thevoid99's Full Review: Songs For the Deaf [PA] by Queens Of The Stone Age
Throughout its long history, no form of music has been as louder or as uncompromising as heavy metal. Pioneered by bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple and in the late 70s through bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Motorhead, metal became the kind of music that was loud enough to anger parents and religious groups. By the 80s and 90s, it became louder and faster through bands like Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, Megadeth, Pantera, and Sepultura as all those bands took metal’s old sound while acknowledging many of their heroes who created the scene. While metal cooled down a bit through the 1990s, Alternative rock was the rage although a lot of the louder bands in the scene like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, and Soundgarden has always acknowledged bands like Black Sabbath and Zeppelin as major influences along with their favorite punk, post-punk, and indie rock influences. When Alternative music sank back into the underground by the late 90s, a new wave of metal music appeared by bands like Korn, the Deftones, Sevendust, and L___ B_____ arrived by fusing hip-hop and other influences with metal music.
With the nu-metal scene growing big in 1999, so did its slew of imitators as many of those bands in the scene got louder and a lot catchier that not only appealed to the pop crowd but unfortunately, appealed to huge, jock frat boys who didn’t have enough brains or sense to know where metal came from and what it stands for. Even bands from the nu-metal scene never acknowledge a lot of metal’s pioneer except for Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne because a lot of those bands appeared in his annual Ozzfest tour. With the scene now in decline, some metal purists decry many of those bands like L____ B_____, Linkin Park, Papa Roach, and Crazy Town along with more pop-friendly hard rock acts like Nickelback, Default, and Crud for ruining metal’s image and edge. Bands relying more on pop hooks rather than the hard, droning power guitar chords or the thunderous rhythms that made metal music so great. Well for you dedicated metal fans, there is hope. They’re called Queens of the Stone Age.
Queens of the Stone Age are led by the core duo of singer/guitarist Josh Homme and bassist Nick Oliveri that includes a revolving lineup of several musicians, notably former Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan. Dating back in the early 90s, QOTSA date back from the pioneering Stoner Metal band Kyuss that produced several metal albums including 1992’s landmark “Blues for the Red Sun” before breaking up for good in the mid-90s. After Kyuss’ breakup, Homme relocated to Seattle where he met up several local musicians from the scene including grunge stars like Soundgarden and Screaming Trees for some jam sessions and he formed a new band called Queens of the Stone Age. After releasing the self-titled debut in 1998, Homme’s former Kyuss band mate Nick Oliveri joined the band, as they became stars in the underground metal scene.
In 2000, they released their sophomore debut “Rated R” to rave reviews and a huge buzz as they played the Ozzfest tour with several metal bands and nearly stood out for their Sabbath, grunge guitar riffs and melodic-driven hooks that wasn’t too catchy but good enough for metal fans. The buzz surrounding Queens of the Stone Age was so huge, the band gained some famous fans, most notably Dave Grohl of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters. He loved them so much that he gave the Foo Fighters a break so he can play drums again for the Queens on their new album “Songs for the Deaf”.
“Songs for the Deaf” is by far one of the purest albums in heavy metal since Tool’s 2001 album “Lateralus”. Filled with heavy riffs and bass hooks that reminds old-school metal fans the days of Black Sabbath and Motorhead, the Queens’ sound is kicked up a notch largely thanks to Dave Grohl. Grohl, who’s punk-intense drumming style that has made Nirvana famous, gives the their sound a faster and louder intensity than in previous records that isn’t exactly metal but Grohl’s intense power is enough to make metal fans play air drums. Another contributor to the Queens’ new album is Mark Lanegan. Lanegan serves as a contributing songwriter, backup vocalist, and session musician that helps the Queens spice up their songwriting by adding melodic hooks and catchy riffs that is not leaning towards pop but it is accessible enough for the non-metal fan to enjoy the Queens’ metal sound.
Other contributors for “Songs for the Deaf” include Dean Ween of Ween on guitar and A Perfect Circle bassist Paz Lenchantin who contributes strings to the record with sister Anna while her APC guitarist Troy Van Leuwenn serves as a touring guitarist for the Queens. In between a few tracks throughout the album are DJ interludes promoting the band and their new album that includes C-Minus, Chris Goss, Dave Catching, and former Marilyn Manson bassist Twiggy Ramirez playing the role of radio DJs in an album that sounds like a fun hour of metal radio that is sorely missed these days in the corporate climate of rock. While interludes tend to be annoying, they don’t appear in every track after in this album, instead it just serves as humor and get fans pumped up for the songs. While most modern metal records will slip in a pop song that will make the pop fan cheer or the metal fan puke, there’s none of that in the album nor there is a lame power ballad. There are slow songs but they’re all heavy and loud. With “Songs of the Deaf”, the Queens of the Stone Age gives heavy metal the kick in the *ss it deserves.
