Queensrÿche "American Solider"

Queensrÿche envisions war and its consequences through the eyes of a soldier with their twelfth studio release, the epic concept album AMERICAN SOLDIER. The disc's twelve original songs were inspired by numerous interviews that Geoff Tate-the band's singer and chief songwriter-conducted with veterans over the last several years. In speaking with service people engaged in conflicts from World War II to Iraq, Tate became committed to telling their stories through songs that used their own words. The result is an unflinching musical exploration of the life of a soldier and the profound impact of war.

Tate says that the idea for AMERICAN SOLDIER came both from hearing stories from fans who are veterans as well as from his own father, who served in Korea and Vietnam. “Until very recently,” says Tate, “he never spoke about what he went through. I think that reticence is true of a lot of veterans, which means most people never truly understand what it means to be a soldier at war. Hearing what he and some of our fans have endured made me want to share their stories with the world.” Tate adds that making the album was enlightening-“I was surprised to learn how little has changed through the generations...but what surprised me the most was how antiwar most soldiers are. To me, that makes their sacrifices even more moving.”

Tate, Michael Wilton (guitar), Ed Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums) recorded the album over the course of nine months in 2008. The songs summon up vivid details about war's emotional and physical tolls, evoking battles (“Middle Of Hell”), sacrifice (“The Killer”), loss (“If I Were King”), the longing for home (“Remember Me”) and readjusting to civilian life (“Man Down!”). Several tracks feature dialogue from the interviews Tate recorded with veterans, as well as vocals captured when some of them were brought into the studio. Also making a guest vocal appearance is Tate's 10-year-old daughter on the searing duet “Home Again,” which examines the emotional burden of war from the dual perspectives of a soldier and the child he left at home.

Queensrÿche formed in Seattle in 1981 and had a major breakthrough with the 1988 concept album opus Operation: Mindcrime, which spent over a year on Billboard's album chart. In 2006, Rhino released the long awaited sequel, Operation Mindcrime II, and in 2007 released CD and DVD versions of Mindcrime At The Moore, recorded and filmed at the Seattle stop of a tour that featured Queensrÿche performing the politically themed saga in its entirety.