On July 8th, 2009 legendary Crimson Glory vocalist Midnight (John Patrick Jr. McDonald) died of stomach aneurysm at the age of 47. Queensrÿche vocalist Todd La Torre, who rose to fame when he replaced Midnight in 2010 and toured with the band before leaving in 2013, has issued the following tribute:

"A cover performed by the late Midnight, original vocalist of Crimson Glory. Surely one of the most unique voices, and clearly the most emotional singer I've ever heard. I never met him, but we were connected through music. I was honored to sing for Crimson Glory, keeping his memory alive with those fans. RIP, 5 years."

“I realize that I have very big shoes to fill,” La Torre said in a 2010 interview of stepping in to replace Midnight. “I know the fans are expecting greatness, and because I was an undiscovered and unknown person, had we not included those tracks (see below) with the announcement that I was on board it would have lead to more and more skepticism. I’m always looking for ways to improve as a vocalist and as a person, and I’m going to give the best performance I possibly can.”
“At the tribute show in Atlanta (ProgPower X), I believe that was a true testament to just how great Midnight’s voice was because there were so many fantastic singers there,” he continues. “Mind you, each one of those songs featured two vocalists so I was only singing half the songs, but even that was hard. I’m not going to bullshit you and say that I’ve got it down pat. It’s very difficult, and because there were 17+ singers trying to sing Midnight’s stuff one can only imagine having to do an hour or a full set, and doing it even decent let alone good is hard. There was pressure, but that was a motivating factor for me, to not let anyone down. It’s nice to feel embraced by the fans and having them welcome me. It feels great.”

Go to this location for the complete story. Click here for BW&BK;'s interview with Crimson Glory guitarist Jon Drenning.