With over 30 years in the business and over 30 million albums sold, hard rock band Queensryche’s decision making process certainly has had the scales in its favor. Time and again, the three-time Grammy nominated rockers have churned out heavy, progressive collections like Operation Mindcrime, Empire and Condition Human. Now with its 16^th album release, The Verdict, Queensryche is leaving the decisions to its peers, if songs like “Blood of the Levant” and “Man the Machine” will fall in line with classic hits like “Jet City Woman”, “Another Rainy Night (Without You)”, “Silent Lucidity”, “I AM I” and “Sign of the Times”.

Michael Wilton, Queensryche’s guitarist, called from rehearsals in Florida to discuss The Verdict’s writing process, being a part of the Queensryche team, touring and some of his own quick decision making on the fairway.

The Seattle, Wash., based Wilton, commented that he was enjoying the warmth of Florida and escaping the record-breaking West Coast snowstorms back home, praised producer Chris Harris (nickname Zeuss). Harris had previously worked with Queensryche on 2015’s Condition Human. 

“For this album, Queensryche has been touring off the previous release, Condition Human, a lot of the touring has filtered into the writing process,” Wilton said about being in the studio and creating energy. “Touring and playing live – it’s hard not to get that.  You might as well write songs that energize the crowd. 

“The writing process for The Verdict is a bit different than the previous albums, where the demo songs were more or less 100-percent done. With this situation there was a bunch of scattered ideas and bits and trying to make sense of them. It was kind of a think tank writing process that we did with Zeuss, our producer, who we used on the previous album. He was the great organizer because we are not organized at all.

It’s hard to imagine them not being organized. Between late 2016 and 2018, the band performed barely took the time to unpack its suitcases from such road treks throughout the United States, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Mexico, France and Spain – so it’s easy to understand how the process behind The Verdict had to be all-hands on deck. 

And trust. 

“The album is very personal to us, it was just a bunch of ideas that has blossomed into this really great recording,” Wilton said. “I remember we used to do this in the early days, the early 80s, we used to do this, back then it was micro cassettes and Walkman’s, and we’d share ideas and everything. This was kind of like that. It was a lot of work, but it was justified. 

“It’s kind of what being in a band is all about, you know. Trusting in everybody’s creative elements to come up with this song that you don’t really know how it’s going to turn out, but you know it’s going to turn out really cool.”

The title itself is something that Wilton says should be left to Queensryche fans for discussion. But he does reveal that the album’s artwork has deeper meaning. 

“The verdict is an open-ended statement,” Wilton said. When you look at the album cover it’s symbolizes the scales of justice that are being held by this red-robed figure and they’re out of balance. And the seas behind him are violent and its just kind of a view of a portion of the world that we’ve seen is kind of out of balance. The verdict is an open-ended question – what is the verdict? What is going to happen? 

“If you look on the back of the album cover, all of a sudden the seas are calm. It’s a one of those grow-on you ideas that we leave for the listener…”

One of the first songs written from the album is “Man The Machine” Wilton said. 

“We wanted to hit something energetic and that shows the dynamic of the band,” he said. “‘Man the Machine’ is a good live song, I think we’ll be playing it live. There’s so many songs that are on here that people are going to enjoy.”

The Verdict, all 10 tracks, have the core Queensryche sound, and is a great introduction to the band for those wanting to expand their musical library. 

“It’s got that blend, that DNA, we’re the guys that have been with the band over 35 years so,” Wilton said. “It’s got that element and people that are fans of Queensryche I think will instantly pick that up. It’s in the writing process, you know. We’re going to hit you in the face with every song.”

Hitting things isn’t exactly new to Wilton. The former baseball standout, an infielder, is a lifelong Seattle Mariners fan and faced his own decisions in choosing a career path. 

“Those were the formative years, your teens. I played baseball, but I also played guitar, bass guitar,” he said. “It came down to one or the other – what are going to do with your life? I chose the path of music rather than sports. 

The Mariners have reciprocated the love for the hometown band and have invited the guys over the years to throw out a first pitch or two. Wilton is optimistic that 2019 will be a great year for the baseball team. 

“Hopefully they can get it get it together and get the right combination of players that have the staying power for the whole season,” Wilton said. “I compare that to a band – when someone’s hurt or someone’s down, they have another guy that can fill in. It’s important – it’s the Seattle Mariners. With us – it’s Queensryche.”

The one strike that has been against The Verdict is the PledgeMusic origins, a crowdfunding source. Queensryche used the platform for fans to pre-order and have a unique role in the completion. Unfortunately, along with thousands of other artists like Steve Vai to The Kooks to Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, Queensryche’s campaign was suspended, with much of the monies in limbo. Wilton’s voice is confident and sincere when says that he is looking for answers and the band’s biggest concerns are its fans. 

It’s also a reminder of all the workings within the machine that goes into being in and promoting an album. 

“We took a huge hit, we had to place orders with the record company, net 30 days, place orders with the merchandise company, which they want payment on delivery,” he said. “And, we’re not talking just a few orders here. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yeah, it sucks. It’s left a salty taste in my mouth definitely.”

It’s not going to stop the momentum. Wilton said Queensryche is stoked for smaller venues, arenas, theatres to this summer’s Fezen Festival in Hungary.

“The sum of it and as long as you’re playing the songs, they want to hear them, and there’s a big demand the machine keeps rolling,” he said, adding that he enjoys any stage no matter the size.

“I look at it as opportunity. I have been doing this 37 years. I’ve kind of seen it all. I like it all. You take it all in. I’m just fortunate that I get to play live for a living. It’s super fun, I love my gig.”

Mentally preparing for the gig each night on The Verdict Tour is the same no matter the venue or audience size. Wilton jokes that right before he goes on stage he’s wondering about the Mariners or if he should eat before or after the show. 

“It’s more of a getting your mind and body into a higher state of awareness,” he said. “You’re absorbed, consumed right in that moment. You’ve turned the system button on and it’s time to perform. The problem is if you start enjoying it too much, you’ll lose your concentration, so it’s more about being professional. Queensryche music – you have to be on your ‘A’ game to perform it. It’s not something you can just drop out and go shake someone’s hand or something. 

Laser focus. Preciseness. Not backing down. The verdict is in for Wilton – besides his family and maybe a round of golf, Queensryche begins and ends his sentence. Sure, there’s a bump or two in the road, like PledgeMusic, or reptiles in his way, but he’s staying on track. 

“I was in Orlando and golfing with a buddy and there was a pond and there was this big alligator just sitting there. I’m like “Oh my God! What do I do!” Actually I just left the ball there and got a new one,” Wilton said about his memories of Florida and life outside of Queensryche. “It was a big one. That was interesting. That’s quite a hazard on the golf course in Florida.

“I’m fairly introverted. I’m consumed by my job. I don’t really have a lot of free time and the free time I have is with my family, my wife. I’m kind of an ordinary guy…a little crazy. A bit of work-a-holic. My golf game has suffered – I’ve been touring so much. I’m on a runaway train to oblivion.”