Queensrÿche and Philosophy

The Metaphysics of Rock Groups

William Irwin

I’m going to see Queensrÿche in concert in July. Or am I? The band split into two Queensrÿches when the original lead singer, Geoff Tate, was fired in 2012. On April 17, 2014 the court ruled that the non-Tate version of the band has the right to the Queensrÿche trademark. But courts can only make legal rulings, not metaphysical decisions. Is it really Queensrÿche without Tate? I would have said no until I listened to the band’s album without him, on which they sound more like Queensrÿche than they have in 25 years.

Of course the Queensrÿche controversy isn’t unique. To get sense of the of the metaphysics of rock group identity check out the two articles linked below, which deal with the most contested question in the metaphysics of metal: Is it still Black Sabbath without Ozzy?

Read two FREE chapters from Black Sabbath and Philosophy: Mastering Reality below:

It's Not Sabbath Unless Ozzy's the Singer (But It's Fine If You Disagree) by James Bondarchuk

Fightin’ Words by Wesley D. Cray

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