The secret voice behind Operat

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It's official. The voice of Queensryche villan Dr. X will be played by none other than...the legendary Ronnie James Dio!

Ronnie will be singing the part of Dr. X on Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime II,the long-anticipated sequel to 1988’s acclaimed concept album Operation: Mindcrime. Praised by critics and certified platinum, the original remained on Billboard’s album chart for more than a year and its dynamic music and powerful message still resonate today. Operation Mindcrime II is due in record stores March 14, 2006.

Ronnie recently headed up to the Bay Area to record his part on the record, and commented on being chosen to play Dr. X: "I was flattered to be asked to be part of the Operation Mindcrime II project, and it was truly great to work with Geoff Tate again."

Operation: Mindcrime II contains a 15-song story and is performed by the Seattle-based quintet – singer and chief songwriter Geoff Tate; guitarists Michael Wilton and Mike Stone; bassist Eddie Jackson, and drummer Scott Rockenfield.

Tate says the current political and social climate inspired him to revisit the storyline. "I left the original open-ended with the intent to come back with a sequel to finish the story up," he says. "Considering where we are today and how little things have changed, it was too ironic not to continue the story."

Operation: Mindcrime’s intriguing and complex plot revolves around Dr. X, a political puppet master who brainwashes Nikki, the story’s main character, to assassinate corrupt public figures. The story also includes Nikki’s lover, Sister Mary. A former teenage prostitute who becomes a nun, Sister Mary is murdered mysteriously, leaving the cliffhanger "Who Killed Sister Mary?"

Set 20 years after the original, Operation: Mindcrime II explores Nikki’s fate after being released from prison and reveals the identity of Mary’s killer. "I tried to put myself in Nikki’s shoes and imagine what it would be like for him to come back to society after spending 20 years in jail stewing about what happened to him," Tate says. "I became fascinated with the concept of revenge and what that would do to a person like Nikki. The story is ultimately about how Nikki wrestles with his conflicted emotions. On one side, his base instincts are pushing him to kill those who wronged him. On the other side, his conscience–represented by the spirit of Sister Mary – urges him to learn from his past mistakes and find salvation."

Operation: Mindcrime II will feature the following tracks: 'I'm American', 'One Foot In Hell', 'Hostage', 'The Hands', 'Speed Of Light', 'Signs Say Go (Will I Surrender?)', 'Re-Arrange You', 'The Chase', 'A Murderer', 'Circles', 'If I Could Change It All', 'An Intentional Confrontation', 'A Junkie's Blues (Everything Will Be Alright)', 'Fear City Slide', 'All The Promises'.

For more information:
www.queensryche.com
www.ronniejamesdio.com

More Pictures:

Geoff Tate and Ronnie James Dio	The women behind the music: band managers Wendy Dio & Susan Tate	Tate and Dio