Interview with guitarist Michael Wilton
Interview conducted by Luxi Lahtinen
Date online: February 7, 2025
Progressive band Queensrÿche, formed in 1982, hardly needs an introduction. The band has had a respectable career over 4-plus decades, releasing many highly appreciated albums and they are still as relevant as a band as ever.
Their vocalist Geoff Tate left the band in 2012, and when an original vocalist steps out of the ranks, it is often the death
blow for a band. Fortunately, the band kept marching forward and eventually brought in Todd La Torre to fill Geoff's big leather boots. Todd has been with the band ever since, singing on the last four Queensrÿche albums.
Currently the band is on "The Origins Tour", playing their first self-titled EP and debut album The Warning in their entirety, both releases fans are always eager to hear songs from.
The Metal Crypt got a chance to talk to guitarist and songwriter Michael Wilton to get some insight into the times when the guys were young (and wild) and on top of their game and opened for Metallica on the "Damaged Justice" tour in 1988. Read on...
How's life, Michael? All's good over there?
Michael: Yes, except it's about 50 degrees (Fahrenheit) here.
Umm...that sounds almost like summer in Finland. ;o)
Michael: [*bursting out laughing loudly*]
BACK TO THE ROOTS
Okay, let's get a bit more serious. You have this special tour where you are performing your first EP and The Warning album in their entirety. Are you any surprised how well the new and old Queensrÿche fans have been responding?
Michael: Oh yes, it's been an amazing success for us. We've done two legs already and now we're taking this to Europe. We're excited for Europe to see this show.
Oh, yes. I'm really looking forward to seeing you here in Finland. In fact, when I was a kid, both the EP and The Warning album blew me away and they still have a very special place in my heart, I have to confess.
Michael: Thank you for your kind words. Yes, and hopefully you can make the show, and it'll bring back some deep memories.
I'm trying my best to make it to your show, that's for sure. How did you get this idea to concentrate on songs from your first EP and debut album only?
Michael: We were doing a festival in Texas called Hell's Heroes and the promoter suggested, "Hey, would you guys be willing to do The Warning in its entirety?" We were throwing ideas around with management and our booking agents and we threw it out there. We booked a whole tour around it and did the first show, the Hell's Heroes show, and it worked. It was a big show and it was great.
Then, as we went on the tour, it was received very well. People love hearing those songs again.
YOUNG FELLOWS CREATED SOMETHING SPECTACULAR
I bet they do. I imagine returning to these Queensrÿche classics brings back so many memories from your early days. What kind of memories have playing these classics on this tour evoked?
Michael: The thing is, when I was writing the music for The Warning, I think I was 21 years old. As a 21-year-old, you're just wide-eyed and accepting of every opportunity that comes and just doing your best. For us, it happened so fast. We were thrust into this and the next thing we knew, we're in London, England, recording this album with James Guthrie in different studios. We were living in flats. Twenty-one years old, it's like, woohoo...!! Fun times back in the '80s. [*laughs*]
How high would rate those first Queensrÿche releases as far as the band's whole discography is concerned?
Michael: We were all young and we were still progressing as musicians and just trying to find our own unique blend of music that we liked and that wasn't completely derivative of European metal at that time in the early '80s. It was so great that things just started happening for us. I think for me to look back at it now and reminisce, it's like, wow. Back then I thought differently as a guitar player. When I listen to what I recorded, it was, woo. Okay. I like it. I get it. I get it. I don't think that way anymore. For all the guys, it's just been great learning these old songs.
Both the EP and your first album have stood the test of time really well, in my opinion. When you recorded them, did you imagine that more than forty years later you would have a couple of classic releases that people seem to appreciate very much today?
Michael: No. At the time we had day jobs, and we were concentrating on just getting an album recorded. Especially the EP, we were all working day jobs in electronics factories and things like that. That would be delusional at that age to think that it would be that successful 20, 30 years in the future. It's something that we just did for ourselves. It was written for the musicians of Queensrÿche. If it didn't work, fine, we would have gone on to something else. It was a great time in history. The '80s rocked, and we took advantage of it. Here we are today. [*chuckles*]
Was the nearly 10-minute song "Roads to Madness" from The Warning a challenge to rehearse for the live setting?
Michael: Yes, it took some rehearsals. The songs from The Warning album can tend to be a bit progressive, and a bit challenging, and tricky as far as the musicianship and definitely the vocals. It's just a matter of rehearsing till you know it so well that you can do it with your eyes closed. We're competent and fortunate that the musicianship of the band is good enough and has their A game and they can pull it off as much as they want. Obviously, we're older and more mature, but it's a powerful set. It's a powerful live show the way we represent The Warning album.
Were there any other songs on those two releases that you found a bit challenging?
Michael: I think the one that gave us the most of a challenge, like you said, was the song "Before the Storm." I wrote the music for that song, and it's deemed very progressive and takes some weird turns. It's probably one of the more challenging 
songs to perform and play live. It's also very gratifying. When people hear that, they just go, "Oh, yes, I remember that song."
THE ORIGINS TOUR
Your first show in Europe on "The Origins Tour" will happen in Helsinki, Finland. Are you nervous about how it may go because it will be the start of your European tour?
