Todd La Torre

Todd La Torre (; born February 19, 1974) is an American singer and multi-instrumentalist. He is the lead singer for progressive metal band Queensrÿche, and a former lead vocalist of the bands Crimson Glory and Rising West. Originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, he learned to play the drums at a young age.

Early life La Torre was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida in a musical family. His mother would take him to jazz and R&B concerts of David Sanborn, Spyro Gyra, Lee Ritenour, George Benson and Al Jarreau, while his father introduced him to music of Earl Klugh, Steely Dan and Billy Joel.

La Torre got his first drum set at the age of seven. When he was 13 years old, his father got him a drum kit, playing hundreds of shows.

Career After graduation, La Torre made his living in the early 90s as a full-time musician as drummer for several bands in the Tampa Bay club circuit,

La Torre liked singing, and was formally announced by the band as their singer and frontman in May 2010, replacing vocalist Wade Black. Although he was never seeking out being the frontman of a band, "it just happened". His first official appearance with Crimson Glory was on October 30, 2010, at the Pathfinder Metal Fest in Marietta, Georgia.

In November 2011, it was announced the band was working on a new album with La Torre. In February 2013, however, La Torre announced he had parted ways with Crimson Glory due to the band's inactivity. La Torre explained: "We had wonderful momentum and we were working within an important window of time within which the new record should have been recorded and released to have the most impact given the bands resurgence. Unfortunately, the record never materialized despite my best efforts, [and] I haven't been contacted to write with Crimson Glory for over six months."

Rising West (2012) La Torre and Queensrÿche guitarist Michael Wilton met at the buffet of a Seymour Duncan private dinner party during the NAMM Show in January 2012, where La Torre first mistook Wilton for Eric Peterson from the band Testament, complimenting him for a show that Peterson had played the night before at the Grove. They ended up talking for a good hour at dinner, and discussed the possibility of recording vocals on previously unreleased songs by Wilton for a TV sports reel Wilton sent him four demos via email, They decided to hold performances under the name Rising West (named after a lyric from the Queensrÿche album The Warning). Rising West performed two sold-out shows at Seattle's Hard Rock Cafe on June 8 and 9, 2012.

Queensrÿche (2012–current)

By the time La Torre performed with Rising West, differences between Tate and his bandmates in Queensrÿche led to Tate being dismissed from the band on June 5, 2012. Several weeks later, Tate and his wife Susan filed a lawsuit against Rockenfield, Wilton and Jackson, claiming Tate was illegally fired from the band. The judge ruled in a preliminary injunction that both sides may use the name Queensrÿche until a verdict or settlement decided which party would ultimately be given the rights, after which Tate started his own band. It was revealed to the public on April 28, 2014, that Rockenfield, Wilton and Jackson were given the exclusive rights to the Queensrÿche trademark, officially making La Torre the lead singer of Queensrÿche in Tate's place.

Although La Torre played with the band as Rising West, he was not privy to any information concerning tensions within the band at the time. continuing under the name Queensrÿche. In retrospect, he feels that he is a suitable candidate because Tate has been an inspiration to him, saying: "there's lots of guys that sing higher notes and maybe cleaner and could do it a little better that way, but I think that the subtleties and those little nuances that Geoff [Tate] was always so known for, was something that I just grasped at a very early age. And I think those characteristics are what kind of separates someone from being to able to hit notes, and someone being able to actually sell the song as a vocalist."

La Torre was actively involved with the songwriting for the self-titled album released in 2013 by writing the majority of the lyrics, several melodies, and some drum and guitar parts. La Torre is currently focused on being the band's singer and frontman, but he and Rockenfield have already discussed the possibility to also incorporate his drumming in live performances alongside Rockenfield,

Of all the members in his version of Queensrÿche, La Torre has been most forthcoming about his views on the band Tate had formed while awaiting the verdict or settlement, which reportedly includes guest appearances from other artists.

La Torre is endorsed by Mérida Guitars.

In 2014, La Torre collaborated with former Megadeth guitarist Glen Drover on a single called "Discordia".

In 2016, La Torre reunited with his former Crimson Glory bandmate Jeff Lords on the latter's current project Dark Matter, singing guest vocals on their sophomore release, Encipher.

In 2017, La Torre announced that he was working on his long-awaited solo album, with his friend Craig Blackwell as co-songwriter, while simultaneously recording his third album with Queensrÿche. Later that year, La Torre collaborated with Metal Church on a new version of their song "Fake Healer" (originally from Blessing in Disguise). The song (studio version) was released on Metal Church's live album "Classic Live" (2017). La Torre also participated in the video that was made.

In 2019, La Torre collaborated with Michael Sweet of Stryper and guitarist Andy James in Sweet's song "Son of Man", which will be on Sweet's upcoming album titled "Ten".

In 2020, Rat Pak Records announced the completion of La Torre's first solo album, Rejoice in the Suffering, with a scheduled release date of February 5, 2021.

Singing style

La Torre's singing voice and style has been compared to that of Geoff Tate's in the 1980s and early 1990s. Commenting on his position in Queensrÿche, he has said: "I always try to honor what Geoff [Tate] did vocally. He was a huge inspiration, and I try to represent [Queensrÿche] to the best of my ability, but I also, you know, do put [in] a little bit of my flavor, which is a little edgier and a little grittier at times. And, you know, I try to be authentic but me at the same time." He also considers Tate to be a legendary artist, who shaped "a certain unique defined sound that was very influential to me".

Discography

Queensrÿche Queensrÿche (2013) Condition Hüman (2015) The Verdict (2019) Digital Noise Alliance (2022)

Solo Rejoice in the Suffering (2021)

Crimson Glory "Garden of Shadows" (Demo)

Guest appearances Rockstar Superstar Project (2010): vocals on "Do It For You" (featuring Bruce Kulick from Kiss) Jon Oliva's Pain – Festival (2010): backing vocals and hammered dulcimer on "Afterglow" Craig Blackwell & Kelly Nunn – "No More Hellos" (2010): drums Tommy Vitaly – Hanging Rock (2012): vocals on "Hands of Time" Dark Matter - Encipher (2016): guest vocals on tracks 1, 3, 4, and 7 Metal Church: Fake Healer (bonus studio track) | Classic Live (2017) Walls of Blood with Glen Drover - Imperium (2019): vocals on Track 2, "Discordia", released as a stand-alone single in 2014 Craig Blackwell – "Does It Really Matter" (unreleased): songwriting, drums, vocals