“I’m very excited about playing out again,” said Tate. “Working with these guys (new bandmates Jeff Carrell, Scott Moughton, Howard Chilcott, Chris Fox and Evan Schiller) has been such a great experience and I can’t wait to take it onstage. I’m doing a two-hour show that will feature almost all of the new album and some more obscure Queensryche material I haven’t performed in years.

“We’re really going to shake things up on this tour and try some different arrangements on some of the tracks. I can’t wait!”

Although Tate is exploring a solo path, fans can rest assured that this does not spell the end for Queensryche. The band is readying a new album to release later this year. Meanwhile, other members in the group are working on their own side-projects as well. Guitarist Michael Wilton has his band Soulbender and drummer Scott Rockenfield recently released an album with Slave To The System.