun!

by **larryfromnextdoor** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 2:23 pm

Ehwmatt wrote: Shame, Empire and OM 1 are two of the best albums in prog history. They suck now, and we can thank Geoff Tate's overblown ego for that.

are you sure it wasnt because Chris DeGarmo just lost interest and quit.... i love empire and OM 1...

by **larryfromnextdoor** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 2:25 pm

Carla777 wrote:Queensryche rocks!...hope they come back to their fantastic sound they have..thanks for the info invisible cajun!

they dont sound anything like Morbid Angel !!

by **Carla777** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 2:34 pm

larryfromnextdoor wrote:
Carla777 wrote:Queensryche rocks!...hope they come back to their fantastic sound they have..thanks for the info invisible cajun!

they dont sound anything like Morbid Angel !!

hahahaha not at all, i think there is anybody listen here :shock:

(watching at least) :wink:

,anyway their first albums are killers, more metal sound indeed. Saludos

by **Ehwmatt** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 2:36 pm

larryfromnextdoor wrote:
Ehwmatt wrote: Shame, Empire and OM 1 are two of the best albums in prog history. They suck now, and we can thank Geoff Tate's overblown ego for that.

are you sure it wasnt because Chris DeGarmo just lost interest and quit.... i love empire and OM 1...

DeGarmo's a commerical jet pilot now, of all things. Tate's still a cocksucker, that's well-documented. Hear In The Now Frontier is one of the biggest piles of dog shit I've ever heard. My car wouldn't start for three days after I unknowingly tried to play that thing in my car. After that, it was game over. I haven't heard OM 2, but I've heard a very mixed bag about it. If I ever see it for like 3 bucks I'll pick it up.

by **Rip Rokken** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 3:20 pm

Rockindeano wrote:And......just who exactly gives two shits?

Queensryche is about as relevant as Donnie and Marie.

This is awesome, and will make a great compliment to the soldier-point-of-view inspired WINGER IV!!!

(album photo compliments of kipwingerrocks.com)

by **Jeremey** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 3:21 pm

Mike Stone, God Rest his Soul, was one of the greatest producers Journey ever worked with.

Queensryche used to be a good band in the 90's though I haven't heard anything they've done that has interested me since Mindcrime.

Tate is a great singer, no doubt. But among singers, I've always felt he was a bit overrated. Much respect to him, but Queensryche isn't an act I can listen to 15 times an hour on Hair Nation in the van.

by **mikemarrs** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:43 pm

the last good album they did was 'empire' back in 1990.

by **Rockindeano** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:53 pm

OP, I was joking an that turned out to be fucked so I apologize.

To think Geoff Tate was actually considered for and tried out for Journey.

That is a shocker.

by **Rip Rokken** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:57 pm

mikemarrs wrote:the last good album they did was 'empire' back in 1990.

They were brilliant back then. Operation Mindcrime was incredible, and Empire was outstanding (just a lot more commercial). Promised Land took a bit of a downturn, though it still had some excellent tunes on it. A lot of the songs relied too much on effects without much behind them. After that, they really declined, though I did like several tracks off of Q2K. I also like Tribe pretty well. Operation Mindcrime II was a tremendous disappointment to me, and I'm hoping American Soldier will step it back up several notches. I still think they have what it takes to pull it off, if they'll focus on what fans want out of an album.

by **WalrusOct9** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:14 pm

Promised Land and HITNF were great. 'Frontier' took a lot of shit but I think there's some great songs on it if you can get past the fact that QR was trying to evolve with the times a bit and didn't want to keep making Mindcrime and Empire clones.

As for Stone...I was wondering what the deal was, since he isn't listed as playing on their new album. He's been with them for well over 5 years, you think they would've let him contribute. Lame. It wasn't the same without DeGarmo, but I really enjoyed Tribe and the live show I saw in 2004.

And yeah, Tate is kind of a dick.

by **Alex Landenburg** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 9:54 pm

I would love to see Frank Aresti from Fates Warning with them....
guy can play, sing and! write....

by **Ratgirl** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:05 pm

One of my favorite bands.. by far!

I didnt care much for OMII or Take Cover but I'm always open to hearing anything new they bring to the table.

Bring back DeGarmo!

Rip... fly in!

by **conversationpc** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:12 am

Ehwmatt wrote:Sadly these fuckers haven't been relevant for a long time. Shame, Empire and OM 1 are two of the best albums in prog history. They suck now, and we can thank Geoff Tate's overblown ego for that.

I don't get how Tate's ego makes those albums any less than what they are, which is awesome.

by **RobbieG** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:17 am

conversationpc wrote:
Ehwmatt wrote:Sadly these fuckers haven't been relevant for a long time. Shame, Empire and OM 1 are two of the best albums in prog history. They suck now, and we can thank Geoff Tate's overblown ego for that.

I don't get how Tate's ego makes those albums any less than what they are, which is awesome.

