GEOFF TATE Is '85% Done' With 'Operation: Mindcrime III' Album: 'The First Single Is So Good', Says Producer JOHN MOYER

In a new interview with Mark Strigl, DISTURBED bassist John Moyer confirmed that he is producing the upcoming the upcoming third and final chapter in the classic "Operation: Mindcrime" album series from former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate. He said in part  (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I recorded these songs during the summer between tours. [DISTURBED] finished [the North American leg of] our 'The Sickness [25th Anniversary] Tour' in the spring. I spent the summer in Europe recording a bunch of these songs. Then we went to Europe to tour with DISTURBED, so I took a break from the songs. Now I'm in the final stages of mixing and putting everything together."

Elaborating on how the material for "Operation: Mindcrime III" came together, John said: "Obviously [Geoff is] not in QUEENSRŸCHE anymore. 'Operation: Mindcrime' was released under the QUEENSRŸCHE name years ago, the first two records. Well, when the band split up, basically Geoff got all the rights to 'Mindcrime'. That's his story to tell. And so anything that moves forward with 'Mindcrime' is his to do with as he wishes. I know some people are, like, 'How can he do that? That was a QUEENSRŸCHE thing.' Well, 'cause it's his; he owns it. That's his baby.

"So, 'Operation: Mindcrime III', he has these songs that he's been working with a handful of great songwriters that have been guitar players for him," John continued. "And so these songs he's been sitting on for, like, four or five years, and they've been sort of percolating over time. And then he sends 'em to me, and I'm, like, 'Oh my God. These songs are great, Geoff.' And [I was] really blown away by 'em. And he sends me another, and I'm, like, 'That's another great song', and 'another great song.' And he's just been holding on to these songs 'cause he knew that these were the songs for a future 'Operation: Mindcrime III'. Even though he's had other releases and has put out other material, these are the songs he's been saving for this record. And so he sends 'em to me. I start going through 'em. And then I worked with one of his guitar players, Amaury Altmayer, in France. Amaury and I combed through the material. We redid all the guitars, we re-polished everything. [We] basically took the demos [and] rebuilt 'em from the ground up through a producer's eyes. And then I went to Italy and I recorded Geoff on a handful of songs. We are eight songs in right now on the record. It's gonna be a full 10-song album. We have pretty much final mixes on three of 'em. We have rough mixes on all the other ones, on the other five. And so we're just going back and forth with our mixer. We're using Juan Urteaga, who mixes TESTAMENT and other bands like that, a West Coast guy. 'Cause I wanted that older-school sound, I wanted to go back to sort of that era. And I love what Juan does."

Regarding the musical direction of the "Operation: Mindcrime III" material, Moyer said: "I have a handful of friends who I've played it for, and when anyone listens to it, they go, 'It sounds like 'Operation: Mindcrime', but modern.

"A lot has happened since the late '80s with sonics and technology and how we record things," John explained. "Obviously, to me, that's the greatest concept record of all time. So, to me, that's why it's so important that we do this record correctly. So a lot of it is continuing the story of Dr. X. And 'Operation: Mindcrime III' basically is 'Operation: Mindcrime' but from Dr. X's point of view. I just got chills saying that, but that's exactly it. So it's a darker, heavier, kind of a more evil-sounding record, but with all of the themes from 'Operation: Mindcrime'. It very heavily is influenced from 'Operation: Mindcrime'… The lyrics are so incredible on this record. He's really bringing it. I'm so honored to be a part of it."

Moyer also addressed the fact that it has taken so long for Geoff to complete the "Operation: Mindcrime III" project after initially announcing it more than a year ago.

