MICHAEL WILTON: 'The QUEENSRŸCHE Entity Is Bigger Than Any One Individual'

In a new interview with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com, QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton was asked if he and bassist Eddie Jackson, who are the sole remaining original members of the band, have ever thought about calling it quits after all the lineup changes and moving on to other projects. He responded: "We've been doing this so long, Eddie and I — it's, like, 40 years now or something. But it's more that QUEENSRŸCHE is the entity, and we're just the moving parts in it. The QUEENSRŸCHE entity is bigger than any one individual; it's the combination of all the individuals. And you just want the best possible outcome of the bandmembers that we have.

"Over the years, people change; they wanna go in different directions and do different things in their lives, and that's all part of it. That's kind of all the behind-the-music business stuff that we have to deal with. It's more about just having the strongest version that you can to produce what you're doing."

QUEENSRŸCHE's latest album, "Digital Noise Alliance", was released on October 7 via Century Media. The record was once again helmed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who previously worked with QUEENSRŸCHE on 2015's "Condition Hüman" and 2019's "The Verdict" LPs.

Guitarist Mike Stone, who rejoined QUEENSRŸCHE last year, contributed guitar solos to the band's new studio album.

Since late May 2021, Stone has been handling second-guitar duties in QUEENSRŸCHE, which announced in July 2021 that longtime guitarist Parker Lundgren was exiting the group to focus on "other business ventures."

Stone originally joined QUEENSRŸCHE for the 2003 album "Tribe" and stayed with the band for six years before leaving the group.

For the past five and a half years, drummer Casey Grillo has been filling in for QUEENSRŸCHE's original drummer Scott Rockenfield, who stepped away from the band's touring activities in early 2017 to spend time with his young son.

In October 2021, Rockenfield filed a lawsuit against Wilton and Jackson, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful discharge. A few months later, Wilton and Jackson filed a countersuit against Rockenfield, accusing him of abandoning his position as a member of the band and misappropriating the group's assets to his own personal benefit.

QUEENSRŸCHE kicked off its fall 2022 U.S. tour as the support act for JUDAS PRIEST on October 13 at Toyota Presents the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, Connecticut.