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 puppetmaster 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."

Earlier this year Queensrÿche launched a sold-out tour featuring the original Operation: Mindcrime performed in its entirety with actors onstage portraying the characters alongside the band. Tate says the band plans to launch a tour in 2006 that will feature a stage performance of both Mindcrimes in their entirety. "The actors onstage with us add a new dimension to the music," he says. "It's different than your typical rock show, but the audiences really got into the Mindcrime I tour. It's exciting to have the opportunity to combine both albums into one show. It's going to be epic."

Since its formation in 1981 near Seattle, Queensrÿche has released nine studio albums. Empire, the 1990 follow-up to Operation: Mindcrime, sold more than two million copies thanks in part to the enormous success of the hit "Silent Lucidity." Released in 1994, Promised Land was certified platinum and featured the hits "I Am I" and "Bridge."

QUEENSRYCHE - OPERATION MINDCRIME II