GEOFF TATE Says Getting Ex-QUEENSRŸCHE Members To Guest On 'Operation: Mindcrime III' Wouldn't Have Been 'A Good Move' For His 'Sanity'

In a new interview with Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece, ex-QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate spoke about the recently released third and final chapter in the band's classic "Operation: Mindcrime" album series. The LP was made available under Geoff Tate's own name and not under the QUEENSRŸCHE banner. The effort is once again a concept album with a storyline following Nikki, a drug addict-turned-assassin manipulated by a shadowy figure known as Dr. X. However, unlike the first two installments, "Operation: Mindcrime III" tells the tale from the perspective of Dr. X.

Asked about the fact that "Operation: Mindcrime III" has been described as a "return to an early QUEENSRŸCHE sonic identity", Geoff said: "Oh, well, yeah, I can't really help it [laughs], 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."

On the topic of whether he had contemplated getting one of the former QUEENSRŸCHE members, such as guitarist Chris DeGarmo or drummer Scott Rockenfield, to guest on "Operation: Mindcrime III", Geoff said: "No, I don't think so. I don't think that would've been a good move, especially for my sanity. [Laughs] We prefer to be a happy person, you know?! [Laughs]"

Asked what the hardest part was of translating this chapter into music, Tate said: "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."

Regarding the decision to make "Operation: Mindcrime III" available independently and not work with an established record label on the release, Geoff said: "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."

Asked about his previous description of "Operation: Mindcrime III" as "heavier and more aggressive" than some of his past efforts and what defines "heavy" for him at this stage of his career, Geoff laughed and said: "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."

"Operation: Mindcrime III" was produced by DISTURBED bassist John Moyer, who has worked with Tate on four of the singer's albums, starting with 2015's "The Key". "Operation: Mindcrime III" also marks the recording debut with Geoff of guitarist Kieran Robertson, who co-wrote many of the songs on the album with Tate. According to Ultimate Classic Rock, Kieran moved to America nearly a decade ago from Glasgow to join Geoff's band as one of the guitar players.

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.

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".