Queens Of The Stone Age are one of the only real rock bands left that are still relevant. Their most recent album Like Clockwork…,released last year, is their number one selling album of all time and that is saying a lot since their self titled first album was released in 1998. But the band has completely evolved since their first album, with only mastermind Josh Homme remaining in the group. But this is Queen’s thing, every album has a different cast of characters and some come and go but Homme is always at the front. What is great about the first album is that Homme does virtually everything, besides the drums which are handled by Alfredo Hernandez. Hernandez was in Homme’s former band Kyuss in which Homme only played guitar. I’ve been a big Queen’s fan for a while but only until the reissue of their first album did I even know it existed. It really is great and is in ways the DNA of what the band would become.
The album is extremely heavy but also very melodic and groovy. That is why I like the band so much because there is a balance of 
being extremely heavy yet also maintaining melody. “Regular John” opens the album and is great. Homme just chugs chords out with this sinister guitar lick behind it. I’m pretty sure every song on the album has its guitars tuned down to C making every thing lower and thicker. Homme’s falsetto is great and the subtly of his singing makes the track. When hearing the opening of the song anyone would expect a blood curdling scream to follow but instead Homme does the opposite. The song is very repetative but in a good way, it is very trance inducing in its simplicity and it just locks the listener in. Homme has some great licks throughout the song too. “Avon” follows this track and I think is my favorite one off the record. I love the way the drums and riff lock in together to open the song, it’s a great drum pattern. After the intro the heavy groove begins and Homme classic vocals kick in. His voice sounds great, he definitely doubled his vocals to add to the weird dream like nature of them. There is a drum fill around the two minute mark and it is just awesome. One of my favorite aspects of this record are the guitar tones and Homme has a brief solo in this song and the tone is on point. The only word I could use to describe it is creamy and thick. That kind of sounds disgusting but those are really the only words I can think of.
“If Only” was the gateway song for me to get into this album. It is a simple three chord riff that resemble The Stooges “I Wanna Be Your Dog” Homme has some great vocal harmonies and there is this thing that sounds like a rattle being played in the background and it is effective. I also really like the quiet keyboard in the background. It was the single released for the album and that what it sounds like, a very concise, catchy song. “Walkin On The Sidewalks” simply put, is heavy as fuck. The C tuning really comes out with Homme just slamming those open C’s. He rips a dirty solo too using his very distinctive solo scale. He hits these notes that sound a little sour and demonic but it is why he is one of my favorite guitar players. In between the riff he also throws in these high pitch bends which really come through the murkiness of the song. “How To Handle A Rope” is another good song with some great riffing. The guitar sounds like it was processed through a toaster but I mean that in a positive way. It is very catchy and is another song that could be single material. Homme has another amazing solo, again utilizing his weird minor scale. It is to the point and just great.
“Mexicola” is probably the heaviest song and the riff is just badass. Homme again uses octave bends to separate the riff. This is something I steal all the time because it just sound so great. I really like the vocals on this song and it is easy to see how Homme expanded on the ideas of this song later on in his career. This is not the best and most complete Queens Of The Stone Age album but it should definitely be heard by anyone who even remotely likes the band or is a guitar player.
Chris' Albums Revisited 