Band of rockers - Military Music - Military Times

Band of rockers

Columbia, Md. — When legendary heavy metal vocalist Geoff Tate hit the high notes and wailed to the crowd in Columbia, Md., on Aug. 1, the Queensryche frontman was singing from the heart about his recent labor of love — the band’s new “American Soldier” concept album written as a tribute to all service members.

One song, he told the crowd, “tells the story of U.S. Marines who trekked into the desert for three days in search of a fallen comrade,” Tate told the crowd.

Explaining on stage his admiration for the Marines, Tate spoke to the core inspiration of the American Soldier project — a new album supported by a yearlong tour hitting 30 countries, aimed at showcasing music that tells the stories of American troops.

Drawing from conflicts as far back as World War II, the album seeks to capture the heart, pain, soul and bravery of U.S. troops through the decades. Tate, himself from a military family, interviewed scores of troops and veterans for the project.

“I covered quite a few conflicts all the way back to World War II, including Vietnam, Korea, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Panama and both Iraqs. One thing that is the idea behind this … how can you know me until you have walked in my shoes and tried to understand a portion of what I experience?” Tate said.

The track “Hell on Earth” is intended to capture the horrors of war. “We did a scenario musically where you could hear the bombs going off and war was creating this hell on earth,” Tate said.

Queensryche, known for hits such as “Silent Lucidity,” “Take Hold of the Flame” and “Queen of the Reich,” decided on the concept album after more than three decades of playing to full stadiums and producing award-winning music; the band has sold more than 20 million albums.

“American Soldier” is new music, yet tinged with a classic Queensryche sound — sharp guitar chords and melodic, high-pitched vocals from Tate, who found threads of continuity that characterize troops’ experiences through the years.

“The commonality is with all the soldiers I saw, there was not one soldier who did not have a developed sense of honor and duty. I walked away really impressed with what soldiers do, including their sense of loyalty to each other and their sense of duty. … The rest of us are free to pursue our goals and dreams while somebody else is watching [our] back,” Tate said.

Queensryche performed a special tribute concert May 18 at Fort Benning, Ga., as a gesture of appreciation to soldiers preparing to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It was kind of overwhelming,” Tate said. “If you look back at the beginning of human culture, music is a way of expressing things to each other. We’re connected through the music.”

Ultimately, the underlying purpose of the project is to raise awareness of the plight, perils and experiences of service members, Tate said. “I hope people listening will come away with a sense of gratitude.”

The band has announced that 20 percent of many items purchased from their online store will be donated to the National Military Family Association. Visit www.queensryche.com for details and a concert tour schedule.