“Give it to me, give me some more!” wails Josh Homme, as the new Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) album comes to a jolting start. From the beginning the listener is taken through a journey of steady drumbeats, thrashing guitars, and blaring lyrics. Songs for the Deaf holds up to the QOTSA’s unique style of repetitive chords, loud guitars, and simple drumbeats. The history of the QOTSA begins with the metal band Kyuss. Although never quite making it into the spotlight, Kyuss was considered one of the most important metal bands in the early 1990’s. They toured with premiere groups like Metallica but disbanded in 1995.
After leaving Kyuss, guitarist Josh Homme felt unsatisfied and traveled to Seattle where he toured with the band Screaming Trees. Soon he found himself rejoining drummer Alfredo Hernandez of Kyuss to create another album. They were joined by bassist Nick Oliveri and thus created the debut album for QOTSA, an experimental grunge band.
QOTSA was heralded as “the new Nirvana” in its debut year, 1998. They may not have the mainstream recognition that some alternative rock bands do, but they certainly left their mark on their listeners. Rolling Stone magazine labeled them, “one of the ten most important Hard and Heavy bands right now.” Four years later, they are bursting back onto the rock scene with their new album Songs for the Deaf.
The album itself is rhythmic and infectious. Queens of the Stone Age are starting to express themselves musically. Their style varies in every song. Millionaire, the opening track, takes the listener back to their old grunge style. The following song, No One Knows, has more of a jazz feel, and Go With the Flow sounds more like a pop song. Six Shooter is pure metal while their final track, Mosquito Song, is a soft acoustic piece.
What every song has in common is energy. As one Guilford student said, “I find it hard to sit still through all of these songs because the beat is so catchy.”
Songs For the Deaf highlights the talent and mystique that is Queens of the Stone Age.