Steve Williams and PQ to retire at the end of 2023

[Symphony]

Steve Williams, keyboardist and founder of UK Power metal band Power Quest has announced that both he and the band will be retiring from the scene at the end of 2023.

"It'll be 25 years in and around the Power metal scene for me by the end of next year by which time I'll be 52 years old.

The past few years have given plenty of time to think things over and think about the future. The pandemic and Brexit have both been evils that have badly affected the band as has been the case for so many others. I've also had some health issues that have refocused my mind and made me realise that more time has passed than is left and so...


I've decided it's time for me to follow a different path musically from here on out. I also need to spend more time with ageing family in poor health and now is the time for that whilst it's still possible. Life is too short as we have found out in recent times.


We will be heading out for one last UK tour in April 2023, taking in London, Manchester, Sheffield and Swansea and there will be a couple of other shows later in 2023 which will be announced in due course. These will be our first shows since Nov 2019 - almost 4 years.


I hope we will see as many of you as possible as we write the final chapter of the Quest before moving on to whatever new opportunities and adventures present themselves"

 

[1928]

Hey Steve, Michael from the good ol' USA here. Long time no see, my friend.

Sad news, but completely understandable. Been a diehard, loyal fan of Power Quest since I first them back in... I can't even remember. 2007? 2006? It was well before Master of Illusion came out, that's for sure, but just after Magic Never Dies. A couple years ago I got a Roland FA-08 and I've been experimenting creating synth leads and saw pads, almost entirely inspired by Neverworld and Magic Never Dies. Every year that passes, the influence your music and songwriting on me grows more apparent.

I'm sponsoring Power Quest at this year's ProgPower USA and can't tell you how excited I am to not only see the band but to meet face to face. I'm still bummed at having to miss the 2017 show and still kick myself for not being able to meet Paul.

Almost every single day I either listen to Power Quest or play some Power Quest on my piano and synth. I cannot thank you enough for the gift of music you've given me and some of my best friends who think all the best of you and the band and the guys who have come and gone over the years.

See ya in June, Steve. Are you on Twitter? I have never used it, but I may have to follow you there, since I haven't seen you on Facebook in years. All the best to you in the future and I hope you're able to chase these new dreams and be content with what Power Quest has been and always will be.

 

[DE4life]

Good luck with whatever you decide to do in the future Steve. Hope these health issues get better or at least a little easier going forward.

May not mean much coming from some rando on UM forums but thanks for the music you've put out there. Master of Illusion especially holds a lot of sentimental value for me and will always be up there with my favourite ever albums. I've spun Bound for Glory a lot, too, so the magic has never left.

Take care of yourself mate, and who knows what the future holds.

 

[Symphony]

Thanks for the kind words man! Always appreciated this end Yes mate, health is better so let's see what the future holds

 

[Symphony]

Hey Steve, Michael from the good ol' USA here. Long time no see, my friend.

Sad news, but completely understandable. Been a diehard, loyal fan of Power Quest since I first them back in... I can't even remember. 2007? 2006? It was well before Master of Illusion came out, that's for sure, but just after Magic Never Dies. A couple years ago I got a Roland FA-08 and I've been experimenting creating synth leads and saw pads, almost entirely inspired by Neverworld and Magic Never Dies. Every year that passes, the influence your music and songwriting on me grows more apparent.

I'm sponsoring Power Quest at this year's ProgPower USA and can't tell you how excited I am to not only see the band but to meet face to face. I'm still bummed at having to miss the 2017 show and still kick myself for not being able to meet Paul.

Almost every single day I either listen to Power Quest or play some Power Quest on my piano and synth. I cannot thank you enough for the gift of music you've given me and some of my best friends who think all the best of you and the band and the guys who have come and gone over the years.

See ya in June, Steve. Are you on Twitter? I have never used it, but I may have to follow you there, since I haven't seen you on Facebook in years. All the best to you in the future and I hope you're able to chase these new dreams and be content with what Power Quest has been and always will be.

Hello mate! Hope you are well....sorry, I only drop by periodically nowadays. Thanks for the kind words dude - it's a fabulous thing to have been able to influence folk on the back of what PQ have done.

Yeah it's been 3 years since I was on FB.....yes I'm on Twitter mate, @stevesongwriter I can get a bit political over there though lol!

Sorry we ended up retiring before the show this year....if you are gonna be there though mate, I might just see you at PPUSA

 

[DE4life]

Glad to hear that you're doing a bit better health wise. Absolutely no blowing smoke in my words, either, for the record. Master of Illusion genuinely did completely capture me during 2008. I had a look at my Last.fm account (yes, that's still a thing) and the scrobbles from 2008 speak for themselves:



Only beaten by In Shadows Lost From the Brave, which to be fair had a few months headstart if memory serves. Both incredible albums regardless, and I think in terms of sound they actually have a lot of parallels.

PQ were also third in overall artists for me that year:



So yeah, in one small apartment in Colchester, at least, PQ was blasting loud and proud for much of 2008 might give it another spin this afternoon as I spend the next few hours enjoying the wonders of Excel.

 

[Cronopio]

Sad that the band is no more, but at least we got six stellar albums from them, and many have happy memories of seeing them live. Unfortunately I never got to do that, which is one of my big regrets. Thanks to the man, Mr. Steve Williams - and other band members who have come and gone through the years - for all the great music that will live on forever. The Quest WILL forever go on!

 

[Noam111g]

Hello. Good to see you all again, including you Steve Williams. Let me introduce myself, as it has been many years since I was here.

My names noam, 29 from israel. I used to listen to power quest alot when I was younger. I have a rare neurodevelopmental disorder called high functioning autism. Because of that, I have social problems my entire life, and have alot of problems in my life in generally. When I participated here, everyone have sure noticed I wasnt being normal like everyone else, and thats understandable considering the disability I have. After about age 25 or so, I started to become more social and learned how to make friends and live a more normal life. However, I still have some social problems and emotional problems to this day. I also tend to suffer from depression and anxiety disorders because of this.

High functioning autism is a type of autism which causes a person to have inappropriate social reactions sometimes, understand social situations incorrectly, and have alot of emotional problems and I also tend to suffer from a type of schizophrenia. However, with the right medications I can control my emotional or mental problems most of the time, but I still struggle.

I remember you very well Michael(1928). Nice to see you again. I wonder where everyone else is.

By the way, I think my name here was INdestrcutible or whatever it was back then. I barely remember.

How have everyone been? I hope also Steve Williams is living a happy life, despite having to put an end to Power Quest now.

Does anyone remember me?

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

Always remember you and everyone else here! We practically lived online back in those days, flooding these hallowed halls with so much love for PQ and for metal! Back when the internet was better if you ask me

It'll always be a deep regret that I missed PQ's last (actual proper last) tour and gig. Never stopped being a fan, never stopped listening to my old records daily just wanted to divorce myself from certain corners of the internet for a good while and as a regrettable result missed big news like this. I hope PQ went out again with the biggest bang they deserve.

I'll always hold out hope that one day there'll be more music gracing us Guardians of Neverworld! After all...The Quest Must Go On