Queensrÿche vocalist Todd La Torre has shared the clip below featuring himself laying down drum tracks for the new Twiztid album. He can be heard on the track “Plastic” from the Detroit duo’s new album, Welcome To Your Funeral, which was released on February 14th.
La Torre, who started his music career as a drummer, recorded all the drums for Queensrÿche’s 2019 album, The Verdict, when original drummer Scott Rockenfield took time away from the band to spend time with his family.
Queensrÿche founding guitarist, Michael “Whip” Wilton, is featured in a new interview with Metal-Rules.com, in which he discusses the band’s current “Origins” tour and upcoming studio album, the lineup changes, and his debut solo album, Volume 1. Excerpts from the chat follow…
The Origins Tour:
Metal-Rules.com: Let’s begin by discussing the ongoing Origins tour. This approach seems quite unusual for Queensrÿche, as it involves revisiting the past in a way the band hasn’t done in a long time – performing entire albums from start to finish. What inspired this decision, and how did the final concept for the tour come to life?
Michael Wilton: “Well, we were setting up the upcoming spring tour at the beginning of last year. Then our manager, Steve Davis, got a call from a promoter in Texas who was putting on a festival called the Hell’s Heroes Festival, and he wanted Queensrÿche to headline. And he also said in the message, ‘Hey, you think the guys would be into doing The Warning in its entirety?’ And so, Steve got back to me, and we talked with the band. Then the idea came up: ‘Well, why don’t we do a full tour of this? We’ll add the EP and some extra songs to make the 90- 95 minutes, whatever the thing is.’ And so our booking agent started putting things together. Some skeptics thought, ‘Oh, this kind of stuff doesn’t sell.’ But we did a spring tour, and then we did a fall tour, all very successful. And now, ‘Hey, you guys are on a roll with this. How about going to Europe?’ So now we’re going… Now we’re here. And so far, the shows look like they’re doing really well. Queensrÿche hasn’t been here since, I believe, 2019, and again, the promoter here said, ‘No, this won’t sell. They have to do more songs. They have to do something else.’
“It’s like, ‘Steve, this is on fire. Let’s just give it a shot.’ And here we are. And I think it’s been very successful in all the phases of Queensrÿche fans. The old school fans that remember this album, the current fans. And then we have so many new young fans that are checking it out, checking out the performances, hearing, you know, ‘Hey, these guys are on fire. They’re tight. This is something we should check out.’ And the success of this is that now we’re getting fans saying, ‘Hey, are you going to do a Rage for Order and another album, or are you going to do something, you know, again?’ And it’s like, well, we have it in our back pocket, but we have other things that we want to do. We have other possible things happening this year, so.”
New Studio Album:
Metal-Rules.com: Looking back at the previous album, Digital Noise Alliance, or DNA – as we call it – it had a somewhat old-school, New Wave Of Heavy Metal vibe. Some parts even reminded me of early Iron Maiden, which, in my opinion, is a great thing. So, maybe the train is heading even further back?
Wilton: “Well, we’re following the same process. With DNA, the recording and writing sessions were meant to feel fresh – nothing was emailed back and forth. Everything was built during the writing process. In that sense, it was about going back to the days when we’d be in a room writing the EP in the morning.
“Back then, we didn’t have technology like we do now. No cell phones, no computers – maybe, if you were lucky, you had a four-track recorder. The way we worked was simple: ‘Hey, Chris, you got a riff?’ And I’d say, ‘Okay, I like that. Let me add something to it.’ It was a real band effort because everyone was in the room, giving input.
“That’s exactly what we did with DNA. Everyone was involved – ‘Oh, I like that,’ ‘Oh, I don’t like that’ – and the songs evolved a little more each day – some songs we dissected and reworked completely. Take “Tormentum,” for example – that’s like four songs merged into one!” [laughter]
From 2014 To 2025:
Metal-Rules.com: Let’s revisit our previous conversation in 2014 at Sweden Rock. At that time, Scott was still playing drums with you, and the band had numerous festivals lined up, including Wacken. The second album was in progress, and you had many things planned for 2015. Looking back, how do you perceive the band’s evolution since then? I remember you were a bit stressed about how things would turn out. It’s been nearly 11 years—has everything gone as expected? How do you view the band’s journey from that moment to where it is now today?
