MICHAEL WILTON: Fans Are Calling TODD LA TORRE 'The Voice Of QUEENSRŸCHE'

QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton spoke to NorthJersey.com about the band's 2012 decision to fire original singer Geoff Tate and replace him with former CRIMSON GLORY frontman Todd La Torre.

"It's five years since Todd has come to the band and he is doing quite well with all the existing songs, the new songs and working in the studio," Wilton said. "The fans love him and are calling him 'the voice of QUEENSRŸCHE.'"

QUEENSRŸCHE has already issued two studio albums with La Torre — 2013's self-titled effort and 2015's "Condition Hüman" — and is expected to record another disc this fall for an early 2018 release.

"We're still pounding it out and writing and writing and writing," the guitarist said. "You never know what it's going to sound like. We've been called semi-progressive, semi-heavy metal and semi-hard rock. It's an interesting combination.

"With each album we do not want to carbon copy the previous one," Wilton added. "Sometimes it can be a hundred-and-eighty but we keep the roots of where we're from."

Wilton also said that QUEENSRŸCHE songwriting approach is more collaborative after parting ways with Tate. "There's a cohesive chemistry within the band now," he said. "We write songs as a band, we play together as a band, we make decisions as a band. That's what keeps it going and that's what being in a band is about."

Helming QUEENSRŸCHE's next record once again will be Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who previously worked on "Condition Hüman".

"Condition Hüman" debuted at No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart, having shifted 14,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8, 2015.

KAMELOT's Casey Grillo made his live debut with with QUEENSRŸCHE on April 1 at Sycuan Casino in El Cajon, California. He is filling in for regular QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Scott Rockenfield, who is taking time off from the band's touring activities to spend time with his newborn son, appropriately named Rockson.