The Queen is Paralyzed

ALBUM OF THE DAY
Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze, released 2005 (Interscope)

QOTSA are one the greatest bands of our generation, and have single handily saved mainstream rock since the 2000s. To put it simply, they are five for five with classic albums, and each one sounds different from the next. This isn't to say they don't have their own sound, because they certainly do, but with the revolving cast of musicians, the QOTSA sound is made constant by one thing, Josh Homme. As popular as they have become, I still can't help but find them under-rated. For example, as easily one of the biggest hard-rock bands in the past ten years, why have they not been on the cover of Rolling Stone or Spin? They are a band who's album sales are well below their number of fans, and the charts don't show their success and triumph over today's rock scene. Pick up any one of their albums, including their live one, and it's classic from beginning to end. Here is theprp.com's review of Lullabies...

"Following up an album as superb as 2003's "Songs For The Deaf" is a daunting task for any band, no matter which way you slice it. Factor in that said album was also a commercial and critical success and that the group have undergone yet another radical line-up change in the time that has passed since, and well... the odds sure wouldn't seem to be stacked in the Queens' favor. That is of course if Josh Homme wasn't to Queens Of The Stone Age what Trent Reznor is to nine inch nails.

With "Lullabies To Paralyze" Homme and his latest motley assortment of musicians, including guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen of Failure/A Perfect Circle fame, ex-Danzig drummer Joey Castillo and others, have returned to a rawer style more akin to their self-titled debut and "Rated R", rather than the polished works found on the much-lauded "Deaf". Rough-edged bluesy stoner rock with bruised heart hooks and weeping guitar riffs confuse, disorient and ultimately intoxicate the listener like the explosion from a hash-filled hydrogen bomb. With Mark Lanegan relinquishing nearly all of his vocal duties, Homme is often left to ponder and croon by himself and does so with the demeanor of both a gentlemen and a hell raiser, usually combining the two in the same breath.

While the atmosphere here is admittedly more lo-fi and the songs come off a bit more rag-tag, the bands decision to re-embrace their roots has done little to hinder them. In fact, if anything it has helped them as they even managed to rope in some guest guitar work from ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons. To be sure, the absence of Nick Oliveri's commanding and often poignant bass lines are sorely missed from the material here, but if nothing else, this album is business as usual for the Queens. A smoky performance with ample heart, creativity and most importantly, kilo upon kilo of riff-driven rock; these "Lullabies" will be hummed for some time to come by anyone who can appreciate a proper hybrid of the present and the past." - Wookubus (theprp.com)



For fans of: ANY ROCK MUSIC