Todd La Torre

Todd La Torre is an American rock vocalist possessed of a clear, dynamic, four-octave range. The former frontman for <a href="spotify:artist:2B73nUiRlcSwjTyVaIAwhR">Crimson Glory</a> has served as lead singer for prog-metallers <a href="spotify:artist:2OgUPVlWYgGBGMefZgGvCO">Queensrÿche</a> since 2012. An in-demand sideman, he has performed and recorded with several acts including <a href="spotify:artist:1vg0a7NOKvHrO1xY6pk2wM">Michael Sweet</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:66dQjdIjgXOHCcPfq0O4Gb">Dark Matter</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0exvkfkATkqWOJgugTjJhP">Metal Church</a>. La Torre issued his debut solo offering, Rejoice in the Suffering, on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rat+Pack%22">Rat Pack</a> in 2021.

La Torre was born in Florida in 1974 to jazz-loving parents who took him to many concerts at an early age. Though interested in playing drums at age seven -- he learned to play on a toy kit -- he began studying classical guitar at ten. At 13, his father bought him his first professional drum kit and a year later he was not only playing in his high school jazz band but also performing in literally hundreds of shows with local rock bands as either a drummer or a guitarist. During his teen years, La Torre learned the basics of four-track recording and demo'ed his own songs singing and playing guitar and drums.

After graduation, La Torre continued to perform with local hard rock and heavy metal bands, though he would play gigs with lounge and wedding cover bands just to hone his chops. While music was his passion, La Torre was practical: He started an upholstery business that he successfully ran for nearly 18 years. Through his twenties and into his thirties, La Torre worked as a drummer and as an occasional guitarist with a wide variety of local musicians. Though confident in his abilities as a backing vocalist, he never considered singing lead; he desired instead to pursue drumming as a professional.

In 2009, La Torre considered forming an <a href="spotify:artist:6mdiAmATAx73kdxrNrnlao">Iron Maiden</a> tribute band. His plans changed when <a href="spotify:artist:4A5lMJjgeichOwbMKs6Tn0">Circle II Circle</a> guitarist Matt LaPorte suggested him to <a href="spotify:artist:2B73nUiRlcSwjTyVaIAwhR">Crimson Glory</a> guitarist Jon Drenning to fill their vacant vocalist's chair. After rehearsals and an initial live appearance at ProgPower X that fall, La Torre joined <a href="spotify:artist:2B73nUiRlcSwjTyVaIAwhR">Crimson Glory</a>'s as lead singer. He toured with the band, but other than the demo for "Garden of Shadows," never recorded with them. Between 2010 and 2012, La Torre toured with <a href="spotify:artist:2B73nUiRlcSwjTyVaIAwhR">CG</a> and recorded in a guest capacity with <a href="spotify:artist:7hmwztTihCX0fsqSBf3lq0">Jon Oliva's Pain</a>, Craig Blackwell, Kelly Nunn, and <a href="spotify:artist:2AJZAl27mV9i5WwmTanSVQ">Tommy Vitaly</a>.

La Torre met <a href="spotify:artist:2OgUPVlWYgGBGMefZgGvCO">Queensrÿche</a> guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:4WRNYLaCjLAVIqTe4LU828">Michael Wilton</a> at a music industry event in 2012. They spent more than an hour conversing and discovering how much they had in common. <a href="spotify:artist:4WRNYLaCjLAVIqTe4LU828">Wilton</a> suggested that La Torre record vocals for four of his own unreleased demos. La Torre responded with lyrics and a melody for one song in just three days. At the same time, <a href="spotify:artist:2OgUPVlWYgGBGMefZgGvCO">Queensrÿche</a>'s singer <a href="spotify:artist:4YGXSFiOaglXLDO92EDVeU">Geoff Tate</a> was recording a solo album. <a href="spotify:artist:4WRNYLaCjLAVIqTe4LU828">Wilton</a>, bassist Eddie Jackson, and drummer Scott Rockenfield were seeking a side project to fill the time and make money. They decided to play gigs under the name Rising West (named after a lyric from <a href="spotify:artist:2OgUPVlWYgGBGMefZgGvCO">Queensrÿche</a>'s album The Warning). In need of a frontman, <a href="spotify:artist:4WRNYLaCjLAVIqTe4LU828">Wilton</a> suggested La Torre. When asked if he knew any <a href="spotify:artist:2OgUPVlWYgGBGMefZgGvCO">Queensrÿche</a>'s songs, La Torre, a longtime fan, responded by singing through their first half-dozen albums. After rehearsing nearly 20 songs, the <a href="spotify:artist:2OgUPVlWYgGBGMefZgGvCO">Queensrÿche</a> musicians were so impressed they hired La Torre as Rising West's singer. The band's set list focused mostly on <a href="spotify:artist:2OgUPVlWYgGBGMefZgGvCO">Queensrÿche</a> material and was performed to sold-out crowds in June, the same month <a href="spotify:artist:2OgUPVlWYgGBGMefZgGvCO">Queensrÿche</a> dismissed <a href="spotify:artist:4YGXSFiOaglXLDO92EDVeU">Tate</a> from the lineup. La Torre had no idea there was tension, let alone a change. When formally asked to join, he deliberated after discovering that <a href="spotify:artist:4YGXSFiOaglXLDO92EDVeU">Tate</a> was fired, but accepted a couple of days later. The band announced <a href="spotify:artist:4YGXSFiOaglXLDO92EDVeU">Tate</a>'s departure and La Torre's hiring on the same day.

