Photo credit: J. Whitaker

Greg Puciato from Dillinger Escape Plan has formed The Black Queen supergroup made up of himself Josh Eustis of Telefon Tel Aviv/Nine, and Steven Alexander known for his time with Dillinger, NIN, and Kesha tech. The trio has released a new single, “The End Where We Start” from their upcoming album Fever Daydream.

“There’s a really visual soundtrack element to the music,” Puciato says of The Black Queen’s music. “We talked a lot about the feel of ‘80s sci-fi, the sort of ‘used future’ thing where it sounds alien but also familiar and gives you nostalgia for a time you don’t remember ever existing. Stanley Kubrick was a big influence as well.”

In an interview with Rolling Stone, The Black Queen explained that the finished product of Fever Daydream is a direct reflection of the hardships the trio faced throughout the recording process. “It is very easy for me to turn into a complete savage,” Puciato explained. “I can look around and very quickly want to destroy everything around me. I needed to be able to control that, because I was losing control of that. It was no longer on stage and on record. I had some scares. Some massive panic attacks. Found myself in some situations that I was, in all seriousness, fortunate to come out of alive, or not in jail or in a psych ward.”

Justin Meldal-Johnsen describes himself as the “executive producer/cheerleader/spirit guide/de facto A&R” for the group’s upcoming self-produced record.

While Eustis, Alexander, and Puciato are each active within their respective groups, they are serious about Black Queen and do not want this group to simply be a side project. The Black Queen’s single “The End Where We Start,” is available below. Any additional updates and information on The Black Queen can be found on their official website.