Michael: Oh, no. We're excited. We haven't been to Europe since 2019. We're very excited to come to Finland and the whole region up there, Holland, all the places. We're very excited to play. It's something I hope Queensrÿche fans and heavy metal, hard rock fans can have a chance to just see the show.
I noticed that tickets are selling really well, too.
Michael: Yes. I think it's word-of-mouth plus people have probably seen videos of the shows on YouTube. The real deal is when you're there hearing the music as it just pulsates and gets into your body and your mind, that's the real deal. Live music is best.
WHEN BIGGER WHEELS START ROLLING...
Exactly. I totally agree with you. Now, if we go can back in time for a moment. How much do you still remember from the tour you did in October 1988 with Metallica on their "Damaged Justice" tour? I guess that tour was a game changer, bringing a lot of new audiences for the band...
Michael: Yes, that was a great opportunity for us. We were on the same management as Metallica. They had the ...And Justice for All album out. We got to be on tour with Metallica and part of that world tour of theirs. It was great. It was sometimes very challenging to play in front of a Metallica audience because they can be very demanding and not interested in the opening band. [*laughs*]
How did this tour change your life with the band?
Michael: I think we just kept growing as musicians and we had more opportunities and were very about pushing the envelope musically. If you look at the first seven albums, they all were a bit different from each other. That's the way we wanted. We didn't want to tread in the same water and have every album sound the same. It was important for us to really stretch the boundaries, really move 
forward in our playing and just keep the music interesting for us. I think that's how we've done it from the beginning and we're still doing it today.
As I said earlier, tickets are selling very well for many of the shows on this upcoming European show. I guess it's safe to say that nostalgia sells, right?
Michael: Right. Our manager told us a bunch of the shows are sold out and a lot of them are nearing sell out. We're really excited to get over there. We're over there for four weeks, I think, and we're going to bring this tour over there. We're going to bring it, and people are going to really enjoy this.
THE MUSICAL EVOLUTION OF QUEENSRŸCHE
No doubt they surely will. Overall, both the EP and The Warning album were not only important releases for the band, but they also were important and very liked releases for the worldwide heavy metal community because they sounded a little bit different; a tad more progressive and unique compared to many other heavy metal bands from those days. How would you personally view those first two Queensrÿche releases for the evolution of Queensrÿche's sound and, in particular, how the band's sound started shaping up from those days on when you started finding more and more your individual sound?
Michael: Like I said, it was a natural progression to push the boundaries as musicians. We were a live band. We toured all the time. We got to open for some great bands. You're always learning. You're learning the business side of the industry as well as the 
performance and the creative side. With each record, we just kept moving forward. Like I said, we came up at a great time for music when there were lots of record companies.
There were still print magazines, and people listened to cassettes and records. In a sense, that creates a bond for the fans. They remember that back when they were going to school or when they were younger or when they were a teenager seeing Queensrÿche live, I think that it makes a huge mark in their memory. It's great to see the old-school fans coming out to the shows.
I might say that we're starting to see a lot of young kids come to our shows and that's very cool. They're checking these old guys out. It's a varied audience. We've got lots of young kids. We've got the middle. We've got the old faithful fans. It's just a great time for us. We can hardly wait to get on the airplane and head to Finland.
Awesome! What will happen in the Queensrÿche camp right after this European tour is over? Are you going to focus on your new songs so that you can enter the studio as soon as possible to record the band's next album?
Michael: After the European tour, we come back, and then we're doing the Monsters of Rock cruise. Then after that, we're going to South America and doing the Monsters of Rock festivals in Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Chile. After that, then hopefully we can concentrate on a new Queensrÿche album.
REALITY CHECK IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Oh, and speaking of releasing new music, you've also said that bands make their living mostly on the road nowadays because people don't really buy physical releases like they did before this digital world took over the music business. That means bands also need to make sure they can sell as much merchandise as they can on tours because fortunately people are at least still buying tour shirts and stuff when they go to concerts to see bands.
Michael: It's sad but true. That's the reality of it now. You don't really make a lot of money off digital spins. When
people bought albums back in the '80s, you made respectable royalties, but now it's like you get so many spins and you can't even buy a Starbucks coffee with the money you make. Like you said, you have got to sell merchandise and tour and that's pretty much how it goes.
Are you worried about unofficial bootleg stuff, like shirts that you can sometimes see for sale in some countries?
Michael: It's inevitable. There's always going to be people trying to take advantage of what you're selling and copy it. It's unfortunate, but you can't stop at all. We discourage it. It's petty. It's not fair. Especially in Europe, there's lots of places where that happens, so it's tough.
Well, I guess that was all I had in mind for this conversation, so thanks a lot for your time, Michael. It was nice to talk to you, and I also want to wish you all the best for the upcoming European tour.
Michael: Thank you so much. Queensrÿche will be in your town in a couple of weeks.
Welcome to Finland then. Until then, bye for now.
Michael: Bye-bye
| Other information about Queensrÿche on this site |
| Review: Greatest Hits |
| Review: Operation: Livecrime |
| Review: Rage For Order |
| Review: The Warning |
| Review: Operation: Mindcrime |
| Review: Operation: Mindcrime |
| Review: Operation: Mindcrime II |
| Review: Operation: Mindcrime II |
| Review: Queensryche |
| Review: Condition Hüman |
| Review: Queensrÿche |
| Review: The Verdict |
| Review: Digital Noise Alliance |
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