From the second the album starts (with “Turning The Screw”) you know you are listening to a Queens of the Stone Age album. The harmonies are there, the guitars are all around and the drums are on point. QotSA is one of the most consistent rock bands of this era, even if their lineup is not. The band’s music is like a familiar genre that gets executed differently every time, so it is the same but different. The new album, Era Vulgaris takes the 10 year old QotSA formula and strips it down a bit so it is not so heavy.
Josh Homme’s lyrics on the albums are always interesting. “I’m Designer” talks about pretentious artist integrity with lines like “You’re insulted. You can’t be bought or sold. TRANSLATION: offer too low”. The playful sounding “Make It Wit Chu” is actually a somber look at relationships with some falsetto background vocals.
The singles “Sick, Sick, Sick” and “3’s & 7’s” are classic Queen’s songs. Other stand out songs on the album include, the up-tempo “Battery Acid” and “Misfit Love”.
Producers Josh Homme and Chris Goss (Masters of Reality/Kyuss) have created a rich sound for Era Vulgaris. With 11 songs it’s a short album (47 minutes) and it was crafted that way. Guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen stated,”We want to get the point out there. Slam, bang.” Josh Homme added “it’s like trying to reach down someone’s throat in two seconds.”
Era Vulgaris is an uncommon album for a common era.
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Era Vulgaris: Three and a 1/2 out of five CraveOnline's
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Another version of "Sick, Sick, Sick" off of Era Vulgaris.
Catch Queens of the Stone Age on the Duluth tour this year.
