By Jon McAllister 

The first QOTSA album in over 6 years, and still no introduction needed; …Like Clockwork has been so mystifying and highly anticipated, I’m not sure any information released thus far has been missed. Those who know Queens are (expletive) stoked, and may the unaware soon be informed of the void in their lives.

The return of Queens is serious as “Keep Your Eyes Peeled” is the first to be unveiled. After breaking glass and smashing, the sludgy, slow-burner is dressed down to a filthy bass line riding the punch of Joey Castillo’s brutal beat. As the ugly waltz sets in, Josh Homme’s voice glides in with the contradicting grace of a piano-match-guitar melody.  The wah-clad interruptions of the hook closes with “If life is but a dream/WAKE ME!” immediately making it apparent that …Like Clockwork is not f*cking around.

If anything, …Like Clockwork shows QOTSA’s incredible prowess in terms of making completely unique albums without losing an ounce of their fantastic originality.  While Queens of the Stone Age and Rated R bounce around desert subgenres, Songs for the Deaf locks down on the QOTSA sound built on desert rock aggression through a desert ‘drive-time commute.’ Then Lullabies To Paralyze opens up to what would be referred to as the robot-rock sound below Homme’s hateful, shit-talking lyrics and fairy tale derivatives. Era Vulgaris thenbusts out full-on “robot” styles with unheard of progressions and riffs while Homme utilizes humorous, punch-line lyricism ripping on society, making it (wit Chu), or creating a wild psychedelic imagery.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjYZToXuJaM&h=297&w=450]

With …Like Clockwork, you get themes of depression, of loneliness, of misinterpretation and –most importantly – of change.  However, most of Clockwork’s the sounds are not all that dark, evil, or sad.  QOTSA introduces this ‘less evil,’ sunny side to desert compositions on songs like “I Sat By the Ocean,” the dancey “If I Had A Tail,” the epic single “My God Is The Sun.” It’s as light and upbeat as a desert rock band can get while still staying true to what the arid, sludgy genre – or Queens, more specifically – is and has always been.

The other intriguing part of the album appears as two emotional, piano-led ballads, “The Vampyre Of Time And Memory” and the orchestral closer that is “…Like Clockwork.” These songs introduce a softer brand of QOTSA that has really never before been present. However, with Homme’s excellent falsetto ability delivering realities and downs in life (ex.:  Holding on to longing is just fear of letting go/ because not everything that goes around comes back around, you know), and the musical accompaniment brought home by the impressive personnel, the songs are as beautiful as they are critical to the concept of …Like Clockwork.

With the album being so utterly whole, it is hard to choose any one or two songs and declare them as highlights. With that being said, the first listen leaves a quick attachment to the back-half tracks, “Smooth Sailing” and “I Appear Missing.” The two interact (one after the other, respectively) directly before the album’s close as an almost-funny contradiction; “Smooth Sailing” being this happy-dance groove seemingly sung by a more arrogant Homme (got bruises and hickeys/ stitches and scars/ got my own theme music plays wherever I are) as if portraying some over-done positivity forced out of what is actually hopelessness, especially as the song ends (it’s all smooth sailing from here on out…shut up).

“I Appear Missing” then bubbles with 12-string guitar arpeggio and slide guitar until the song bursts into the colossal, super-catchy hook.  This track may arguably be the most powerful with all the dips, twists and turns in the composition. As the song appears to end after a long, wild (Dave Grohl) fill, there’s a reprise of the verse that leads of the extravagant guitar outro ushering in Homme’s final, all-or-nothing chant to end the one-song journey.  Just listeningcould be considered an experience.

I’d be surprised to ever hear a bad thing about QOTSA’s return with …Like Clockwork. Them desert boys kill it every time.

Score: 4.8/5

Queens of the Stone Age: iTunes | Official