The original lineup consisted of guitarists Michael Wilton and Chris DeGarmo, drummer Scott Rockenfield, bassist Eddie Jackson, and lead vocalist Geoff Tate.

Following a highly publicized backstage altercation before a show in São Paulo, Brazil, in April 2012, Tate was fired from the band and replaced with then-Crimson Glory singer Todd La Torre.

In response to his dismissal, Tate and his wife Susan (who served as the band's manager from 2005 to 2012) filed a lawsuit in a Washington court, claiming that he was wrongfully terminated.

[5] A settlement was reached on April 17, 2014,[6] in which founding members Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson were awarded the rights to the band trademark, continuing to perform with the lineup that additionally includes lead vocalist La Torre and guitarist Lundgren.

[7] During the time both parties could use the name Queensrÿche, Tate created his own lineup featuring former rhythm guitarist Gray and musicians from bands including Blue Öyster Cult, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Dio, AC/DC and Quiet Riot.

[16] They covered songs from popular heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, and practiced in the garage of Rockenfield's parents[15] which they called "The Dungeon" and fitted with egg cartons as acoustic cladding.

[20] The spelling "Queensreich" was modified to prevent association of the band with Nazism;[22] "ryche" is a Middle English cognate to "Reich" which, like the German word, can mean "realm", "kingdom" or "empire".

[20] On the strength of the growing buzz that surrounded them in both the United States and Europe following this review, the Harrises released Queensrÿche's demo tape as a self-titled EP on their independent label 206 Records in 1983.

[21][24] After the EP garnered international praise, receiving much airplay and selling an unusual number of copies for a small independent release,[20] Tate agreed to leave Myth and become Queensrÿche's permanent lead singer.

[27][28] Rage for Order, released in 1986, introduced a much more polished look and sound for Queensrÿche, while the band was pressured by their management to adopt an image more closely associated with glam metal.

Queensrÿche supported Rage for Order with a tour that included opening for AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne and Ratt,[30][31][32] and playing with other bands such as Black 'n Blue, Fates Warning, Gang Green, Keel and Raven.

The album gained critical acclaim and achieved gold status,[29] while its singles "Eyes of a Stranger" and "I Don't Believe in Love" gave Queensrÿche their first charting hits in America.

Tour manager Howard Ungerleider immediately stopped the show as the band was only playing the seventh song on the set list, "Roads to Madness".

The band played a handful of December shows in South America because of contractual obligations, and it was during this time, late 1997,[40] that founding member Chris DeGarmo announced he was leaving Queensrÿche.

Following the Q2K tour, Rockenfield and Gray formed the side project Slave to the System with band members from Brother Cane and recorded a self-titled album.

[16][46] The band entered the studio as a quartet in the spring of 2003 to record their eighth full-length album, while a compilation of greatest hits was released as part of the Classic Masters series on March 9, 2003.

The tour opened with a shortened greatest hits set, followed by a revised production of Operation: Mindcrime with live actors and video; Pamela Moore reprised her role as Sister Mary.

Before embarking on a third leg in the fall of 2005, Queensrÿche toured with Judas Priest across North America, playing an hour-long set consisting mostly of the band's older works and one song from the soon-to-be released sequel, entitled "I'm American".

The album contains covers of songs by Queen, U2, The Police, Black Sabbath, Peter Gabriel, and Pink Floyd, and was the band's second release for Rhino Records.

On February 3, 2009, Stone announced the end of his association with Queensrÿche to focus on his side project Speed-X, although court declarations later revealed Geoff and Susan Tate fired him for "making too many grand demands", without discussing their decision with the other band members.

According to Tate, Queensrÿche was already writing new material for a follow-up to Dedicated to Chaos as of June 2011,[58] and were discussing re-recording Operation: Mindcrime in late 2012, so they could do something special for a 25th anniversary edition.

[66] While Tate continued working on an upcoming solo album, Kings & Thieves, and a subsequent tour, Queensrÿche's other band members started the side project that eventually became Rising West.

"[68] Still in search of a frontman for the at-the-time unnamed project, Wilton recommended Todd La Torre to his bandmates,[69] the then-frontman of Crimson Glory, whom he had met several months prior at the NAMM Show in January 2012.

[44] When the band flew La Torre in from Florida to Seattle nine days before the show to rehearse at Rockenfield's house, they hadn't played a note together, nor did they know whether it would work.

[62] Meanwhile, Tate, along with his wife, moved forward with the lawsuit they had filed against his former bandmates, claiming unlawful termination[64] and seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent both himself and the remaining bandmembers from using the Queensrÿche name until the issue was resolved.

The campaign used the motto "Building The Empire", and offered regular pledge rewards such as CDs, exclusive access and equipment,[75] but also an investment opportunity for $50,000 in Queensrÿche Holdings, LLC to accredited investors.

[76] The campaign page revealed that recording would likely take place between December 1, 2014 and February 28, 2015, and that the album was expected to be ready for release in late spring or early summer 2015.

[78] Three months later, guitarist Michael Wilton spoke to interviewer Jennifer Kessinger at the 2015 Welcome to Rockville Festival about the songwriting progress of the album, which was being recorded at the Uberbeatz studio in Washington with producer Zeuss.

[citation needed] Guitarist Michael Wilton has stated that the band has been demoing new material while on the road, and is hoping to enter the studio to record the follow-up to Digital Noise Alliance sometime in 2025.

Artist Wes "Grizz" Griswold, who made the artwork for the Queensrÿche EP, used to sign his work with a doodle morphed from a crude drawing of a peregrine falcon.