Freddie Mercury will return from the dead later this year with the release of Queen’s new album, Queen Forever. The record includes materials Mercury recorded in the ‘80s and is, according to guitarist Brian May, “quite emotional,” what with its “big, big ballads” and “big, big epic sound.” May and bandmate Roger Taylor reportedly pieced Queen Forever together from track scraps, meaning that there’s a fairly good chance the record will be relatively terrible and soulless, a perfect example of how using modern technology to bring the dead’s trashed work back to life isn’t always a great thing. Or it could be good. Who knows?
Last year May also announced the existence of three duets between Mercury and the late Michael Jackson. It’s unclear whether those will appear on Queen Forever, but it seems likely considering they were originally supposed to come out last fall.
Taylor and May are touring Queen material with American Idol’s Adam Lambert this summer. Dates are over on Consequence Of Sound.