Queens Of The Stone Age is one of the best rock n’ roll bands of the last 25 years. They’re a constantly evolving collection of brilliant musicians that want to punish and please you.
The band’s discography is diverse and thought provoking. Each album gets better with every listen as, grandmaster and ginger god, Josh Homme packs each track to capacity with layers of sound.
With the news that the band has finished mixing their latest work, fans anxiously await the seventh installment in what is very much the modern rock n’ roll gospel.
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This guide is how to best experience each album in their discography thus far.
Lullabies To Paralyze
An album full of witches, wolves, and spooky tales! QOTSA’s fourth studio album is an underappreciated masterwork. Lullabies made a statement, after breaking through to mainstream appeal, the band wasn’t going to stop evolving.
This album is best experienced in the woods, preferably in the fall. Gather around a fire with your beer drinking brethren and enjoy this haunting experience.
Run an extension cord out as far into the woods as you can and let the music ooze out through some speakers. Be sure to keep the volume at a level that allows you to hear your wilderness surroundings in between songs.
Get lost in the layers of sexy ghost howls and intoxicating melodies. There are a couple of crucial sing along moments for QOTSA veterans that will help this environment meet its full potential.
Era Vulgaris
The ambitious and aggressive assault that is Era Vulgaris is best experienced In discomfort. Strap on a pair of headphones and put yourself in a crowd. Go to an event you’re uninterested in, stroll around a city, put yourself somewhere primed for “people watching.”
Vulgaris, their fifth work, is a chaotic album. It’s a well-deserved middle finger to a world up its own ass. Plant yourself among the masses, then isolate yourself by way of musical ecstasy.
You’ll think the album is speaking directly to your inner punk self as it narrates your surroundings. Josh Homme will be your tour guide through a sea of unimportant bullshit, surrounded by bullshit people, with bullshit agendas. It’s you and QOTSA versus the world.
Perfectly paced and balanced, this audio experience will pave the way for a young mind to see the humor in how truly pointless and misguided people’s priorities can be. If that doesn’t grab you, being in the heart of commercialism in some fashion while listening to Lord Homme wipe his ass with it is satisfying on its own.
Songs For The Deaf
Queens Of The Stone Age’s biggest hit is the easiest and most obvious. Just like all the artwork, videos, and production stories tell you, this album is a lonely road experience. Songs For The Deaf is the band’s third release.
Not everybody can get themselves out to a desert, but that’s fine. Any open and unpopulated road will do in the dark. The adrenaline fueled desert rock combined with engine and pedal. This album was made for the highway.
Blaring this to your vehicle’s audio capacity is preferred. Side effects may include a heavy foot and tired arms from slamming your hands onto your steering wheel to replicate Dave Grohl’s thunderous machine gun drumming.
…Like Clockwork
This is an oddly specific scenario, but trust in your guide’s experience. QOTSA’s sixth and most recent work is best experienced through headphones while strolling through a snow storm.
Next time you’re preparing for a snow-in, get yourself bundled up and plan a scenic snowy route. You’ll get some cardio in as Josh Homme opens his heart and soul up to you in the form of beautiful rock n’ roll music.
You’ll develop a more intimate relationship with this album as it blends perfectly to the rhythm of snowflakes falling before your eyes. Even it’s darker moments pair nicely with this visual experience.
The fluidity and audible narrative that drive this album will provide you with a solid walking pace. The intimacy of headphones and an above moderate volume will expose more of the album’s subtle character.
Rated R
QOTSA’s sophomore effort is a transitional experience. Josh really hit his stride, the band had almost completely uncovered its identity.
Rated R is best experienced towards the end of the hottest summer day. As your miserable and sweaty self winds down along with the sun, the album gets your blood pumping in preparation for your second wind when all the night creatures come out.
A cooler full of warm beers, melted ice, and a lawn chair are all you need to sit in front of an old boombox. It’s like a Capri-Sun commercial but instead of surfing T-1000s there’s hip shaking and a little bit of vomit.
While Rated R can be enjoyed during all seasons, it’s true essence hits the hardest under a summer sun. It’ll strike you right in your core and shake out the last bits of energy you have stored. An awakening transition, together you’ll cruise into the cool night air hungry for excitement.
Self-Titled
The raw and slightly unpolished beginning to the glorious discography that Queens Of The Stone Age have put together. QOTSA’s debut album is a bare bones rock n’ roll sex show. Each album sees the band evolve and explore, making a revisit to the beginning that much more impressive.
Drinking cheap beer, sitting on folding chairs, in an unfinished basement or garage is the best envionrment for listening pleasure. You and a handful of friends traveling back to more youthful years as Josh and company teach you the ways of weird.
The dirtier and the more concrete, the better for your return to teenage escapism. You don’t need to be in a complex scene, keep it simple and submit yourself. There aren’t a lot of layers to these tunes, cut and dry desert punk. Instead of dissecting a thick wall of sound, you’ll absorb the simplicity and get lost in conversation.
Whatever the meaning behind this cryptic teaser image, a new album is on the horizon. Until then, revisit and enjoy the previous six in all their sexy, chaotic glory.
Which QOTSA album is your favorite? What do you think “25” is referring to? Let us know in the comments below!
