QUEENSRYCHE

Playing to sold out shows in Melbourne and Sydney and a near on lock out show in Brisbane last time around, this tour will surely see a repeat of similar magnitude.

Guitarists Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton formed Queensrche in 1981 in the Seattle, WA, suburb of Bellevue. Both guitarists had been playing in heavy metal cover bands and had decided to form a group that would play original material. The duo recruited high school friends Geoff Tate (vocals) and bassist Eddie Jackson (bass), as well as drummer Scott Rockenfield.

Although they were initially grouped with the legions of pop-metal bands that dominated the American heavy metal scene of the '80s, Queensrche were one of the most distinctive bands of the era. Where their contemporaries built on the legacy of Van Halen, Aerosmith, and Kiss, Queensrche constructed a progressive form of heavy metal that drew equally from the guitar pyrotechnics of post-Van Halen metal and '70s art rock, most notably Pink Floyd and Queen.

Over the next few years, the group continued to refine its sound, opening for acts as diverse as Bon Jovi and Metallica. 1984's The Warning and 1986's Rage for Order were considered hits and sold well. Rage for Order also demonstrated a flowering of progressive rock influences; an idea that would reach its fruition with 1988's Operation: Mindcrime. The album was Queensrche's most ambitious and focused effort to date, earning both positive reviews and strong sales.

Breaking into the mainstream with the acclaimed Operation: Mindcrime, later followed by, Empire, this period marked one of the group's most successful eras. The hit single "Silent Lucidity" helped the band sell 2 million copies of the album. Empire proved to be their commercial high watermark, peaking at number seven on the U.S. charts and going double platinum in America; in the U.K., the album also cracked the Top Ten. In 1994 Queensrche finally delivered their sixth studio album, Promised Land, which went platinum and spawned two album rock hits, "I Am I" and "Bridge."

With 1997's Hear in the New Frontier, Queensrche stripped back their sound to the bare bones, leaving behind the prog rock influences that made them distinctive. This period saw the departure of founding guitarist Chris DeGarmo. Q2k followed in 1999, as new guitarist Kelly Gray took DeGarmo's place. The band landed the opening slot on one of the year's hottest metal concert tickets Iron Maiden's Brave New World reunion tour, which also included former Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford.

In 2004, the band released Operation: Mindcrime II, the long-awaited sequel to their 1988 conceptual smash. 2007 saw the dual release of Sign of the Times: The Best of Queensrche and Take Cover, the latter of which featured cover versions of songs by U2, Buffalo Springfield, and Andrew Lloyd Webber. During the following two years, Geoff Tate launched a series of one-on-one interviews with various military vets; he then funnelled what he'd learned into the band's next project, a concept album about war named American Soldier. Produced by Jason Slater(who had also helmed Operation: Mindcrime II), the album was released this year in March 2009.

For any fan that missed out last time, we issue you with a warning; do not leave it to the last moment to witness what will be an outstanding live performance from a truly accomplished artist.