Unedited review originally submitted for Big Cheese Magazine June 2013 issue
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
…LIKE CLOCKWORK
(Matador Records)
8/10
We could debate all day long about what the most anticipated rock record of 2013 has been, be it Fall Out Boy, Paramore or whatever. But in all fairness, the fact that there’s been a six-year wait for new Queens Of The Stone Age material should be enough to whet anyone’s appetite. Yes, it’s been over a decade since they brought out any music that was considered “vital”, but this time round Josh Homme has recruited many of his friends in high places to produce the new opus. Dave Grohl takes up the role of sticksman for half the record, whilst Trent Reznor and Mark Lanegan lend their voices too. Even their disgraced ex-bassist Nick Oliveri has a brief cameo. Although this doesn’t quite match the energy of previous efforts, this is the first time in a long while that QOTSA have felt like a tight unit as showcased with the slow burning jams of ‘I Sat By The Ocean’, the pulsating rhythm section of ‘My God Is The Sun’ and the trippy psychedelic elements of ‘I Appear Missing’. Homme even discovers his inner Dark Side Of The Moon as the proggy influenced ‘The Vampyre Of Time And Memory’ demonstrates. If Elton John can make a guest spot on the title track of Fall Out Boy’s latest effort, then he certainly can do the same here, contributing his trademark piano skills to closer ‘…Like Clockwork’, an exquisite finishing touch. Once again, The Ginger Elvis adds another welcome addition to his discography.