"There's a lot of pressure on this record, I'm not gonna lie to you, that I put on myself, that I feel me and Geoff both feel," John said. "And we want it to be perfect, but we also want it to be timely. We don't want it to sit here, like, 'Hey, 'Operation: Mindcrime III',' and then three years go by, nothing comes out. But at the same time, things that are great sometimes take a little time. So it's not that the record's not being written; it's that it takes a little time to make it what we want it to be. So there's remixes sometimes. Sometimes we get something and we'll re-record a little section. Just we're, like, 'That's not quite perfect,' and we'll go back and we'll re-record it. But it's getting there. Honestly, I feel like we're 85% there, if not 90% there, done with this record. I'm about to get another track from him, in the next two weeks, which will make song number nine. And the song number 10 is out of my hands. Song number 10 is a song that the way it's put together and his vision for it and my vision for it are a little different. So I told him, I said, 'Okay, for this song in particular, I want you to work with someone else on this song.' I feel like he and I are just gonna battle each other too much about it. And right now, he and I have a cohesive vision on these nine songs. And we're killing it. And then when he and I kind of discussed song number 10, which is sort of… It's a thing. [Laughs] Some of these songs are things, man. It's not a song; it's like a dramatic movement. It's like a operatic storyline. And I hear it a totally different way than he hears it. And so I was, like, 'Okay, for this one song, I want you to go back to the original songwriter,' who's a producer of his own right, and I said, 'Why don't you just work with him? And you guys finish that song on your own.' And his name's Kieran [Robertson], and Kieran's out with Geoff right now anyways touring. So I'm just, like, 'You're already out with Kieran. Just work with him and do this last song.' So I'll end up doing nine songs on the record, production-wise."

John went on to say that he is "so excited" for people to hear "Operation: Mindcrime III". "The first single is so fricking good, I can't get over it," he said. "Everyone I play for just goes, 'Wow. Geoff Tate is back and he's killing it.' And it's so 'Operation: Mindcrime', bro. It's with all the vocals and everything over it, the sound effects.

"There's this one song… And a lot of the songs are sung… It's basically sung from Dr. X's point of view," Moyer explained. "So Geoff really gets into character, and you can hear this menacing tone and sort of this 'do as I say, I know what's right' attitude that happens throughout the record. It's really powerful.

"I'm so proud of it and I think it's gonna do very well, and I think it's something the fans have been waiting for," John added.

This past October, Tate told Shawn Ratches of Laughingmonkeymusic that he was "days away" from releasing the first single from "Operation: Mindcrime III". "And we have a whole bunch of new songs that we're gonna kind of release one at a time," he explained. "Rather than putting everything together in one disc and selling it right off the bat, we're gonna kind of spread it out over the next year and release track by track, kind of thing. And we're actually just days away from [putting out the first song] right now. We're excited. When everything comes out [in the form of several singles], by that time we'll have put it together as a one-piece package."

Geoff confirmed that his upcoming album will be released under the "Operation: Mindcrime III" banner, explaining: "It's the continuation and the final chapter of 'Operation: Mindcrime'. And it's the story told from Dr. X's perspective. So the previous two albums were from the perspective of Nikki, the lead character. And this is Dr. X's perspective, so it's quite interesting."

In January 2025, Tate told 96.1 KLPX afternoon jock Larry Mac about the upcoming third chapter in the "Operation: Mindcrime" album series: "Well, I wouldn't call it a sequel. I'd call it a continuation of the story. We're doing it in kind of an interesting way. We're not gonna release an album, so to speak, right off the bat. We're going to release the album once all the songs are released, if that makes sense. We're gonna release a song a month or every quarter, and then when it's all finished, we're gonna do a special presentation with all the songs included."

Regarding how he comes up with the musical and lyrical ideas for his albums, Geoff said: "It's all different, really. Sometimes it's a musical figure that you're fiddling around with in the studio that leads to a complete song or a few songs. And sometimes it's the lyrical idea. Sometimes it's a sentence that just sparks your imagination and gets you rolling on something. With the 'Operation: Mindcrime' albums, it was a story that came about really quickly, actually — I wrote it very quickly — and then expanded on it over the years to explain a little bit more in depth as to what was happening within the story. 'Cause the first album is a little bit vague in what it's talking about in it. The second album explains even more as to what the characters are going through. And the third album, again, will be even more explanation, but taken from a number of different viewpoints, which kind of is interesting, I think."

Originally released in May 1988, QUEENSRŸCHE's third studio album, "Operation: Mindcrime" took the quintet to an entirely new level. The concept, revealed through the songs, revolves around the character of Nikki, a recovering drug addict disillusioned with a corrupt society. Drawn into a cult-like revolutionary group headed by Dr. X (voiced by the late and beloved British actor Anthony Valentine),Nikki is manipulated to assassinate political leaders until his friendship with nun Sister Mary finally opens his eyes to the truth. Regarded as one of the greatest concept metal albums of all time, "Operation: Mindcrime" was certified platinum in 1991 in the U.S. and was ranked in the "Top 100 Metal Albums Of All Time" by both Kerrang! and Billboard magazines. Rolling Stone included it on a similar list, noting that "nearly 30 years after its initial release, 'Mindcrime' feels eerily relevant."

