During an interview with Classic Rock, guitarist Robert Sarzo confirmed he is not a part of former Queensrÿche frontman Geoff Tate's new band, Operation: Mindcrime.

Sarzo: "Nobody quit, nobody got fired. I was a member of that version of Queensrÿche and it ended. It was fun hanging out with Geoff, Kelly, Randy and my brother Rudy on tour. We were out for a long time. It was powerful, it was fun. Great guys to hang out with, on and off stage. It was a great experience. It was really, really positive."

Operation: Mindcrime - featuring singer Geoff Tate, bassist Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake), drummer Simon Wright (AC/DC, Dio), guitarist Kelly Gray (Queensrÿche) and keyboardist Randy Gane (Myth) - has signed a worldwide record deal with Frontiers Music Srl for their forthcoming trilogy project.

"All of us in Operation: Mindcrime are looking forward to the new frontier with our new label, Frontiers Music Srl," states Tate regarding the signing. "They're giving us the creative freedom necessary to do the trilogy project I've envisioned for the past few years. It's going to be great fun for all of us involved and we hope our fans will enjoy listening to it as much as we plan to enjoy creating and recording it."

Ecstatic to have the band on his label, Frontiers Music Srl President Serafino Perugino comments, "As a long time fan of Geoff Tate and Operation: Mindcrime (the album), I am truly honored that he decided to sign with my label to give a home to his forthcoming trilogy. We look forward to release Operation: Mindcrime's new music to the world!"

Tate, who has always enjoyed telling stories though his music, considers the creation of the forthcoming trilogy one of his biggest and most ambitious works to date.

"I tried to reduce the story and eventually got it down to 37 ideas that needed representing to complete the story," comments Geoff. "I knew that one record wouldn't cover it and that it would have to be a trilogy."

Operation: Mindcrime, named after Queensrÿche's epic concept album from 1988, recently entered the studio to begin recording the album that is expected to be released in the late Spring / early Summer of 2015.

Stay tuned for further details of the project in the months ahead.