MYTH

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MYTH was a Seattle-area progressive hard rock band that Geoff Tate was in prior to joining Queensrÿche. MYTH got its start in 1980, featuring the lineup of Brett Young (vocals), Randy "Random Damage" Gane (keyboards), Jimmy Parsons (drums), Richard Gibson (bass) and Kelly Gray (guitar). In 1981, the band's lineup changed, wtih Tate replacing Young on vocals.

Unlike Queensrÿche (who were then called "The Mob," and primarily played cover songs), MYTH was a band writing and performing entirely original music in 1981. Ironically, a few of the titles and some lyrics from MYTH songs were re-translated into Queensrÿche, including "Walk in the Shadows," "Take Hold of the Flame," and "No Sanctuary." MYTH's version of "No Sanctuary" actually contained the same lyrics as the Queensrÿche version released on The Warning in 1984, albeit with very different music and melody.

When Queensrÿche secured its record deal, Tate left MYTH to commit to Queensrÿche and MYTH carried on, replacing Tate with its singer before Tate, Brett Young (who was the brother of RAIL lead singer Terry Young. In addition, Jimmy Parsons left the band, with Layne Antoneson replacing him on drums. MYTH went on to play some high profile local gigs, and this MYTH lineup appeared on the "Pacific Metal Project" compilation album with the track "Let Me Hear the Thunder." A few years later, Gane toured with Queensrÿche, playing keyboards during the band's tour supporting Rage for Order.

After awhile, MYTH disbanded, with Gray moving on to a couple of other bands before becoming a successful record producer. In 1998, the Queensrÿche connection with MYTH came full circle. The departure of chief songwriter and guitarist Chris DeGarmo left Queensrÿche with a huge hole that was filled by Kelly Gray. Tate and Gray had revived their musical relationship and this new version of Queensrÿche released Q2k in 1999. The union of Gray and Queensrÿche only lasted a few years, however, with Gray departing the group a short time after its performance on Nov. 21, 2001 at the Beacon Theatre in NYC, N.Y.

It should be noted that both Gray and Gane are credited as contributing performances (and writing, with regard to Gray) to Queensrÿche's (without DeGarmo) album, American Soldier, which was primarily written by producer Jason Slater. Additionally, Gray co-produced the record and is working as the band's "front of house sound" man on its 2009 tour. To date, MYTH remains disbanded.

Editor's Note: This historical summary is thanks in large part to the memories of Northwest Metal Historian Brett Miller and Brian Naron.

Releases

MYTH was never signed, but some of the band's material has made its way out to the public. Here are a few of the sources out there to hear them:

Pacific Metal Project: The Pacific Metal Project LP was a compilation that featured MYTH's post-Tate song, "Let Me Hear the Thunder."

Sign of the Times - The Best of Queensrÿche (Deluxe Edition): This two-disc compilation features three Tate-era MYTH tracks on the second disc, including "Take Hold of the Flame," "Walk in the Shadows" and "Before the Storm." The songs are completely different than the Queensrÿche songs of the same name.

In addition to those two official releases, a couple of bootlegs are floating around that feature a MYTH live show and demos from the Tate era. One in particular features one disc of MYTH tunes and one of Babylon material, a band Tate fronted before MYTH.

Photos & Misc. Scans

The first two photos are promotional shots of MYTH during the Tate era, the Tate individual picture was him during the MYTH days, and the final scan is a flyer from the post-Tate MYTH era, promoting a performance from Aug. 29, 1982.

Further Information

The Kelly Gray Myth
Mythology