What The Hell Happened To... 08.11.08: Queens Of The Stone Age - Queens Of The Stone Age

Posted by Dan Marsicano on 08.11.2008

This week, Dan Marsicano takes a look at Queens of the Stone Age's underrated debut album and introduces a power metal band you all should be listening to instead of Dragonforce!

The Introduction

Welcome to the column that put Mondays on the map, What The Hell Happened To. I'm your man with the master plan, Dan "The Man" Marsicano.

BTW, that will be the only time I will put "The Man" in my name.

Man, last week was pretty boring when it came to music releases. Trapt's new one was the only worthwhile release. However, this week is a bit different. Extreme's Saudades de Rock has me excited, as does Bigelf's Cheat The Gallows. The review for the latter should be up sometime this week, and trust me; it's a contender for album of the year. Support real rock!

My column last week generated a lot of criticism, from people calling me an "internet nerd" to accusing me of purposely picking a fight. My response to that is…yeah, so? That was my intention for Roots: to stir up a little controversy. So I will say it again. Roots is a terrible album and Sepultura should be ashamed to have that blasphemous piece of art in their name.

For those still unaware, there is a contest going on at 411 Mania. You can win a sweet IPod Nano and CD's from Finch, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, and Tickle Me Pink. 411 always treat the readers well, and this is no different. Don't be "that guy/gal." C'mon, what do you have to lose? Click here for your chance to win a prize pack of goodness!.


The Big Announcement

I always respect the opinion of the readers of 411 and to thank all of you for reading my column since its start last November, I have decided to make September "Fan Appreciation Month!"

What this entails is that YOU, the 411 readers, will pick the albums I will highlight in September. That's right, you guys get to choose what albums I write about. They have to underrated, but that doesn't mean they need to be good. I love to bash albums as much as I love to praise them.

Not only can you pick the album, but if you want, you can write up an article about it that will be reprinted on my column. Any up-and-coming writers wanting to make their next big break can show off their talents by writing their own "What The Hell Happened To!."

So far, I've gotten a few great responses, and there will be a guest writer as well! It's not too late though; get involved and send me your requests!





The Band

Josh Homme-Vocals, Guitar
Carlo Von Sexron (a.k.a Josh Homme)-Bass, Keyboard, Piano
Alfredo Hernández-Drums


The Track Listing

1. Regular John-4:35
2. Avon-3:23
3. If Only-3:21
4. Walkin' On The Sidewalks-5:03
5. You Would Know-4:16
6. How To Handle A Rope-3:31
7. Mexicola-4:54
8. Hispanic Impressions-2:45
9. You Can't Quit Me Baby-6:34
10. Give The Mule What He Wants-3:10
11. I Was A Teenage Hand Model-5:01


The History

Josh Homme was known as the founding member and lead guitarist for the rock band Kyuss, known for their stoner/space rock and long jams. Kyuss was together for about seven years before splitting in 1995. After this, Josh Homme decided to form his own band Queens Of The Stone Age.

At first, the band was called Gamma Ray. However, any power metal fan will know that there already is a Gamma Ray, out of Germany. So the name was changed and all was right with the world. Queens Of The Stone Age would go on to become huge, thanks to 2002's Songs For The Deaf, but that's a bit later in the band's future. For now, we're going to stick with 1998, a time where Homme was trying to get his new band up and running…


The Analysis

Queens Of The Stone Age's self-titled debut LP was basically a one man show. With the exception of drums and a few guest musicians on selected tracks, this was the "Josh Homme" show. Homme was still fine-tuning the band's sound, something that would take multiple albums to accomplish. At this point, Queens Of The Stone Age sounded a lot like Kyuss, which makes sense, considering that Homme was one of the principal songwriters of the group.

Queens Of The Stone Age was recorded into under three weeks and is the strangest album the band has ever put out. Considering the band's catalog, that says a lot. Listening to Queens Of The Stone Age for the first time is a frustrating experience, as a fan of their later releases. It's like listening to Dream Theater's When Dream And Day Unite or Opeth's Orchid. You expect something radically different than what is presented, based on your viewpoint of the band's latter material.

Queens Of The Stone Age took me a while to grasp, but once it all clicked, once the frustration subsided, I began to appreciate Homme's vision; one that expands upon what Homme did in his six years in Kyuss, yet touches on a more mainstream-friendly sound. While the album only produced one official single, "If Only," I hear many potential singles for the rock radio.

"Regular John" is one of the tracks that immediately caught my attention on the first play-through. Unlike some of the other tracks, the opener grabs the listener by the ears and begs them to pay attention. The low-fi sound, complete with a hazy distortion, gives "Regular John" a strange charm to it and Homme's vocals are low-key and undeveloped. The difference between his vocals on Queens Of The Stone Age and Era Vulgaris are ten-fold. "Regular John" is still played live to this day and is a crowd favorite.



"Regular John" Live 2003 Rock Am Ring


"If Only" is another crowd-pleaser, and for good reason. The single, re-recorded from the 1997 split EP Kyuss/Queens Of The Stone Age, is simple in structure, but complex in melody. Homme's guitar skills are showcased, as they are many times throughout Queens Of The Stone Age, with a solid solo at the end.

