Back in the early nineties, when the Seattle Grunge Sound was tearing through the Metal community, there was one band that was still plowing through and actually gaining traction, as band after band released music that was stalling at the gate. The irony was that this band also hailed from the state of Washington, but sounded nothing like their contemporaries coming from the same area. The band was Queensryche, and as anyone who knows Queensryche, this band has a unique a sound as any.
“The Ryche”, as they are so fondly called by their legion of dedicated fans, plowed through the last twenty years with the most progressive of sounds and story telling that only Queensryche might be able to do. With albums such as “The Warning”, “Empire”, “Promised Land” and the classic “Operation: Mindcrime”, Queensryche held a special place in the hearts of Metal/Prog fans around the world with their impeccable story telling and that “Voice”. Ah, yes….The Voice! Mr. Geoff Tate, with his high voiced shrieks cutting through classic songs like “Silent Lucidity”, “The Lady Wore Black” and “Jet City Woman”.
Queensryche always seemed to be one of those bands that were synonymous with their lead singer. You think, “no way could this band ever survive with out Tate singing those classic songs”. So it was shock to hear that the band and lead singer had gone their separate ways back in 2012. (I won’t go into the messy details about the split) “No way they could make it, it’s a wrap”, or so I thought.
So, how surprised was I when Queensryche came into the not so discreet town of Pompano Beach, Florida to perform on the bands current tour. “The Ryche” has a new lead singer, Todd La Torre (Well, not so new as he has been with the band since 2012/13) but none the less, new to me. Formerly from the band Crimson Glory, Mr. La Torre seems to be the epitome of that saying…”Big Things Come in Small Packages!” I had never heard Mr. La Torre on any of the new Queensryche material. Again, I was one of those fans that was a bit loyal to Mr. Tate and just thought, “Not going to happen.” Boy was I surprised. Let me just begin with HOLY SHIT!!! This guy has pipes. Now, if you were let’s say, at the concession stand, or standing on the line for the restroom, and heard the first couple of songs with out actually watching the band, you would have sworn this was the classic “Queensryche”sound.
Mr. La Torre did not miss a beat. Now, I hope this isn’t a knock on Mr. La Torre, but let’s just say, he is a very nice compliment and continuation to the bands signature sound. Mr. La Torre took the stage with all the energy of a man half his age, belting out hit after hit. Cutting through songs like “Empire” and “Anybody Listening” as if he himself was never “not” in the band. Obviously the man has settled in with “The Ryche”. Now, this might be expected with all of the bands classic songs, but surprisingly so, La Torre had the crowd on its feet with newer fare as well. Songs like “In This Light” from La Torre’s first album with the band, aptly titled “Queensryche” and “Bullet Proof” from the album “Condition Human” respectively. The man’s stage presence might be a bit lacking, but his voice more than makes up for it. When this tour was announced, I thought…well we have Dokken opening, which is kind of half of Dokken really, and we have Queensryche, but no Geoff Tate, how good can they really be? Answer: Really FK’n Good!!! Do yourself a favor, if you are a Queensryche fan, or just a casual metal prog head, and have not seen or heard Mr. Todd La Torre with “The Ryche”, get a ticket to this tour and buy the bands last two albums. Eddie Trunk was actually the MC of the evening, and he actually said it in a nutshell.
Eddie remarked to the crowd right before Queensryche came on with something to the effect of ”If you haven’t seen Queensryche or heard any of the new material with Todd La Torre as the lead singer, you are in for a treat. You will be thoroughly surprised! Eddie, you were absolutely right. This fan was thoroughly surprised!!!
