Queensryche  is an American heavy metal band. It formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 15 studio albums, one EP, several DVDs, and continues to tour and record. The original lineup consisted of guitarists Michael Wilton and Chris DeGarmo, drummer Scott Rockenfield, bassist Eddie Jackson, and lead vocalist Geoff Tate.
DeGarmo was replaced by guitarist and producer Kelly Gray. Gray's connections with Queensryche went back to the early '80s, when he was the guitarist for Myth, which was also the band Tate fronted prior to joining Queensryche. Gray had previously worked as a producer for bands such as Dokken and Candlebox. Queensryche recorded one studio album with Gray, Q2K from 1999, which was also the first album for their new label, Atlantic Records. Musically, Q2K bore little resemblance to the progressive metal of the band's past, and also displayed a similar stripped-down sound as Hear in the Now Frontier. Tate has described Q2K as a continuation of the experimentation of Hear in the Now Frontier. Declining popularity forced the band to tour in clubs and theaters, rather than in the larger arenas and outdoor amphitheaters where they played before. Following the Q2K tour, Rockenfield and Gray formed the side project Slave to the System with band members from Brother Cane and recorded a self-titled album. After the release of a greatest hits collection in 2000, Queensryche embarked on another tour, this time in support of Iron Maiden. This enabled the band to play Madison Square Garden for the first time. Unhappy with the lack of support they felt they received from Atlantic Records, Queensryche moved to Sanctuary Records in 2001. In July of that year, the band performed a handful of dates at the Moore Theatre in Seattle, Washington. The shows were recorded and released in September 2001 as Live Evolution, the band's second live album. In 2001 and 2002, Tate worked on his self-titled first solo album, which was released on June 25, 2002. Gray was fired from the band in May 2002, which according to Rockenfield was "because of [his] personal abuse habits and ongoing problems".
What kind of experimentation did they do?
Musically, Q2K bore little resemblance to the progressive metal of the band's past, and also displayed a similar stripped-down sound Tate has described Q2K as a continuation of the experimentation of Hear in the Now Frontier. Tate has described Q2K as a continuation of the experimentation of Hear in the Now Frontier. DeGarmo was replaced by guitarist and producer Kelly Gray.
DeGarmo was replaced by guitarist and producer Kelly Gray.