While Homme is going for a broader sound on the Queen's self-titled debut, the fascinating aspect of the album is how Homme incorporates Kyuss's tendency to lengthen their sound with "space jams". A good portion of the tracks have extended instrumental sections, some with guitar solos straight out of 1972, while others just keep the same monotonous riffing for minutes on end. During the early live shows, Queens Of The Stone Age would add five to ten minutes onto the longer tracks on the album, turning into a stoner rock version of Led Zeppelin.

"Walkin' On The Sidewalks" and "You Can't Quit Me Baby" were the two main tracks turned into extended jams. How about the studio version though? The former track is heavy as hell, with a slow, droning pace behind it, with Homme's bluesy licks backing up the minimal rhythm section. The song turns into a full-on instrumental in the second half, which is where the musicianship between Homme and Hernández shines. The latter is the "ballad," but since this is Queens Of The Stone Age we are talking about, there isn't anything normal about it. The song has a creepy, slithery sound to it, with the bass guitar taking control for most of the first half. Homme's slow-burning solo leads into the fastest tempo on the album, ending the ballad on a high note.


"Walkin' On The Sidewalks Japan 2002 Part 1



"Walkin' On The Sidewalks Japan 2002 Part 2


"Mexicola" is still played live as well, and is another track that has unlimited appeal behind it. The track is full-on Black Sabbath worship, building from a bass intro straight out of the Geezer Butler playbook, before pounding away for five minutes. "I Was A Teenage Model" is a quirky track, one that prominently features a piano and a trippy sound. The closer isn't the best one the band has ever had, but ends it the way only Queens Of The Stone Age can: weirdness and lots of it. This was also where fans got their first listen to Nick Oliveri, the future bassist/singer of Queens Of The Stone Age for what some people may call their "glory days."

The only track that doesn't leave its mark in the listener's skull is the instrumental "Hispanic Impressions." It's the only instrumental the band has ever written, and with good reason. It has good guitar work, but that's about it. It's repetitive and turns quite dull near the end. Some of you may appreciate it; personally, I skip it every time I listen to the album.

Queens Of The Stone Age is a hard album to find, one that is out-of-print and selling at upwards of $60. Is it worth that much? That's a tough question to answer and it all depends on your financial situation. I would advise people to wait and hope to get lucky like I did and find it used in an independent record store. I know Ebay has a few up and Amazon has some around the $59 dollar value, which is a lot to ask for when it comes to one album. I'll leave it up to all of you, unless anybody wants to leave a comment at the bottom locating a cheap place to find it (and don't say illegal downloading…that's just too easy).

While later releases would blend punk, metal, and hard rock elements into their sound (mostly because of the musicians Homme would be involved with, like Nick Oliveri and Mark Lanegan of Screaming Tree fame), Queens Of The Stone Age was the album where Josh Homme's head was still stuck in "Kyuss" mode. That's not a bad thing though, and while their debut album didn't wow people at first, as time went on, fans began to appreciate the musical vision Homme had on display. Queens Of The Stone Age may not be your cup of tea if you are a relatively new fan of the band, but give it a few listens like I did. It might only be one track, or it could be all eleven that grab your attention. Something will pipe your interest enough to blurt out loud "Homme is a musical genius."



Who The Hell Is…Pyramaze?

Official Website:Pyramaze


MySpace Page:Pyramaze

Last week on Fact or Fiction, a question was asked about Dragonforce and how they could be the "new face of metal." Obviously, I thought the question was a joke at first, but my eyes didn't deceive me. That was an actual question, one that made me laugh out loud. I mentioned a few of the power metal bands I listen to and one of them was Denmark's Pyramaze.

Pyramaze is most well-known for getting Iced Earth singer Matthew Barlow back into the metal scene after an absence of over five years. While Barlow is currently back in Iced Earth, he did record vocals for Pyramaze's latest album, Immortal. The current line-up (Urban Breed on the vocals, Jonah Weingarten on keyboards, Michael Kammeyer and Toke Skjønnemand on guitar, Niels Kvist on bass, and Morten Gade Sørensen on drums) are gearing up a tour of Europe in November, one that will show power metal fans the future of the genre.

Pyramaze was formed in 2001, and since then, the only line-up changes have been with vocals. For the first two albums, 2004's Melancholy Beast and 2006's Legend Of The Bone Carver, Lance King was vocalist, but left to make way for Barlow, who would only record vocals for Immortal. The band's sound is power metal, some calling it EPIC METAL, with catchy melodies and solid guitar work. Both King's and Barlow's vocal work was phenomenal with the band, which makes me wonder how Breed will do on the next album.

So, for you power metal fans out there, let's take a listen to what true power metal sounds like!


"Power Of Imagination" Live


"Legend" Live


The Conclusion

Well, that about does it for this week. I hope you all enjoyed a positive column on an underrated debut from Queens Of The Stone Age.

Next week, I'm doing an album people have requested I do for a while. So I'm diving back into Muse's catalog for their second album, Origins Of Symmetry. It's one of my personal favorites, so expect a long read next week (maybe). Until then, listen to some power metal!