‘Mindcrime’ stands strong, 25 years later

Initially, his bandmates in Queensrÿche were leery of the idea of the concept album. They later got on board to record “Operation: Mindcrime,” based on a dark and twisted love story surrounding a prostitute turned nun who later ends up murdered and the circumstances surrounding her death.

Tate and his new lineup consisting of musicians who have played with well-known rock bands including AC/DC, Dio, and Quiet Riot, are performing the album in its entirety during the 25th Anniversary “Operation: Mindcrime” Tour 2013 that makes a stop in Albuquerque on April 12.

“I’m really attached to that record,” he said during a recent telephone interview. “It’s a very important record for me personally. It was a goal and dream I had to write a concept record and all the music related to that story. It was kind of my baby.”

In the 1980s, Tate lived about a year in Montreal, a city that he described as interesting and culturally divided between the French and the English. Tate said he frequented a dive bar called Saint of Peace, where many patrons were part of the French separatist movement.

“I met with them and we were debating philosophies and ideas and the idea for that album started happening,” he said.

One snowy night, Tate was drawn to a beautiful old Catholic church built in the 1800s.

	Queensrÿche, 25th Anniversary ‘Operation: Mindcrime’ Tour WHEN: 7 p.m. April 12 WHERE: Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque, 11000 Broadway SE HOW MUCH: $15-$35 at holdmyticket.com

“There was a choir singing, the candles were all lit and it was kind of warm inside and there was this steamy vapor in the air, very magical,” he said. “The storyline came to me and I grabbed my notepad and began writing feverishly and wrote the first draft.”

Tate said he finished the storyline in about a week, but the process of producing the album was time-consuming, including auditioning actors to read dialogue and capturing a number of sound effects such as falling rain.

Tate said performing “Operation: Mindcrime” 25 years later with a new lineup “feels great” and is “incredibly refreshing.” Queensrÿche’s new album, “Frequency Unknown,” is scheduled for release on April 23. Some of the new music will be part of this tour, but the focus will be “Operation: Mindcrime,” according to Tate.

“This stuff is very challenging to play,” Tate said. “A lot of musicians and a lot of people don’t realize what goes into that. Same thing with a song – Queensrÿche music is complex. There’s a lot happening that you don’t catch off the bat.”