Queensryche return to their roots

Queensryche frontman Todd La Torre says their new material is reminiscent of albums the band recorded in the 80s.

And he says the tracks have the dynamic drive that made the group such a success during the early Geoff Tate era.

He tells Metalholic: “The songs that we have right now are melodic. There are some heavy tunes that are really rocking. Some of the songs remind me of Rage For Order and Operation: Mindcrime.

“We’ll probably slip in something with a more commercial appeal, like In This Light from the record I did before. But, overall, I’m hopeful that, when it’s all said and done, this record will have a really good drive, melodic choruses, great guitar parts and be very dynamic.”

He also states that the new material will please Queensryche fans as it builds on the foundations of their 2013 self-titled release.

He continues: “When you’ve got two years between albums, you don’t want people to say, ‘Wow, that’s the best they could come up with?’ You always want, ‘Hell yeah! This is another great Queensryche record.’ And that’s all that you can really hope for.

“But it’s definitely going to have what I consider all of the elements that the true Queensryche fans will enjoy: great drumming, solid foundation, bass driven, great guitar work and harmony. Vocally, there’s some things where I get into the upper register pretty good.”

Earlier this month, La Torre said he’s been heavily influenced by Alice In Chains on as-yet-untitled album.

The band have lined up three UK dates in August:

Aug 05: Bristol Marble Factory

Aug 06: London Electric Ballroom

Aug 07: Brighton Concorde 2

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald newspapers, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.