WILTON On New QUEENSRŸCHE Singer: 'We Get To Play Songs Like They Are On Original Recordings'

Amps And Green Screens recently conducted an interview with QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Amps And Green Screens: Michael, the fan reaction to the little bit of new material that's already out is downright rabid. That's gotta feel pretty good, right? Everyone is dying to get their hands on this album. Tell me about what you and the guys are feeling right now, especially live.

Michael: Obviously, with the internet, and the advance singles, the songs have gone viral, and it's great when you have five guys that are working together, and no one more special than the other, and it's just a collaboration. I mean, the amenities of the group and their creative elements, personal elements, just felt so right, and worked so well together, and bringing Jim Barton back into the fold to produce the album, you know, it just felt like 1989 again.

Amps And Green Screens: Many of the more mature fans, myself included, are very happy with the length of this album, as it really feels like quality over quantity. With that said… how much do you have prepped for the next record?

Michael: Well, it just depends. We had deadlines and schedules. Originally, this was just gonna be an EP, and we were lucky to get the nine tunes on there, and a couple of little short bits. Every song was special, and like you said, we feel each one of these songs is its own entity; there's no filler or B-sides. And I remember my very first VAN HALEN records, some of those were really short, but it was quality! You're not sitting there going next, next, next. each song flows into the next one, and this was bringing the heart back into it, not being dictated by outside forces. Let's do this 'till it's natural. Who knows how many we'll have on the next record? We definitely have ample material. We'll work with Jim Barton again, and we'll make the next album just as important as this self-titled one.

Amps And Green Screens: What's your favorite thing about playing live with Todd [La Torre, singer]?

Michael: For one, we get to play the songs like they are on the CD, just like the original recordings. You know, there's a magic in that when you're playing the songs and people say, "Wow! That sounds just like the CD!" And he's doing all the high parts, and he's got so much energy, he's a wildman, a fireball out there, and what's great is it's not all about him. He comes over and it's just a new energy onstage, interacting with everybody, and it's fresh every time we perform. There's no contrived aspect of it.

Read the entire interview from Amps And Green Screens.