Is anyone else looking forward to this? I've heard a couple of tracks already and they sound awesome. (just youtube 'era vulgaris' for them if you're wondering.) It seems like it'll be a seriously neat album and that Josh is still writing great songs, so I can't wait for it. The US release date is the 12th of June as far as I know, but people are still wondering about the exact date of the UK release, so that's kind of annoying, but it should be over here at around the same date with some luck.
There's a Kerrang review here anyway :
It's not unfair to suggest that Queens of the Stone Age are a band that are in a state of regression. After bassist and all-round fruitcake Nick Oliveri was ousted from the fold in 2004 and the following years "Lullabyes to Paralyse" fell a little short of the high standards the band had set themselves over the course of their first three records, for the first time in his musical career, questions were being asked of Josh Homme, and his ability to pen a great record.
If you were looking for an answer as to whether or not the Ginger Elvis had lost his touch you need look no further than Era Vulgaris: it's a fucking monster.
Echoing the groove-oriented feel of the Queens debut record, Era Vulgaris is more about enrapturing the listener in a series of tripped-out vibes rather than having any big, stand out hit songs. You won't find a No-one Knows, Lost Art of Keeping a Secret or Go WIth the Flow on there. Don't let that deter you too much though. What you will find is a consistent stream of loose flowing jams, laced with layers of guitars, thick textures and a stunningly slick overall feel.
Misfit Love is a wall of tribal drums, jagged edged guitars and jolty, jarring vocals that weld together to form an effortlessly bad ass anthem. Both Into the Hollow and the appallingly titled Make It Wit Chu perfectly capture the band's desert roots as well as encapsulating the funky, chilled out atmospherics that make Era Vulgaris such a great record. Lead single 3's & 7's swings on a mammoth lead riff so cool it sounds like it could have been lifted straight out of a Tarantino flick, while the stabbing, punk fury of Battery Acid and Sick, Sick, Sick provide welcome spouts of break neck aggression.
This album may well alienate those who expect big, radio-hugging tracks from Josh and his stoner-rock cohorts, but just because it doesn't have any stadium-hugging tracks for the masses, that doesn't prevent Era Vulgaris from being a great record.
Chock full of spectacular grooves and an unmistakable overall vibe, Era Vulgaris is a superb return to form that will whack a grin across the faces of all who thought that the Queens best days were far behind them. Maybe next time, we'll be a bit less hasty while sharpening those knives. |
