Greg Schmitt of 88.1FM WESU’s weekly syndicated radio show Noize In The Attic recently caught up with Geoff Tate at the Tailwinds Music Festival in Wappinger Falls, NY. Check out the interview below, which begins at about the 40 minute mark.

Explosive excerpts bellow:

On Queensrÿche:

Greg: There definitely is a chemistry between the original five...

Tate: “Yeah, it was magic.  And we gave it a really good run for as long as we did.  And I have no regrets in that area.  I think we made some amazing music, I think we made some milestone albums.  We definitely left our mark as a chemistry; a group, you know.  And I’m very proud of that…  I don’t know if bands are meant to last forever anyway, ‘ya know?  I mean, we gave it 30 years.  That’s a long time to dedicate yourself to a group of people... so I feel very proud of it.  I guess my only regret is that I wish it hadn’t unraveled the way it did.  It was not a classy way to handle the whole thing, and I don’t think that the name or the music should’ve been diminished like it was, and that’s probably the only thing I would change about the whole thing.”

Greg: If the right promoter came around with the right offer, could you ever see all five for a summer?

Tate: “Well, that has happened already. It’s been offered, and it hasn’t happened.”

Greg: Did the phone ring, and was it actually discussed and knocked around at least?

Tate: “It was on my end, yeah.”  

Greg: So you see the value in it?

Tate: “Oh yeah, absolutely, it would be a wonderful thing to give it one more tour; one more good tour where the band was playing well together and it was a good energy…  (but) you can’t heal anything if nobody is willing to get in the room together, and that’s been the big problem since 2011.”

Greg: Here’s to hoping...

Tate: “Yeah.”

Greg: Scott Rockenfield has left QR and now they’re down to two (original members).  You have any idea what that’s about?  Anything you can share?

Tate: “Well, I can tell you that I’m pretty sure he didn’t leave on his own accord.  I can tell you that there’s lawsuits involved; I know that...  He’s in kind of a really dark place, and I hope he gets some help, 'cause he’s really unraveled, you know?  In my opinion.  It’s too bad - he’s an incredibly talented drummer, and unfortunately, he never was happy with that, ‘ya know?  It wasn’t good enough for him.”  

Greg: Have you spoken to him since?

Tate: “No, he won’t talk to me.”

Having recently wrapped up performances of the entire Operation: Mindcrime album in celebration of it's 30th anniversary, former Queensrÿche singer Geoff Tate is set to do it all over again, but this time in celebration of Queensrÿche's Empire album, released in 1990.

Speaking with MisplacedStraws.com, about the 30th anniversary of Empire, Tate reveals: "I'm planning on touring in 2020 pretty heavily...I want to do as many countries as I can playing the album in it's entirety which I never done before."

Hear the complete interview at MisplacedStraws.com.

Frontiers Music Srl recently announced the release of an exciting new project featuring Geoff Tate on lead vocals, entitled Sweet Oblivion, out on June 14. Listen to the song "Hide Away" below, and pre-order the album here.

Sweet Oblivion sees Tate teaming up with a stellar cast of Italian musicians led by Simone Mularoni, the mastermind of prog metal masters DGM. Musically, this album marks a return to the more melodic metal style for Tate and showcases a fine collection of songs highlighting the great talents of Mularoni and his cast of musicians.

Geoff Tate says, "I was approached by Frontiers to do this record and am pleased I took this chance. It’s an album filled with fun and I believe a lot of the fans who dig the old Queensrÿche sound will enjoy this one!”

Simone Mularoni adds, "I grew up listening to the '70s and '80s rock and metal bands and, of course, Queensrÿche's classic albums are among my favorites ever. Having the opportunity and luck of working together with a musical giant like Geoff Tate has been a real blessing on both the human and the artistic side. I asked a few amazing musicians and friends to help me out and together we delivered a bunch of classic heavy rock songs in which I tried to fuse a more contemporary approach with a classic Queensrÿche vibe… the performances are amazing!”

The opening track and first video “True Colors” sets the pace for the entire release and shows what the listeners can expect from this record. Excellent musicianship and a sound that harkens back to the massive melodies and hooks of classic albums like Empire, Rage For Order, and Operation: Mindcrime.

Sweet Oblivion tracklisting:

"True Colors"
"Sweet Oblivion"
"Behind Your Eyes"
"Hide Away"
"My Last Story"
"A Recess From My Fate"
"Transition"
"Disconnect"
"The Deceiver"
"Seek The Light"

"Hide Away":

"Sweet Oblivion":

"True Colors" video:

Lineup:

Geoff Tate - Vocals
Simone Mularoni - Guitars and Bass
Emanuele Casali - Keyboards
Paolo Caridi - Drums