TODD LA TORRE Defends QUEENSRŸCHE Against 'Nostalgia Act' Accusations: 'We Sell Memories'

QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre spoke to Metal Edge Magazine's "Another FN Podcast" about criticism his band receives from some fans for focusing too much on the band's early catalog and not playing enough of its new material live. "People will say things like — the assholes out there — they'll say, 'Oh, QUEENSRŸCHE's a nostalgia band,' or, 'They're a legacy band,'" he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And you know what? If you're a band back then, and you're starting out and you say, 'Oh, where will they be in five years?' And then you've been there five years. And then you're there in 10 years. And they say, 'Well, are they gonna be here 10 years from now?' And then you're 10 years from now.

"That's what you want — is that longevity; you've stood the test of time," he continued. "Once you've stood the test of time, then people will be, like, 'Oh, they're a nostalgia band.' But you know what? We sell memories. But we still write and create new records. And a lot of people will say to us, 'Hey, we love 'Take Hold Of The Flame', we love 'Jet City Woman' and 'Eyes Of A Stranger' and 'Empire', but we've heard these songs for 30 years. Can you put some newer stuff into the set?' They wanna hear the new stuff.

"I mean, there's some bands that if they never write a new song, I'm fine with [it]. But if a band like SLAYER puts [out] a new album, I wanna hear it."

La Torre went on to acknowledge that he and his QUEENSRŸCHE bandmates will never be able to please everyone. "If you just play all the popular songs, then the people are, like, 'Wow. I guess you don't believe in your new music, 'cause you're not playing any of it,'" he said. "And so we're, like, 'No. We wanna play a handful of new songs, and we're gonna give you deep cuts, and we're gonna play stuff off the first five or six records too. So that big hit that you wanna hear, it's probably coming later.' But we are also not just resting on the laurels of the past; we are promoting new music, and we put a lot into that.

"But you know what? There is no shame in playing a song that takes you back to that sweet time in your car with your first girlfriend or boyfriend, and you're hanging with your buddies, and time was on your side, and life was simpler," Todd added. "That's a such a good feeling — it's like when you smell something, and it connects in your brain, and it takes you right back to a time. Music does the same thing. So I have no shame in someone saying, 'Oh, they're a nostalgia [act].' Well, fucking nostalgia is amazing, and without it, the memories mean jack shit. So we sell memories, and we also give you new stuff. And not a lot of bands can say that."

To date, QUEENSRŸCHE has released three studio albums with La Torre on vocals: "Queensrÿche" (2013),"Condition Hüman" (2015) and "The Verdict" (2019). Currently the band is writing new material for a fourth release for Century Media Records.

Todd's debut solo album, "Rejoice In The Suffering", was released on February 5 via Rat Pak Records. Todd created the LP with his songwriting partner Craig Blackwell and producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris.