Queensryche Members Roles Questioned By ‘Operation: Mindcrime II’ Producer, Session Guitarist

The details of the legal matter between Geoff Tate and the remaining members of Queensryche continue to spill out by the day. The latest piece of info to make headlines is the sworn declaration from past Queensryche producer Jason Slater, who questions the involvement of the band members during the recording of past releases.

Blabbermouth claims that in a sworn declaration in support of Geoff Tate's motion for a preliminary injunction against the band, Slater claims that Scott Rockenfield, Michael Wilton, and Eddie Jackson had little to no involvement in the recording of the 2006 album, 'Operation: Mindcrime II.'

Slater, who worked on the band's last three albums, says, "When I met the band, everyone seemed enthusiastic about making the CD, but as we began working, none of the band members except for Geoff Tate were interested in contributing, showing up for recording sessions or participating in any fashion. On several occasions, studio time was arranged but none of the band members showed up. This left myself, Geoff Tate, and Mike Stone to write and record the record."

Slater adds, "Every attempt was made to include the band. They received copies of the songs after they were written and time was set aside for them to come in and record. We scheduled two weeks at a local studio to record Michael Wilton. When he showed up, he hadn't learned any of the songs, so all the time was spent trying to teach him the songs so he could record them." Slater says that since the attempts failed to have Wilton play the music, the guitar parts on the record were played by Slater and Stone.

Similar stories hold true for Rockenfield and Jackson. Slater says Rockenfield did not participate in the making of the disc at all, with a session drummer recording all the parts. Meanwhile Jackson used his studio time to learn the music, with the producer eventually recording a majority of the bass on the record.

The producer says of the aftermath of the disc, "The members of the band badmouthed the record to the press and important people in the industry until they saw the record getting favorable reviews. At that point, they started taking credit for all the work that was done in their absence."

Meanwhile, former Snake River Conspiracy guitarist Mitch Doran alleges at the MyLesPaul.com forum that he was the session guitarist mentioned in the depositions, and he adds, "I ended up re-playing 90% of the rhythm guitar on 'Operation: Mindcrime II' record and also wrote and played most of the guitar solos." He also backs up the claim that Rockenfield wasn't even on 'Operation: Mindcrime II' and that his friend Matt Lucich played all of the drums except for one bridge that he and Slater played on two kits for a song.