Wilton: “Well, you know, people change. As they get older, they want to do different things, and that throws a wrench into the machine. So, I have to figure out the best version of Queensrÿche we can have. Eddie (Jackson) and I decided that we would keep doing this until we were in our 80s. So, we brought in some new guys. Casey Grillo’s been with us for seven or eight years? Since he came aboard… I mean, Parker (Lundgren) decided to concentrate on selling guitars, so Mike Stone came in. The chemistry keeps changing, and the recipe keeps changing. But now, this version of Queensrÿche is really strong, and we’re going to make a record and keep kicking ass.” [laughter]
Volume 1, Solo Album:
Metal-Rules.com: I’ve learned that you’ve been working on Volume 1 for years. So, how did the project finally come to fruition?
Wilton: “Yeah, I’m a creative guy. I write a little bit every day. Usually, it’s while having some espresso and slowly waking up, and I’ll hear something in my head. Sometimes, I’ll grab a guitar, have a sip of espresso, and something will happen. I immediately ran to the studio to archive it, and I’ve been doing that for years. I’ve got stuff on microcassette, ADAT, and four-track. I’ve just been picking and choosing, creating things. Not everything I come up with sounds like Queensrÿche. It’s just a reflection of my personality at that time. It gets set aside if it doesn’t fit on a Queensrÿche album. But now, I’m in my 60s, and I don’t care – I’m going to work on these and release them. So far, I’ve already finished the second one. [laughter] But I don’t know when I’m going to get it recorded. [laughter] But I’ve already picked all the songs for the next one. I listen to them to see how they flow and everything. Yeah, that’s all done.”
Metal-Rules.com: How do you think your solo album’s songs differ from the Queensrÿche material?
Wilton: “Well, it’s just more hard rock to me. It’s not operatic singing or anything like that – it’s more just hard rock with a guitar solo in every song.” [laughter]
Read more at Metal-Rules.com.
The post QUEENSRŸCHE Frontman TODD LA TORRE Records Drums For TWIZTID Single “Plastic” (Video) appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
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La Torre, who started his music career as a drummer, recorded all the drums for Queensrÿche’s 2019 album, The Verdict, when original drummer Scott Rockenfield took time away from the band to spend time with his family.
Queensrÿche founding guitarist, Michael “Whip” Wilton, is featured in a new interview with Metal-Rules.com, in which he discusses the band’s current “Origins” tour and upcoming studio album, the lineup changes, and his debut solo album, Volume 1. Excerpts from the chat follow…
The Origins Tour:
Metal-Rules.com: Let’s begin by discussing the ongoing Origins tour. This approach seems quite unusual for Queensrÿche, as it involves revisiting the past in a way the band hasn’t done in a long time – performing entire albums from start to finish. What inspired this decision, and how did the final concept for the tour come to life?
Michael Wilton: “Well, we were setting up the upcoming spring tour at the beginning of last year. Then our manager, Steve Davis, got a call from a promoter in Texas who was putting on a festival called the Hell’s Heroes Festival, and he wanted Queensrÿche to headline. And he also said in the message, ‘Hey, you think the guys would be into doing The Warning in its entirety?’ And so, Steve got back to me, and we talked with the band. Then the idea came up: ‘Well, why don’t we do a full tour of this? We’ll add the EP and some extra songs to make the 90- 95 minutes, whatever the thing is.’ And so our booking agent started putting things together. Some skeptics thought, ‘Oh, this kind of stuff doesn’t sell.’ But we did a spring tour, and then we did a fall tour, all very successful. And now, ‘Hey, you guys are on a roll with this. How about going to Europe?’ So now we’re going… Now we’re here. And so far, the shows look like they’re doing really well. Queensrÿche hasn’t been here since, I believe, 2019, and again, the promoter here said, ‘No, this won’t sell. They have to do more songs. They have to do something else.’
