No matter what has happened in the past ten years, due to lack of communication or different perspectives and tastes in music, I would have wanted everyone to move on without things gettting ugly. It would be selfish to want the band to continue as an entity when they were obviously not happy anymore. I am sure both sides have made mistakes and I am not even surprised as we've witnessed the downward spiral. Album sales had decreased, the style of music had changed, the band did not look happy on stage. Sure it is their day job and after 30 years I won't expect the energy of a brand new band that enjoys their newly found fame. But never ever would I expect things to unfold the way they did. So I am not so much surprised about the split, but HOW it all came down.

I've had a hard time dealing with this whole mess, it simply hurts and I've felt paralyzed for weeks. Sure there are more important things in life than mourning a band, but it's really the bad vibes that are killing me. With all the legal documents available I am doubting if everything I ever supported was all just fake. At times I even felt betrayed because all the positive emotions that come with my Queensryche memories now seem to be tarnished.

It felt like witnessing a divorce, a slow motion train wreck. I did't know how to deal with it and withdrew from all public discussions. Some people even deleted me from their Facebook list for staying neutral...and you know what? I am glad those contacts are history as I don't want to be surrounded by shallow intolerant people.

Some "fans" expect others to take sides and drop the other party. Others are full of hate and start bashing the "hostile" side; a few even to a point where it gets tasteless and personal. I wonder how they could have called themselves "fans" in the past if they just jump on the bandwagon and take low shots themselves. They all of a sudden become experts without even personally being involved and hide behind the anonymity of the Internet to insult and attack. These nasty side effects make it even harder to cope with this legal monster.

Then I encounter people who are asking me to explain what happened, and some expect a 30 seconds answer. But 30 years of Queensryche are way too complex to summarize in just a few sentences; there seem to be many details in what led to what we now see as the "new Queensryche".

There is tons of crazy information available at a mouse click, yet I will abstain from posting links. As this is a fan site, it's supposed to be fun and spread positive energy. So if you are interested in finding out the details, you may do the research on your own and make up your mind afterwards.

Ever since June I have been soul searching where I stand on this matter. Do I have to choose one side? Can I still support both QR and GT? Do I want to support both parties? Geoff has been my idol, but no matter how hurt he must be, there is certain behaviour that requires an apology; first and foremost to the band members, but also to the fans who are forced to witness all of this. Anyone can blow up or breakdown, we are all human beings - but once cooled down, you should take the necessary steps to regain credibility, dignity and respect. Wasn't that what Geoff represented for so many of us?

So enough with the bla bla! I want my Ryche spirit to return and that's why I drove 500 miles to welcome Todd to the German Empire while he was touring Europe with his first progressive metal band, Crimson Glory. I've met him in Essen (Germany) on August 17th, 2012 and when I asked him for an interview he did not hestitate one bit - with the exception that he is not allowed to talk about anything involving legal issues. As I had already been expecting this, I've prepared my questions accordingly and there wasn't one he did not answer. He sat down with us and gave us his extensive perception of how he came to meet the band and the current dynamics.

I've gotten to know Todd as an approachable and humble person, very down to earth. After hearing him sing with Crimson Glory I am even more excited to hear some new material - it is a pity that he hasn't recorded his own material up until now as his voice is just amazing!

After the show he enjoyed hanging with us til the early morning when Crimson Glory had to leave for the airport to travel to their next show...

Queen of the Reich? Queen of the Masquerade? Take hold!