QUEENS OF THE STONEAGE came to bury NuMetal, not to praise it. While the current crop of black shirted crybabies strap on their 7-string guitars and warmed over hip/hop, frontmen Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri have opted to turn the QUEENS into an unpredictable, ever-changing unit, a kind of Q-Tang Clan of Rock.
Emerging from the California desert in 1998 their debut (QOTSA- Loosegroove Records) picked up where the ruins of KYUSS left off, incorporating more pop and soul elements into a psychedelic, trance-inducing genre that came to be known as ‘Stoner Rock.’ Their next release (Rated R- Interscope) further plumbed the depths of this amorphous style and created a mind expanding soundtrack that left critics and audiences wowed on both sides of the Atlantic.
Homme and Oliveri took the act on the road and left a trail of dazed converts wherever they went on the two-year tour blitz that followed. Performing with acts all across the musical landscape (Foo Fighters, Ween, Smashing Pumpkins, Pantera, Ozzy) the QUEENS quickly built a reputation as an uncategorizable and highly original act in a sea of drum-programmed sheep. Homme also launched a label (Rekords Rekords) to showcase his DESERT SESSIONS series and various gems from the vault.
Armed with a wealth of new material (and producer Eric Valentine) the QUEENS are now completing their new record (Songs for the Deaf- Interscope) and once again they’ve confounded expectations with an audacious, challenging release. In addition to Oliveri (bass/vox) and Homme (gtr/vox) rock legends Dave Grohl (drums) and Mark Lanegan (vox) grace the new LP. Adding further depth to the sonic arsenal are live stalwarts Brendon McNichol, Gene Trautman, and ‘Diamond’ Dave Catching, all long-time collaborators and original players in their own right.
What’s next for the unrepentant Kings of Stoner Rock? According to Oliveri-
"The QUEENS of the STONEAGE are gonna keep putting out new music and touring the world. Get up on it or get left behind!"
Source: http://www.qotsa.com/
