Former Queensrÿche frontman Geoff Tate has opened up about the creation of Operation: Mindcrime III, the newly released final installment of the iconic concept album trilogy.
In a recent interview with Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece, the vocalist discussed the creative choices behind the project and why he opted out of inviting former bandmates to participate in the recording process.
When asked if he considered bringing in ex-Queensrÿche members like guitarist Chris DeGarmo or drummer Scott Rockenfield for guest appearances, Tate quickly dismissed the idea.
“No, I don’t think so. I don’t think that would’ve been a good move, especially for my sanity,” Tate said with a laugh. “We prefer to be a happy person, you know?!”
Despite the absence of his former colleagues, Operation: Mindcrime III has been described as a return to the classic sonic identity of early Queensrÿche. According to the singer, capturing that specific style was essential to the project.
“Oh, well, yeah, I can’t really help it, really. When making and writing songs for Operation: Mindcrime, it has to have a certain, sonic, I guess, identity. It has to have the guitar kind of take feature placement in the song structure. It’s very guitar driven, the album. And I think that’s really important for making an album like this and having to put it kind of in its place with the other two Mindcrime albums. It has to have that kind of sound,” he explained.
Outlining the songwriting process, Tate emphasized that the overarching narrative always dictated the musical composition.
“Well, for me, groups of words and having an outline really helps write the music. It gives you sort of a reason to make the song, because you’re using music to describe what’s happening with the words. You’re painting the sonic picture, so to speak. So, it’s kind of a must-have. You have to have the story in place in order to compose. I think it’s very important,” Tate elaborated.
The new album marks a significant shift in business strategy for Tate, who chose to release it entirely independently rather than partnering with an established record label.
“Well, the concept of labels [is] sort of non-existent, really, anymore. It doesn’t mean the same thing as it once did. And the whole business kind of model has changed radically. So, yeah, we’re not having a label release on this album. It’s self-released by ourselves. And it’s exciting. It’s something quite different. I’ve never done anything like this before. So, it’s an experiment, as we like to call it, to see what happens,” he continued.
Addressing his previous comments that the record is heavier and more aggressive than his recent solo work, the vocalist elaborated on what heaviness means to him at this stage in his career.
“Oh. Hmm. I don’t know. It’s a difficult question to ask. It’s one I’ve always struggled with, really. What is heavy? Heavy is sort of heavy to one person, it’s not heavy to another. To me, it has a lot of very aggressive music. It also has quite a lot of dynamics to the music. Some of the music is orchestral based. Some of it has lighter elements as well. Some of it is very dark, I would say, in comparison to other records that I’ve made. I don’t know. I think you just have to listen to it yourself and make your own judgments. Enjoy it. And I think it sounds really good — really good. Actually, the production on it is phenomenal, especially the rhythm section of the songs really came together, and it’s one of the more — I don’t know — headphone-oriented records, with a lot of punch, a lot of aggression to it,” Tate reflected.
Operation: Mindcrime III features production by Disturbed bassist John Moyer, marking his fourth collaboration with Geoff Tate since 2015’s The Key. The album also introduces guitarist Kieran Robertson, who shares co-writing credits on multiple tracks. Issued under Tate‘s own name, the record shifts the established narrative focus away from Nikki, the drug addict turned assassin, and instead explores the story from the perspective of the manipulative Dr. X.
Earlier in January, while speaking to “Meltdown” of Detroit’s WRIF radio station, Tate explained that this shift will result in a much darker, more assertive record.
“And Dr. X‘s perspective is completely different, ’cause he’s not the victim at all. So it’s very aggressive, and, yeah, I’m looking forward for people to hear it,” Tate told at the time.
“[It will tell the tale from] the perspective of Dr. X, how the story happened from his point of view. Which is kind of interesting, I think, because we’ve only heard it from Nikki‘s point of view, and he’s been sort of this victim throughout the whole story.”
When asked if the new material serves as a throwback to the complex, heavy style of early Queensrÿche, Tate agreed, promising a sound that diehard fans will recognize.
“Yeah, I guess so. It’s got some complex arrangements, which Queensrÿche was pretty into during our writing. It’s just very aggressive sound-wise. And stylistically, I would say, it’s very Queensrÿche.”
He clarified that the expansion into a trilogy wasn’t always the master plan, but rather a natural evolution of his curiosity about human behavior.
“No, it’s kind of an ongoing story. I am fascinated by social science — why human beings do what we do, and groups of people that seem to have patterns over time, following in the footsteps of their generation. That kind of stuff just is fascinating to me. And so that was the basis for the story of Operation: Mindcrime. And so I just kind of explored that — human nature and what happens to a guy who gets convicted of m*rder and sent to an insane asylum and then graduates to a prison and then finally gets out after 20 years in prison. Does he still have the motivation for revenge against the people that put him there? That’s kind of the focus of Mindcrime II, the revenge aspect of it.”
The release arrives a decade after the 2014 legal settlement between Tate and his former Queensrÿche bandmates, guitarist Michael Wilton, bassist Eddie Jackson, and drummer Scott Rockenfield. Following a lengthy dispute over the band’s trademark, the settlement ruled that the instrumentalists would retain the Queensrÿche name, while Tate was granted the exclusive rights to perform Operation: Mindcrime and Operation: Mindcrime II in their entirety on tour.
Since the split, Queensrÿche has moved forward with frontman Todd La Torre, releasing four studio albums: Queensrÿche (2013), Condition Hüman (2015), The Verdict (2019), and Digital Noise Alliance (2022).
Operation: Mindcrime III Official Tracklist:
- “The Scene Of The Crime”
- “You Know My F**king Name”
- “The Answer”
- “Vulnerable”
- “I’ll Eat Your Heart Out”
- “Do You Still Believe?”
- “The Devil’s Breath”
- “Ascension”
- “Set You Free”
- “Descension”
- “Power”
- “You Can’t Walk Away Now”
- “A Monster Like Me”
