on november 7, 2014, the band opened a pledge drive through pledgemusic that allowed fans to pre-order their next album, which would be their second with la torre and their 15th overall. the campaign used the motto "building the empire", and offered regular pledge rewards such as cds, exclusive access and equipment, but also an investment opportunity for $50,000 in queensrÿche holdings, llc to accredited investors. the campaign page revealed that recording would likely take place between december 1, 2014 and february 28, 2015, and that the album was expected to be ready for release in late spring or early summer 2015. the campaign page also included a video of band members and crew discussing the band's desire to approach their fans more proactively, with their attorney thomas osinski remarking: "this is famously a band that kept to itself, and in this new era of openness, they want to join with their fans [and] more so after the last few years of challenges they've been through". the term "building empires" was used previously in the "empire" tour, as well as a video from that tour, although in this context it is used to indicate that the fans are helping to rebuild the band's career.