QUEENSRŸCHE: New Touring Guitarist Announced

February 18, 2009

According to postings on AnybodyListening.net's message board, The Breakdown Room, Parker Lundgren, a member of QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate's solo band, has officially joined QUEENSRŸCHE as the group's new touring guitarist.

Lundgren (pictured below),who is apparently engaged to Tate's daughter Miranda, played several shows with the QUEENSRŸCHE frontman last September and joined Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton for a rare all-acoustic set at KISW's annual Holiday Hangover Ball on December 12, 2008 at Showbox SoDo in Seattle, Washington.

Parker's addition to QUEENSRŸCHE's touring lineup was officially announced by Tate in a podcast that is currently available only to members of the band's fan club. Geoff added that the group is "glad to have him."

Fan-filmed video footage of Geoff Tate's September 21, 2008 solo concert at The Knitting Factory in Spokane, Washington — featuring Parker Lundgren on guitar — can be viewed below (courtesy of "chasingbluesky").

Guitarist Mike Stone announced his departure from QUEENSRŸCHE on February 3. He said in a statement, "After much consideration, I will not be joining QUEENSRŸCHE on the 2009 American Soldier Tour. I feel now is the time to focus on other musical endeavors, including my new band SPEED X with Nick Catanese of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. I would like to thank all of the QUEENSRŸCHE fans around the world for being nothing less than amazing to me during my time with the band. You have treated me like gold, and I will never forget it. It has been an honor to be a part of the QUEENSRŸCHE family, and I wish Geoff, Michael, Scott and Eddie nothing but the very best."

QUEENSRŸCHE added in a statement, "We will miss [Mike]. He is a wonderful player and has contributed to our lives musically and spiritually. We wish him the best and hope to see him succeed in everything he chooses to participate in."

Audio samples of all 12 tracks that appear on QUEENSRŸCHE's upcoming album, "American Soldier", are available for streaming at Rhino.com.

QUEENSRŸCHE's twelfth studio release, the epic concept album "American Soldier", will be available from Atco/Rhino on March 31 for a suggested list price of $18.98 (CD) and $9.99 (digital). The ambitious album encompasses a dozen songs inspired by numerous interviews with veterans conducted by Geoff Tate, the group's singer and chief songwriter, who was intent on telling their story using their words. After speaking with soldiers who served in various conflicts — from World War II to Iraq — Tate turned their firsthand experiences from the frontlines into an unflinching musical examination of the life of a solider and the consequences of war.

In a first for QUEENSRŸCHE, all of the guitar tracks on "American Soldier" were recorded by Michael Wilton.

"American Soldier" track listing

01. Sliver
02. Unafraid
03. Hundred Mile Stare
04. At 30,000 Ft.
05. A Dead Man's Words
06. The Killer
07. Middle Of Hell
08. If I Were King
09. Man Down!
10. Remember Me
11. Home Again
12. The Voice

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