The original "Operation: Mindcrime" album weaved themes of religion, drug abuse and underground, radical politics. By contrast, 2006's "Operation: Mindcrime II" was regarded as an unnecessary sequel that many felt cheapened the original album, despite being a decent record in its own right.

Tate previously discussed his plans for "Operation: Mindcrime III" in a November 2024 interview with "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern". Speaking about the musical direction of his new solo material, Geoff said: "I would say it has more of an early QUEENSRŸCHE feel. [The new songs are] super heavy, and some of 'em are incredibly technical. They're like algebra. [Laughs] You need a calculator when you're listening to the song. [Laughs] And, of course, some of them are very emotional. It's the last chapter in the 'Mindcrime' series. So it's following the exploits of Dr. X and Nikki and Sister Mary, and picks up at a particular point in their story and kind of does the microscope of what is happening at that particular time with them. And I am just in love with it. I am so happy with everything so far, and I can't wait for people to hear it."

Asked if there will once again be "some of those political interplays" within the lyrical themes on "Operation: Mindcrime III", Tate said: "Oh, I think so. Yeah, I think that people will be able to detect little bits of what's happening around them. And it's an interesting time right now — very interesting. Especially next week [after the 2024 U.S. presidential election], it's gonna be really interesting [laughs] what happens. So, we'll see."

Pressed about whether "a familiar voice" will play Dr. X on "Operation: Mindcrime III", Geoff said: "I can't tell you, actually. But thanks for asking. [Laughs]"

In a 2016 interview with East Valley Tribune, Tate said that he looked back fondly on "Operation: Mindcrime II". "I haven't listened to that album since I recorded it," he admitted. "However, it was a new story. Overall, it went down well live with the audience. I have no complaints or regrets about it."

During QUEENSRŸCHE's 2012 legal battle with Tate over the rights to the band's name, guitarist Michael Wilton submitted a sworn declaration in which he said the idea to make "Operation: Mindcrime II" was first brought to the table by Geoff's wife and QUEENSRŸCHE's then-manager Susan Tate. "The band was hesitant and did not want to lessen the original," the guitarist claimed. "But Susan Tate and Geoff Tate hired a budget producer and took control without really any other input. Scott Rockenfield [drums], Eddie Jackson [bass] and I were squeezed out of having any input in the musical direction or business decisions, thus the project suffered. During the initial writing phase, I would show up to bring my input to the creative process only to find that the producer, the new guitar player (who were both staying with the Tates at the time),along with Geoff Tate had been up late the night before or up early that morning and had written the songs without me. I was then told my ideas were not needed as the songs were now done. I could, however, 'bring my own style' in during the recording after learning to play what they wrote for me. In frustration, I gave up on the writing process knowing that I would at least get to make changes in the studio to bring back the QUEENSRŸCHE sound into these songs that we were known for. The final straw was when they refused to let me to be a part of the final recordings and mixes. I was shut out and they had the nerve to replace some of my parts on my songs. They denied me flying to San Francisco to be a part of my band, telling me that everything was ready to go and I was not needed. Had the communication been better, and had I been aware that parts needed to be recorded or rewritten, I would have been there. It was not until years later that I even became aware of the issues during the final recording and mixing of 'Operation: Mindcrime II'. It was all under the control of Geoff and Susan Tate. Call it delusions of grandeur, but they were convinced that this was going to sell three times more than the original, and to date (six years later) this album has sold fewer than 150,000 copies. The original album sold over 500,000 copies within a year."

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012. Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson responded with a countersuit. The settlement included an agreement that Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson would continue as QUEENSRŸCHE, while Tate would have the sole right to perform "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety live.

Tate's replacement, Todd La Torre, has released four albums thus far with QUEENSRŸCHE: 2013's "Queensrÿche", 2015's "Condition Hüman", 2019's "The Verdict" and 2022's "Digital Noise Alliance".