Queensr˙che is an American prog metal band of the 1980s, formed near Seattle, Washington in 1981. Chris DeGarmo (guitar) and Michael Wilton (guitar) had played in cover bands, and then recruited Geoff Tate (vocals), Eddie Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums). This line-up began rehearsing and making a demo tape.
The demo tape was widely circulated, and Queensr˙che soon released Queen of the Reich (1983) on their own 206 Records label. The band then signed to EMI and re-released Queen of the Reich as Queensr˙che to moderate success, peaking at #81. This was followed by two more moderately successful albums, The Warning (1984) and Rage for Order (1986).
In 1988, Queensr˙che released Operation: Mindcrime, a massive critical and commercial success. Empire (1990) was just as popular, and also charted in the United Kingdom. By the time the group released Promised Land (1994), Queensr˙che was no longer hip as grunge music and alternative rock dominated the national consciousness. In spite of this, Promised Land managed to become a commercial success due to the band's sizable cult audience. Their follow-up, Hear in the New Frontier (1997), received mixed reviews. DeGarmo soon quit, replaced by Kelly Gray for Q2K (1999). Since then, the group has toured on Iron Maiden's reunion trip and released a Greatest Hits album.