Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman – Album Review
by Killian Laher

This is the first Queens of the Stone Age album in six years, since the underwhelming Villains.  The band hasn’t been the same since Nick Oliveri and the late Mark Lanegan left. In recent times, Josh Homme has taken centre stage.

Based on opening one-two Obscenery and the bratty Paper Machete there’s decent hard riffing on show here, plenty here to get your teeth into.  Negative Space has a more plodding pace but it works well nonetheless, and the breezy Time and Space rocks agreeably despite sharing a groove with, of all things Madonna’s Material Girl!

It doesn’t all work, Made to Parade lumbers pleasantly for a little longer than it really needs to.  Also, the Doors-y What The Peephole Say is danceable, though ultimately it feels throwaway and forgettable.  The gritty, slamming riffs on Emotion Sickness are a late highlight on the album before the band stretches out on the lengthy closer Straight Jacket Fitting.  This track tries to pack a lot into its overlong nine-minute running time, running out of steam towards the end, finishing with pleasant but incongruous acoustic strums over a cello.

Although an uneven album, it’s a good collection of kicking riffs.  It’s probably the best Queens of the Stone Age album in some time, certainly since Lullabies To Paralyze.

Emotion Sickness