Queens Of The Stone Age
...Like Clockwork

THE REVIEW

From suffering to masterpiece. This is the first thought that may cross our mind after listening to “...Like Clockwork.” An album that has as its background a long depression of leaderman Josh Homme who, thanks to his bandmates, has returned to the limelight with a work that epitomizes the full QOTSA style.

“...Like Clockwork” is a pure rock concentrate, able to encapsulate extraordinary artistic beauty. What undoubtedly makes this album unique is the great gathering of the best talents of today's music scene: Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Mark Lanegan, Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys), Dave Grohl (on drums for half of the album), Nick Oliveri and Sir Elton John who, besides lending his voice and piano to “Fairweather Friends,” called the album “the best rock record of the last 5 years.” For those who are still in the early rock orgasms of QOTSA, they can immediately immerse themselves in the hypnotic rhythm atmosphere of “Keep Your Eyes Peeled,” a song with a final explosion that best encapsulates the group's style. Melancholic blues guitar trails will reign supreme in the tracks to come, making you dream of an escape in a Cabrio through Californian streets (“I Sat by The Ocean” / “The Vampyre of Time and Memory”). Characterizing the long-awaited return of Queens Of The Stone Age are also tracks that constitute the completeness and uniqueness of the album: “If I Had A Tail” and “The Sun,” songs capable of touching any musical sensitivity. The end of the record, worthy of being listened to until the very last second, offers the listener a series of rock pearls: “Fairweather Friends,” full of energy and pompous, “Smooth Sailing” and “I Appear Missing,” splendid journeys of almost ‘acid funk’ air, full of emotions and thrills that perfectly match the adrenaline and satisfaction that this CD can provide. And finally... “Like Clockwork,” a gentle ballad that highlights the new musical side of Queens Of The Stone Age.

If today you have also decided to choose “...Like Clockwork” on your CD player, you will understand why this rock masterpiece, in the classic sense of the term, has become one of the best musical works of 2013.