Dave you are right, Tate does not have an ego. He fronts one the best bands in rock.

by **Ehwmatt** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 1:23 am

conversationpc wrote:
Ehwmatt wrote:Sadly these fuckers haven't been relevant for a long time. Shame, Empire and OM 1 are two of the best albums in prog history. They suck now, and we can thank Geoff Tate's overblown ego for that.

I don't get how Tate's ego makes those albums any less than what they are, which is awesome.

It doesn't. They had a lot more good music left in them though, I think.

by **Ratgirl** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 1:39 am

Ehwmatt wrote:
conversationpc wrote:
Ehwmatt wrote:Sadly these fuckers haven't been relevant for a long time. Shame, Empire and OM 1 are two of the best albums in prog history. They suck now, and we can thank Geoff Tate's overblown ego for that.

I don't get how Tate's ego makes those albums any less than what they are, which is awesome.

It doesn't. They had a lot more good music left in them though, I think.

I see them live almost every year.. ego are not they are still awesome in concert.

I have also met Tate and the other band members and all are pretty friendly if you ask me.

by **Carla777** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 1:57 am

Ratgirl wrote:
Ehwmatt wrote:
conversationpc wrote:
Ehwmatt wrote:Sadly these fuckers haven't been relevant for a long time. Shame, Empire and OM 1 are two of the best albums in prog history. They suck now, and we can thank Geoff Tate's overblown ego for that.

I don't get how Tate's ego makes those albums any less than what they are, which is awesome.

It doesn't. They had a lot more good music left in them though, I think.

I see them live almost every year.. ego are not they are still awesome in concert.

Si Ratgirl, past year they show their musician quality here..and yeah still is a great band in live shows!

by **Carla777** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 2:02 am

Alex Landenburg wrote:I would love to see Frank Aresti from Fates Warning with them....
guy can play, sing and! write....

That will be just perfect!..Fates Warning is a very underrated band (could be in that post in MR about bands that should have been huge) :wink:

Saludos

by **wastingbeerz** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 3:49 am

I guess I'm the oddball here, but I have to say I've liked pretty much everything this band has put out, save for some of the stuff off of Q2K and Tribe... but those were still OK albums... and there were a few really good songs on each. My favorite 'ryche album is Promised Land, oddly enough. Can't say I'm surprised about Mike Stone leaving... especially with Wilton saying he'd recorded ALL of the guitars for American Soldier.

by **wastingbeerz** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 3:51 am

Carla777 wrote:
Alex Landenburg wrote:I would love to see Frank Aresti from Fates Warning with them....
guy can play, sing and! write....

That will be just perfect!..Fates Warning is a very underrated band (could be in that post in MR about bands that should have been huge)

Saludos

Fates Warning are CRIMINALLY underrated. Speaking of which, their last album was back in when... 2004? I'd say its time for some new Fates material!!!

by **S2M** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:51 am

The only image I have imprinted on my mind of Geoff Tate is the "We're Stars" video....with his brunette Flock of Seagulls doo, and his operatic yodeling....

by **conversationpc** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:59 am

StocktontoMalone wrote:The only image I have imprinted on my mind of Geoff Tate is the "We're Stars" video....with his brunette Flock of Seagulls doo, and his operatic yodeling....

His hair was terrible back then.

by **conversationpc** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:59 am

wastingbeerz wrote:
Carla777 wrote:
Alex Landenburg wrote:I would love to see Frank Aresti from Fates Warning with them....
guy can play, sing and! write....

That will be just perfect!..Fates Warning is a very underrated band (could be in that post in MR about bands that should have been huge)

Saludos

Fates Warning are CRIMINALLY underrated. Speaking of which, their last album was back in when... 2004? I'd say its time for some new Fates material!!!

Ray Alder is one of the greats.

by **weatherman90** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 7:14 am

I will be at my very first Queensryche show on May 3. Will they be replacing him? I'm assuming they will have to...

The show will be fun I'm sure, although it would be much better if they were co-headlining with Dokken... :wink:

by **Ratgirl** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:19 am

weatherman90 wrote:I will be at my very first Queensryche show on May 3. Will they be replacing him? I'm assuming they will have to...

The show will be fun I'm sure, although it would be much better if they were co-headlining with Dokken...

Let me know what you think.. we'll be seeing them May 19th.

Dokken was cool to see last year. That guy is hilarious.. of course he was pretty drunk when we met him. :lol:

by **jrnyman28** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:29 am

Invisible Cajun wrote:Posted on Tuesday, February 03, 2009 at 19:09:39 EST

QUEENSRŸCHE has issued the following update:

"Mike Stone has decided he will not be touring with Queensrÿche this spring. We will miss him. He is a wonderful player and has contributed to our lives musically and spiritually. We wish him the best and hope to see him succeed in everything he chooses to participate in."

Que the DeGarmo reunion talk...

MR

OT-QUEENSRŸCHE Part Ways With Guitarist Mike Stone

OT-QUEENSRŸCHE Part Ways With Guitarist Mike Stone

Re: OT-QUEENSRŸCHE Part Ways With Guitarist Mike Stone

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