Queen, Adam Lambert tour, but no record yet

Queen has clearly found somebody to love in Adam Lambert.

Since joining forces with the “American Idol” runner-up for a series of shows in 2012, the band that ruled rock radio in the 1970s and early ’80s has enjoyed tremendous success, with audiences embracing Lambert as the heir to Freddie Mercury’s onstage legacy.

They’ve been selling out areas around the world for five years now, and have just announced a 25-city North American tour.

But there’s one thing they haven’t dared try yet: recording a studio album of all-new Queen songs. And it might not happen soon, if at all.

“We get asked that question constantly, but we really haven’t had much of a conversation about it internally,” said Lambert, who maintains a solo career between Queen tours. “It’s totally possible. But what is it? I would never re-record a song that Freddie recorded because that would be sacrilege. If I were to record something brand new, would it be called ‘Queen?’ Would we have some supergroup name?”

Lambert said he and founding members Brian May (guitar) and Roger Taylor (drums) have not recorded demos of any new material.

May said the band took its cue from the ho-hum response to a studio album it did with Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers in 2008, “The Cosmos Rocks.”

“The world kind of turned a blind eye to it, and I think we subconsciously absorbed the message that people wanted to hear Queen with Freddie,” May said. “That’s what they expected; they didn’t want to hear anything else. I don’t know if that’s a correct conclusion or not, but that’s kind of the message we got, so I think we turned our attention to live.”

May is more receptive to the idea now with Lambert on board.

Brian May of Queen, left, and Adam Lambert perform in Los Angeles in 2014.