The rumored tension in the Queensryche camp is now being played out in front of their fans.
With singer Geoff Tate working on a solo album, the rest of the band recently announced they have formed a new group called Rising West with Todd La Torre of Crimson Glory.
Rising West are making their live debut this Friday and Saturday at the Hard Rock Café in Seattle, Washington; the band will perform rare and classic hits from the first five Queensryche albums.
Now, the Rising West team say they are being denied access to Queensryche’s social media platforms to promote their new project.
"We are being denied access to our own Facebook page and website (meaning Queensryche) so please spread the word for about Rising West. . . Thank you for your support and we hope to see you at our shows!" the band posted Tuesday on their own official Facebook page here.
The same day the Rising West crew alerted fans to the situation, the Queensryche Facebook page was actively promoting a solo date by Tate.
Earlier this week, Metal Talk quoted a report by Brazilian website Collector’s Room regarding an alleged incident backstage in Sao Paulo, Brazil which involved Tate threatening Scott Rockenfield with a knife.
The report suggests that Tate secretly overheard band members plotting to fire him, which led to an alleged altercation at soundcheck, with Tate pushing guitarist Michael Wilton to the floor before pointing a knife at drummer Rockenfield. Security staff from the venue reportedly had to separate them.
Collector’s Room further reported that Wilton locked himself in his dressing room following the incident and threatened not to play, causing local producers to spend the whole afternoon trying to convince him to do the show that night, which went ahead as contracted.
Queensryche’s publicist issued a statement last week, saying “There’s really no ‘situation’ other than the fact that Geoff Tate is concentrating on his acoustic solo performances this summer while the other members of the band have formed a new outfit called Rising West with Todd La Torre of Crimson Glory. Everyone wants to stay busy, try new things and do what they do best . . . and, of course, that’s rock in front of the masses. Queensryche are slated to perform select dates throughout the year.”
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