“It’s like, ‘Steve, this is on fire. Let’s just give it a shot.’ And here we are. And I think it’s been very successful in all the phases of Queensrÿche fans. The old school fans that remember this album, the current fans. And then we have so many new young fans that are checking it out, checking out the performances, hearing, you know, ‘Hey, these guys are on fire. They’re tight. This is something we should check out.’ And the success of this is that now we’re getting fans saying, ‘Hey, are you going to do a Rage for Order and another album, or are you going to do something, you know, again?’ And it’s like, well, we have it in our back pocket, but we have other things that we want to do. We have other possible things happening this year, so.”
New Studio Album:
Metal-Rules.com: Looking back at the previous album, Digital Noise Alliance, or DNA – as we call it – it had a somewhat old-school, New Wave Of Heavy Metal vibe. Some parts even reminded me of early Iron Maiden, which, in my opinion, is a great thing. So, maybe the train is heading even further back?
Wilton: “Well, we’re following the same process. With DNA, the recording and writing sessions were meant to feel fresh – nothing was emailed back and forth. Everything was built during the writing process. In that sense, it was about going back to the days when we’d be in a room writing the EP in the morning.
“Back then, we didn’t have technology like we do now. No cell phones, no computers – maybe, if you were lucky, you had a four-track recorder. The way we worked was simple: ‘Hey, Chris, you got a riff?’ And I’d say, ‘Okay, I like that. Let me add something to it.’ It was a real band effort because everyone was in the room, giving input.
“That’s exactly what we did with DNA. Everyone was involved – ‘Oh, I like that,’ ‘Oh, I don’t like that’ – and the songs evolved a little more each day – some songs we dissected and reworked completely. Take “Tormentum,” for example – that’s like four songs merged into one!” [laughter]
From 2014 To 2025:
Metal-Rules.com: Let’s revisit our previous conversation in 2014 at Sweden Rock. At that time, Scott was still playing drums with you, and the band had numerous festivals lined up, including Wacken. The second album was in progress, and you had many things planned for 2015. Looking back, how do you perceive the band’s evolution since then? I remember you were a bit stressed about how things would turn out. It’s been nearly 11 years—has everything gone as expected? How do you view the band’s journey from that moment to where it is now today?
Wilton: “Well, you know, people change. As they get older, they want to do different things, and that throws a wrench into the machine. So, I have to figure out the best version of Queensrÿche we can have. Eddie (Jackson) and I decided that we would keep doing this until we were in our 80s. So, we brought in some new guys. Casey Grillo’s been with us for seven or eight years? Since he came aboard… I mean, Parker (Lundgren) decided to concentrate on selling guitars, so Mike Stone came in. The chemistry keeps changing, and the recipe keeps changing. But now, this version of Queensrÿche is really strong, and we’re going to make a record and keep kicking ass.” [laughter]
Volume 1, Solo Album:
Metal-Rules.com: I’ve learned that you’ve been working on Volume 1 for years. So, how did the project finally come to fruition?
Wilton: “Yeah, I’m a creative guy. I write a little bit every day. Usually, it’s while having some espresso and slowly waking up, and I’ll hear something in my head. Sometimes, I’ll grab a guitar, have a sip of espresso, and something will happen. I immediately ran to the studio to archive it, and I’ve been doing that for years. I’ve got stuff on microcassette, ADAT, and four-track. I’ve just been picking and choosing, creating things. Not everything I come up with sounds like Queensrÿche. It’s just a reflection of my personality at that time. It gets set aside if it doesn’t fit on a Queensrÿche album. But now, I’m in my 60s, and I don’t care – I’m going to work on these and release them. So far, I’ve already finished the second one. [laughter] But I don’t know when I’m going to get it recorded. [laughter] But I’ve already picked all the songs for the next one. I listen to them to see how they flow and everything. Yeah, that’s all done.”
Metal-Rules.com: How do you think your solo album’s songs differ from the Queensrÿche material?
Wilton: “Well, it’s just more hard rock to me. It’s not operatic singing or anything like that – it’s more just hard rock with a guitar solo in every song.” [laughter]
Read more at Metal-Rules.com.
The post QUEENSRŸCHE Frontman TODD LA TORRE Records Drums For TWIZTID Single “Plastic” (Video) appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
Continue reading...
