Queens of the Stone Age Returns
Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age greets the crowd while on tour for their 2017 album Villians. Credit: Photo credit Raph_PH via Flickr
After a six-year hiatus, Queens of the Stone Age has returned. The hard rock band founded by Josh Homme in 1996 has had a rich history, spanning 13 members and eight albums.
QOTSA has risen to become one of the most consistently great rock bands of the 21st century due to their heavy, sinister, and unorthodox sound combined with lyrics that range from heartbreaking tales of loss to drug-heavy benders. Not only does the band have a dedicated fanbase, but they have critically acclaimed hits with albums such as 2000’s Rated R, 2002’s Songs for the Deaf, and 2013’s …Like Clockwork, which are known to be some of the best rock albums released this century.
Since the release of 2017’s Villians, QOTSA was on hiatus until this year’s release of a new album, In Times New Roman… on June 16th. Along with the release of the album, a tour was announced, The End is Nero, touring both the United States and Europe, which began on August 3rd. After listening to both the new album and attending the concert, was it worth the wait? I would say a strong yes.
In Times New Roman… is a great addition to the discography of QOTSA, adding some instant classics that will be a permanent staple for their concerts. Villains, the previous album by QOTSA, was the most controversial of the band’s discography. Fans were divided by its production and a significantly different sound than previous works as it was almost a pop rock record at points. Like all QOTSA albums, In Times New Roman… has a distinct sound that is free-flowing, operatic, and sharp. The album’s production is great, especially in its mix, as each member of the band’s incredible musicianship gets put on full display. Working together, they create some of the best QOTSA songs to date on this album.
Paper Machete is one of the best fast-paced songs by the band since their hit Go with the Flow, as the central riff and chorus are an infectiously good time. The third track, Negative Space, has the hardest-hitting chorus instrumentals of the LP, as it makes you feel like you’re getting thrashed back and forth just by the pure mass of the guitars. The middle tracks continue to excel as there is Time & Place, a four and half-minute jam session that could have been ripped straight from the 70s, while Made to Parade is an enthralling ascent ending in a fuzzy guitar solo, which has the most interesting song progression of the entire album. Carnavoyeur and Emotion Sickness are on the album’s B-side, both having 80s-inspired riffs and backing vocals, which are standouts on the record. The album’s closer, Straight Jacket Fitting, is a 9-minute epic whose central riff grows into Homme ranting, “To face down your demons, you’ve got to free them,” while backed by what feels like dozens of violins. The song never stops reveling in its increasing madness and glory and is a knockout ending to the album. Overall, In Times New Roman… is a worthy addition to their discography and definitely worth a listen to for anyone who loves rock music.
The End is Nero Tour, continuing QOTSA’s theme of Roman decline in relation to our world’s current state, kicked off in Michigan early this August as the band’s ninth tour. The concert really shows how incredible the band is as a collective, with its current roster arguably being the best in the band’s history. Since 2013’s …Like Clockwork, the band has consisted of Homme on guitar and lead vocals, Troy van Leeuwen on guitar, Jon Theodore on drums, Micheal Shuman on bass, and Dean Fertita on keyboard and synthesizers, which has brought a new level of uniformity to the band’s live performances.
Watching QOTSA perform is a true spectacle, as they use songs such as Make It With Chu and God is in the Radio to go into sprawling riffs encased by Fertita’s stunning, melancholic work on the keyboards. Furthermore, the setlists always consist of a solid mixture of old and new, with the song, No One Knows, usually opening this tour perfectly by setting the mood for the intense and energetic rest of the show. Many of the songs featured on tour have been essentially upgraded from the albums, as they’re typically expanded in length and are complemented by the work of Theodore and Shuman who together are one of the best rhythm sections working today. Although the setlist is never the same from QOTSA, as fan decisions of the next songs are posed by Homme during the shows (who constantly assures the new songs are good when the crowd chooses old ones), not one second feels wasted through the band’s charisma, sinisterness and machismo. Last but not least, the band’s closer, Songs for the Dead, undoubtedly is the most menacing, intense, and loudest rock song you can hear today.
QOTSA’s new album and tour cements them further as legends in the rock world, and it’s fair to say: Long Live the Queens.