Sequel album will stand alone for Queensryche
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Some Queensryche fans have wanted a sequel all along after the original ended
with a slew of flapping loose ends. But others have expressed reservations about
the idea on various Web sites.
For one, the band lost one of the main components that made the first "Mindcrime"
great -- guitarist Chris DeGarmo, who wrote many of the tracks and played
brilliantly on all of them; he quit the band in 1998.
For another, since DeGarmo left, the band's been in a state of flux. Guitarist
Kelly Gray came into the fold for 1999's "Q2K," but was replaced by Mike Stone
for the 2003 follow-up, "Tribe." Neither album seemed to resonate with
listeners. They also fled their major label, EMI, to sign with the indie
Sanctuary Records.
So with all this in mind, how do you top or even equal something as monumental
as "Mindcrime," especially considering it's still so relevant, almost
prophetically so? Singer Geoff Tate's biting commentaries about quasi-pious
religious figures and power-hungry politicians are even more meaningful now than
they were in '88.
"I think that's why people like this story and like the record and it still
sells today: it appeals to the Everyperson," Tate said in a phone interview from
his home in Seattle during a break from the band's stint opening for Judas
Priest. The two bands perform Wednesday at Hershey's Giant Center.
"They see all around them people that are very rich, people with power, setting
the rules and breaking them and living life on their own terms. That's a very
frustrating thing. 'Mindcrime' is that story; it's the story of a regular guy
who gets taken advantage of by the rich and powerful and [is] used and then
thrown away. I think people can relate to that," he said.
Tate began to revisit "Mindcrime" after being approached by a group of
filmmakers who wanted to make a movie from the original concept. They suggested
he write the screenplay, and doing so, he said, "made me realize there were a
lot of holes in the story."
"I started writing out what the vague areas could be, and that turned into pages
and pages of notes, which ended up turning into lyrics," he said. "And then I
thought, I guess there's room for a sequel story. And then once I started
getting on that idea, it started really fleshing out," he said.
He took his work to his bandmates -- Stone, guitarist Michael Wilton, bassist
Eddie Jackson and drummer Scott Rockenfield -- who expressed their reservations.
But once they were convinced, a real collaboration ensued, with Stone, Jackson
and producer Jason Slater joining in the writing process. Tate still handles all
the lyrics.
"Musically, I think it's going to be light years away from the original," Tate
said, although he said they have included bits of melodies from the first one as
touchpoints. He called the music "very aggressive and at times very violent,
other times very introspective and moody."
" 'Mindcrime' musically was one-dimensional; all the music was very same-y," he
said. "It was exploring frustration. In a nutshell, [this] album's about revenge
and how that emotion or that motivation can really consume you as a person."
So even though it's technically a sequel, Tate says the story of "Mindcrime II"
has "not too much to do with the first one" thematically.
"It takes place 18 years later; it picks up in what's happening in Nikki's life
at that point and takes you from there," he said.
Our dubious hero is still in jail, serving time for several murders.
"He's been in prison for so long without drugs and things to prop him up, and
he's started to get a clearer picture of his reality and becoming aware of what
he's done in his life and feeling in an awful place," he said.
"Although he's guilty of many, many murders, on the other hand, it wasn't like
he meant to do it or wanted to do it -- he couldn't stop himself. So it puts you
in a weird place -- where do you draw the line here, what's the law, does the
law apply to this, is it really fair," he said.
Tate says the album, which will probably be a double disc, will be complete by
September as planned, but probably won't be released until January. He knows the
sequel and the original will be inextricably linked, but thinks they'll be able
to stand on their own.
"Musically [they will be independent]," he said. "Storywise, I think you'll be
able to pick it up and listen to it and understand what's going on without
listening to the first one."