Joe Matera of Ultimate-Guitar.com recently conducted an interview with QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: This "American Soldier" tour the band is undertaking is a multi-media show and you're concentrating solely on three albums: "Rage for Order", "Empire", and "American Soldier"?

Michael Wilton: Yeah, we took a poll from our website to find out what fans wanted to hear. And because they've been bombarded with "Operation: Mindcrime", they wanted to go back a little bit further to the "Rage For Order" album and hear that again live. And because "Empire" is our biggest-selling record, everybody wanted to hear that too. And because we wanted to promote the new record as well, we kind of sandwiched that and the other two albums in together and it has worked out really well.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: You're also currently writing a solo album while on the road?

Michael Wilton: Yes, I have been. I had a few days home before heading out on this leg of the tour and I got about three or four tunes down. I'm going to get a vocalist to come in when I get back home and some other musicians. As soon as we finish up this Australian tour, I'm going back home to continue working on the tracks. I've also got my other band SOULBENDER working on stuff and I'm also working with "Ripper" Owens [YNGWIE MALMSTEEN/ex-JUDAS PRIEST singer]. So I've got a lot of projects going on, man.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: When it comes to touring today, how does it compare to touring say twenty years ago?

Michael Wilton: It is very different touring today than it was twenty years ago as today we do gigs back to back, one after another. But twenty years ago it was a little more relaxed, where we'd do two shows and have a day off, do three shows and have a day off and so there were lots of days off. Now, it is like "bang, bang, bang." It is non-stop. Touring is very much so a discipline and you have to be committed to touring as it is all about each guy not letting each other guy down. It is all about, "Hey, we're here because of the music and we're playing as a band." And that is what keeps you driving otherwise the traveling can get kind of tedious.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: What else would you like to achieve musically in your career?

Michael Wilton: I want to do a couple of solo records for sure, and I want to stretch out on some other recordings with other people. I've already done one with Tim "Ripper" Owens and I just did another one with Ronny Munroe from METAL CHURCH, where I played a couple solos on his album. And I'm getting a number of other people interested too so that is what I want. I want to collaborate, a little bit more. And of course I want to keep banging them out with QUEENSRŸCHE.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Looking back to when the band first started, did you ever expect the band to still have its longevity as it has today?

Michael Wilton: It does amaze me. But we are just a process that keeps evolving. But when I take a step back and think about it, it is pretty amazing. But for me it is all about, "Come on, man, let's get to work and let's give the people what they want."

Read the entire interview from Ultimate-Guitar.com.