After rehearsing for nearly a year and in the middle of a prolonged court case between <a href="spotify:artist:2OgUPVlWYgGBGMefZgGvCO">Queensrÿche</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4YGXSFiOaglXLDO92EDVeU">Tate</a> over the band's name (<a href="spotify:artist:4YGXSFiOaglXLDO92EDVeU">Tate</a> lost), they entered the recording studio with La Torre for the first time. He wrote lyrics, several melodies, and even some guitar and drum parts for the band's self-titled effort. It appeared later that year to extremely positive notice despite the court battle. The worldwide tour engendered similar accolades.

In 2014, between recording sessions for a forthcoming <a href="spotify:artist:2OgUPVlWYgGBGMefZgGvCO">Queensrÿche</a> album, La Torre collaborated with former <a href="spotify:artist:1Yox196W7bzVNZI7RBaPnf">Megadeth</a> guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:6DBmSSwhuPWUM7T8cwgkyf">Glen Drover</a> on the single "Discordia." In early 2015, <a href="spotify:artist:2OgUPVlWYgGBGMefZgGvCO">Queensrÿche</a> engaged in a crowd-funding project to finance their next album. Condition Hüman, the band's 14th album, appeared in October from <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Century+Media%22">Century Media</a>. It peaked at number five on the Top Rock Albums chart. The band toured the U.S. and Germany opening for <a href="spotify:artist:27T030eWyCQRmDyuvr1kxY">the Scorpions</a> in the immediate aftermath of the album's release. Later, they headlined tours of the U.S, Europe, Australia, and Asia, over the next two years.

In 2017, La Torre guested on <a href="spotify:artist:66dQjdIjgXOHCcPfq0O4Gb">Dark Matter</a>'s debut album Encipher and on the <a href="spotify:artist:0exvkfkATkqWOJgugTjJhP">Metal Church</a> track "Fake Healer." In March, <a href="spotify:artist:2OgUPVlWYgGBGMefZgGvCO">Queensrÿche</a> announced that drummer Scott Rockenfield would take a leave of absence after the birth of his son. His touring role was temporarily filled by <a href="spotify:artist:7gTbq5nTZGQIUgjEGXQpOS">Kamelot</a>'s Casey Grillo. The hiatus was supposed to last a few months, but Rockenfield didn't return. When <a href="spotify:artist:2OgUPVlWYgGBGMefZgGvCO">Queensrÿche</a> returned to the studio, La Torre served as the band's drummer as well as its vocalist. The Verdict was released on March 1, 2019 by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Century+Media%22">Century Media</a> and was followed by a tour with Grillo playing drums. The album peaked at six on the Hard Rock albums chart. In November, <a href="spotify:artist:4WRNYLaCjLAVIqTe4LU828">Wilton</a> said in an interview that the band wanted Grillo for its next studio outing. That same year, La Torre collaborated with <a href="spotify:artist:6lE1ly8K8H7u8k2ej2plvv">Stryper</a> guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:1vg0a7NOKvHrO1xY6pk2wM">Michael Sweet</a> on studio sessions for the latter's forthcoming album Ten.

In 2020, deprived of the ability to tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, La Torre joined guitarist Mike Holtzman's supergroup recording project <a href="spotify:artist:5TyQgU1yi9Qj6s6GhXmBlG">Bad Penny</a>. The lineup consisted of former <a href="spotify:artist:0rvjqX7ttXeg3mTy8Xscbt">Journey</a> lead singer Steve Augeri, ex-<a href="spotify:artist:1dfeR4HaWDbWqFHLkxsg1d">Queen</a> (and current <a href="spotify:artist:00tVTdpEhQQw1bqdu8RCx2">Blue Öyster Cult</a> bassist) Danny Miranda, and <a href="spotify:artist:00tVTdpEhQQw1bqdu8RCx2">BOC</a> drummer Jules Radino. They issued their debut single, "Voices in My Head" in August. During that entire period, La Torre was also hard at work on his debut solo outing with longtime friend and collaborator guitarist Craig Blackwell, and producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris. The finished project, Rejoice in the Suffering was issued by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rat+Pack%22">Rat Pack</a> in February of 2021. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi