Search - Queens of the Stone Age :: Queens of the Stone Age

Classic Debut

Luke | Australia | 04/05/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"During and soon after the demise of stoner/desert rock pioneers Kyuss, Josh Homme was experimenting with a new direction, hinted at in 1997's split EP between Kyuss and Homme's latest musical incarnation: Queens Of The Stone Age. A year later Homme and drummer Alfredo Hernandez teamed up to forge the debut self titled album by Queens Of The Stone Age.



Though initially lacking the buzz and critical acclaim of later Queens albums, this more straight forward, fuzzed out, jam rock gem has since garnered much praise from long time fans and somewhat of a cult status, particularly due to its high price and lack of availability.



While seemingly destined to reside in the shadow of later releases, QOTSA remains a powerfully assured debut, with a chilled out summer vibe and songs that pack a significant punch through its fuzzed out riffs, quirky dynamics and smooth melodies.



Anchored by the solid grooves and complex drumming of Hernadez, Homme's inventive riffs and solos, dynamic, catchy song structures and remarkably assured clean vocals, complete with his trademark Californian drawl, take center stage.



The riffs are coated with a warm fuzz though are noticeably lighter on distortion than his previous work with Kyuss. Production is handled by Homme and he displays his emerging talents as a future production whizz. There is clarity through the fuzz and the mix is nicely balanced between Homme's up front fuzzy guitar chops, warm low end pulsations and the thudding drums and splashy cymbal work of Hernandez.



Though not quite as dynamic and developed at this early stage in his singing career, Homme's vocals are confident, melodic and tuneful. The songs themeselves are a mix of hard rock, fuzzy stoner rock, trance-like repetitiveness and the more quirky, eclectic flavours that would define later releases (You Would Know, Hispanic Impressions, I was a Teenage Hand Model).



Consistently strong and dynamic the whole way through, highlights include the opening trilogy of Regular john, Avon (live favourites), the brilliant If Only (spruced up in this re-recorded version), heavy groove of Mexicola, fuzzy hard rock of How to Handle a Rope and the 1-2 later album punch of You Can't Quit Me Baby and Give the Mule What He Wants



A long awaited reissue with a possible bonus disc of unreleased material is in the works, though still no word on a release date. Fingers crossed for those fans yet to experience the charms of this great debut and unwilling to pay big bucks for a second hand copy.







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