“I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times when we thought: ‘Let’s just abandon the concept, and write some good songs’”: How Queensryche made conspiracy theory-based masterpiece Operation: Mindcrime,

Queensryche posing for a photograph in the late 80s.

With its epic concept about junkie assassins, shadowy organisations and conspiracy theories, Queensryche’s third album, 1988’s Operation: Mindcrime, is one of the most acclaimed metal records of that decade. In 2005, original singer Geoff Tate and former guitarist Chris DeGarmo looked back on the making of a state-of-the-art prog metal classic.