Queensrÿche has sold over 20 million albums worldwide, including over 6 million albums in the United States. They are considered one of the leaders of the progressive metal scene of the mid-to-late 1980s, and often referred to as one of the "Big Three" of the genre, along with Dream Theater and Fates Warning. The band received worldwide acclaim after the release of their 1988 album Operation: Mindcrime, which is often considered one of the greatest heavy metal concept albums of all time. Their follow-up release, Empire, released in 1990, was also very successful and included the hit single "Silent Lucidity". The band has received three Grammy Award nominations for songs from both albums. In 1998, drummer Rockenfield received an individual Grammy nomination.
Also in 1998, guitarist and primary songwriter Chris DeGarmo left the band for personal reasons, returning briefly in 2003 to write and record the Tribe album. Over the years, his replacements have been Kelly Gray, Mike Stone, and Parker Lundgren. Following a highly publicized backstage altercation before a show in São Paulo, Brazil, in April 2012, Tate was fired from the band and replaced with then-Crimson Glory singer Todd La Torre. In response to his dismissal, Tate and his wife Susan (who served as the band's manager from 2005 to 2012) filed a lawsuit in a Washington court, claiming that he was wrongfully terminated. The ruling in the preliminary injunction was that both parties were allowed to use the name Queensrÿche until a court ruling or a settlement decided who would get to use the name. A settlement was reached on April 17, 2014, in which founding members Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson were awarded the rights to the band trademark, continuing to play with the lineup that additionally includes singer La Torre and guitarist Lundgren.
During the time, both parties could use the name Queensrÿche, Tate created his own lineup featuring former guitarist Gray and musicians from bands including Blue Öyster Cult, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Dio, AC/DC and Quiet Riot. This version of Queensrÿche with Geoff Tate released the album Frequency Unknown on April 23, 2013, while Queensrÿche (with La Torre replacing Tate) released their eponymous album on June 24 and 25, 2013 (European and American release date, respectively). Both bands toured in 2013 and 2014.
Full article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensrÿche
Studio albums
The Warning (1984)
Rage for Order (1986)
Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
Empire (1990)
Promised Land (1994)
Hear in the Now Frontier (1997)
Q2K (1999)
Tribe (2003)
Operation: Mindcrime II (2006)
Take Cover (2007)
American Soldier (2009)
Dedicated to Chaos (2011)
Queensrÿche (2013)
Condition Hüman (2015)
The Verdict (2019)
Digital Noise Alliance (2022)
Geoff Tate's Queensrÿche
Frequency Unknown (2013)
sp00L
Queensrÿche Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turn another turn, sp00L...
I think therefore I am, familiar to most?
How long did we eat the seed planted by our host?
4 billion years between our ears
still hatred brings us many tears
Why when we're only looking for the same high?
Grind time for old misconceptions.
Roll out new scenery as per suggestion.
Won't salute you. Won't desert you.
Won't be a prisoner of assumption anymore.
Does language define us? Is reality... words?
How far do we appear to be...
is the measure of... scope. But...
with our junkie soul, we face the need,
of nature's planned dependency.
Don't hold contempt for ecstasy
just... mourn the dead... on the (national) screen,
mourn the dead... on the screen, mourn the dead...
on the screen, mourn the dead... while they scream!!!
Grind time for old misconceptions.
Roll out new scenery as per suggestion.
Won't salute you. Won't desert you.
sp00L
Turn another turn!
Turn another turn!
sp00L
Turn another turn!
Don't need persuading by the status quo.
We can make changes.
If we open up we'll see... the history they sell us
holds the structure firm, reinforce the mold.
We need to strip it all away....
and let the sp00L turn, turn,
another turn,
another turn.
Watch it turn, watch it turn. What we'll learn.
Grind time for old misconceptions.
Roll out new scenery as per suggestion.
Won't salute you. Won't desert you.
sp00L
Turn another turn!
Turn another turn!
sp00L
Turn another turn!
