SAILOR, HOPELESS ROMANTIC
GUITAR : MICHAEL WILTON VINTAGE GUITAR COLLECTOR
GUITAR : KELLY GRAY THE "MYTH" ... THE LEGEND
BASS : EDDIE JACKSON SPORTS FANATIC, COMEDIAN
DRUMS : SCOTT ROCKENFIELD MOTION PICURE BUFF
Turn Another Turn - The Evolution of Queensryche : by Maria Cradle
Geoff Tate, Chris DeGarmo, Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson and Scott Rockenfield joined forces at a Bellevue, WA restraunt in 1981. Their strength in music has grown since then as members of the band Queensryche. This year the group made Hear in the Now Frontier, their seventh release. Currently, there is a significant number of songs written for another album, projected to be out by next summer.
Queensryche has had a good share of success. The group is widely known for their pop music breakthrough "Silent Lucidity", which comes from their 1990 multi-platinum album Empire. The album Promised Land has been certified platinum after debuting at #3 on the Billboard pop album chart in 1994. So definitely the band has been successful in a pop music sense but selling millions of records is not what matters most to the musical career of Queensryche. Success for all the bandmembers is to make music to their own satisfaction. A major theme of Queensryche's music is change or variation. Guitarist Wilton explains this philosophy: "We deviate from the norm and do something different for each album to prevent being stuck in some kind of mold." In what ways has the band changed, evolving itself over fifteen years of musical soliditary?
Before going into detail of the lyrics and music, it's necessary to mention the physical transformation though it may seem superficial. Along with the heavy metal sounds, Queensryche had the look of a typical '80s heavy metal band. all of the members wore their hair long but it was also streaked, teased, and fluffed. Hair spray, dye, and curling irons were almost used as much as the guitars, microphones, and drum equipment. Some makeup was applied to the face---heavy use of black shadow and mascara for the eyes, some rouge on the cheeks, and glossy red on the lips. The guys looked like girls in high school. Their wardrobe was full of black leather in the form of jackets and skintight pants. Also, they wore some jewelry and often exposed their chests.
The best example of this look came in the mid-'80s coinciding with their record Rage for Order. Ironically, the image didn't go in accordance well with their sound, as Rage went beyond typical heavy metal. The music from this era will be mentioned later.
A turning point of Queensryche's outward appearance first surfaced during the era of Empire. Overall, the band could have been described as natural looking. The made-up "pretty boy" look was gone. The long hair still existed but there wasn't much ado about it. They all got rid of the streaks in it and used much less hair spray. Makeup, if used, was kept to a minimal. As for their attire, the bandmates appeared very casual in promotion photos and in concert. Seldom they chose to wear tight leather pants. Instead, they preferred jeans---plain, patched, and torn. The guys looked comfortable in shorts. They still bared a little chest but more often did not expose it wearing full t-shirts and tank tops. Hats, often adorned with their own tri-ryche symbol, were also sported.
In the Now Frontier days, Queensryche maintains the modern, subdued appearance. The noticeable difference is the length of hair. Members DeGarmo, Tate, and Rockenfield have cut their hair significantly, the latter two shaving their hair, almost looking bald.
Maturity has accounted for their physical change. When they began playing together they were young men in their early '20s that wanted to make a wild statement with their looks. It is normal for any young person to be a little daring. Although they were primarily concerned with playing for their songs, much attention was paid to image. The record industry also influenced the heavy metal image of the band. It is simply a business that puts out products, recording artists. In the '80s, a "good" image featured the wild look for hard rock bands. Thankfully, the band broke away from that belief to a more natural, everyday appearance.
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