Push away what they're selling me,
realize what we need to be.
Focus on a strategy to
open up our minds and then,
together... turn another turn.
The song "sp00L" by Queensrÿche is a commentary on the human condition, exploring themes of self-awareness, societal norms, and the need for change. The intriguing title, "sp00L," is a play on the word "spool," which can be defined as a cylindrical object on which film, magnetic tape, thread, or wire is wound. This creates a visual metaphor of the human mind continually unwinding and rewinding thoughts and memories, as we try to make sense of the world around us.
The opening lines, "Turn another turn...Turn another turn, sp00L," suggests a repetitive cycle of thoughts and actions. It is as if the singer is urging themselves to keep moving forward, to not get stuck in the same loops of thought and behavior. The next lines reference the concept of "I think therefore I am," made famous by philosopher Rene Descartes. This leads the singer to question how long humanity has been following the same patterns, eating the same "seed" planted by society. Four billion years between our ears alludes to the evolutionary history of humans, but despite this, hatred and judgment still plague us.
The song moves on to ask if language defines us and if our perception of reality is limited to the words we use to describe it. The singer is pushing for a new perspective, to strip away the old societal constructs that reinforce the mold. They urge the listener to focus on a strategy to open up our minds and continue turning the spool, to learn and grow.
Line by Line Meaning
Turn another turn...
Continuously move forward and make progress
Turn another turn, sp00L...
Encouragement to keep moving forward and not get stuck in old ways or habits
I think therefore I am, familiar to most?
A philosophical question about the nature of existence and how widely it is understood
How long did we eat the seed planted by our host?
A metaphor for how long humans have been living off the resources of the planet without actively replenishing or protecting them
4 billion years between our ears
A reference to the age of the Earth and how much history is contained within human minds
still hatred brings us many tears
Despite all the progress humanity has made, hatred and conflict still cause great pain and suffering
Still we judge each other...
A commentary on how humans still discriminate and stereotype each other based on surface-level characteristics
Why when we're only looking for the same high?
Questioning why humans aren't able to connect and empathize with each other despite having similar goals and desires
Grind time for old misconceptions.
Urging people to let go of outdated beliefs and ideas
Roll out new scenery as per suggestion.
Encouraging people to explore new perspectives and ways of thinking
Won't salute you. Won't desert you.
A declaration of independence and self-determination
Does language define us? Is reality... words?
Philosophical questions about how language shapes our understanding of the world
How far do we appear to be...
Questioning how we perceive distance and separation
is the measure of... scope. But...
Continuation of the previous line, discussing how scope (or perception) affects our understanding of the world
with our junkie soul, we face the need, of nature's planned dependency.
A commentary on how humans are dependent on nature for survival, but often fail to acknowledge or respect that dependency
Don't hold contempt for ecstasy, just... mourn the dead... on the (national) screen, mourn the dead...
Urging people to enjoy life and not hold back, but also to acknowledge and grieve for those who have passed away
on the screen, mourn the dead... while they scream!!!
A possible reference to violence and tragedy being broadcasted in the media, and how it can be both horrifying and captivating
We can make changes.
An optimistic statement about human potential to create positive change
If we open up we'll see... the history they sell us holds the structure firm, reinforce the mold.
An observation about how history can be used to justify the status quo and discourage people from questioning it
We need to strip it all away....
Advocating for a clean break from old ways of thinking and behaving
and let the sp00L turn, turn, another turn, another turn.
Using the spool metaphor to encourage people to keep moving forward and keep making progress
Watch it turn, watch it turn. What we'll learn.
Observing how things change and evolve over time, and how we can learn from those changes
Push away what they're selling me, realize what we need to be.
Encouraging people to resist external pressures and focus on their own needs and values
Focus on a strategy to open up our minds and then, together... turn another turn.
Proposing a collaborative effort to break out of old habits and create new ways of thinking and living
Contributed by Benjamin W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.