The album opens up with a car opening as a person tunes to the radio, as a DJ gets ready to play the first song by the Queens, “You Think I Ain’t Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire”. With a flat sounding mix of rumbling drums and a droning guitar solo building up, it comes in at full mix with a power-feeding bass and blazing guitar as Josh Homme sings, “Dead bull with the life of the low/I’ll be massive conquistador/Give me soul and show me the door/Metal heavy, soft at the core/Gimme toro, gimme some more” with his high-pitched scream as he is followed by the high-intense power of Dave Grohl’s drum and Nick Oliveri’s pounding bass riffs that features a brief break and the song comes again at full-throttle. Next is the single for “No One Knows” with its simplistic, melodic guitar riffs and Grohl’s smooth drum fills as Homme sings, “We get some rules to follow/That and this/These and those/No one knows/We get these pills to swallow/How they stick in your throat/Taste like gold/Oh, what you do to me/No one knows”. Then comes a powerful chorus of “And I realize you’re mine/Indeed a fool of mine/(repeat both lines)” as it is followed by Grohl’s pulsating beats and Homme’s grunge-drenched guitars. After singing the second verse and chorus, the song goes into a powerful jam of bass-pounding drumbeats and droning guitars that is followed by a brief and inspiring Geezer Butler-like bass solo from Oliveri and Homme’s visceral guitar solo as the song gets creepier with his dark lyrics of “Heaven smiles above me/What a gift there below/But no one knows/A gift that you give to me/No one knows”. The song is followed by an interlude as the driver changes the dial on his radio to a Spanish station as a Spanish DJ talks about Queens of the Stone Age.
“First It Giveth” opens up with a pulsating bass line from Oliveri and Grohl’s cymbal crashing rhythms as Homme brings in low-heavy guitar track as he sings, “I’m in you, you’re in me/I can’t tell/You’re so cruel, more than me/It is true, that’s right/Loyal only to you, only you/Up your sleeve/I want some (come on, take it), of all of you (It’s your)/Trickin’ me” in his smooth, eerie vocals. Then comes a powerful rumble of guitars, bass, and drums as they sing the chorus of “First it giveth, then it taketh away” as it is followed by a fast, acoustic guitar riff from Mark Lanegan. “Song For The Dead” comes in with its menacing, Sabbath-like guitar riffs and Grohl’s heart pounding beats as it becomes a fast, metal onslaught that slows down a bit with Grohl’s visceral fills and Homme’s guitar riffs as he sings, “It’s late enough to go driving/And see what’s mine/That’s a study of dying/How to do it right/You’re a holy roller/Get your bed in a loose/If you’re hanging around/I’m holding the noose” with his raspy and creepy vocals. The song is then followed by a dark and menacing guitar solo that sounds so evil and menacing, it’s pure metal as it speeds up in the end.
“The Sky is Fallin’” is an ominous song with eerie vocal backgrounds and Grohl’s smooth and brooding drum rumblings and melodic-driven guitar riffs that then gets a lot heavier with its maniacal guitar riffs as Homme sings, “The sky is falling/Human race that we run/It left me crawling/Staring straight at the sun/Only a moment I notice/Every dog has his day/I paid attention/Cost me so much to today”. The song then goes to the chorus of “For so long, I saw only wrong/But now to remind, it’s a waste of time/Close your eyes and see the skies are falling”. Then comes another radio promo after the song as the DJ talks about the desert, a DJ slapping a baby and more talks about the Queens. “Six Shooter” starts out as a flat-sounding track of low guitars and drums track as Homme screams, “Two glass eyes/I’ll f*cking tell you lies/I’m on the side of the road/You won’t f*cking die” in a high-pitch sound that is followed by another scream of “Yeah, yeah/shoot (repeat 5 more times)/Pow” as it goes into a full sound of crashing drums and menacing guitars as Homme screams “F*ck this road/Well, f*ck you too/I’ll f*cking kill your best friend/What you f*cking gonna do” as he screams the word “shoot” and “pow” throughout the short song.
“Hangin’ Tree” opens up with a fast and distorted bass riff that is followed by its pounding drums and droning guitar riffs as Josh Homme sings, “Would you like our way home/I bleed my own” as it leads to the chorus of “Round the hanging tree/Swaying in the breeze/In the summer sun/As we two are one, swaying”. With wailing guitar solos, Homme sings more ominous lyrics like “Can you see under my thumb/There you are” as he sings the chorus again in his dark, deep vocals. “Go With The Flow” is a fast-paced metal song with powerful fills and wailing guitar solos as Homme sings, “She said ‘I’ll throw myself away/They’re just photos after all’/I can’t make you hang around/I can’t wash you off my skin/Outside is the frame, is what we’re leaving out/You won’t remember anyway”. The song then leads to the chorus of “I can go with the flow/But don’t say it doesn’t matter anymore/I can go with the flow/Do you believe it’s in your head” as he accompanies the song with a screeching guitar solo.
Another change on the radio dial appears and the song “Gonna Leave You” arrives. The punk-driven metal song spurred by its punk intensity and blazing guitars is the setting for Homme’s ominous lyrics as he sings, “Wait by the phone, late alone/He can’t help you, but I know I could/Free is too long, You know this is wrong/Everything scars the skin/Push it in, break it off” as it leads to the chorus of “I’m gonna leave/I’m gonna leave you” as he brings in wailing guitar solos in this song of heartbreak at its bleakest tone. Next is the punk chant of “Do It Again” as it opens up smooth, punk rhythms of Dave Grohl along with bass-heavy guitar and bass riffs that is followed by pump-fisting chant of “Hey” as Homme sings, “I fall over and over and over, over, over on you/I get ill, I get ill, I get ill, you’re the only one I’m into/You and me, fit so tight/I go lower and lower and lower, lower living easy/I don’t know, I don’t know what I got till it’s over/You and me, fit so tight”. The song then leads to the catchy chorus of “Can you do it again/Do it again, do it again/Can you do it again” with its droning Sabbath, grunge guitar riffs as it stands out as one of the album’s catchiest and heaviest tunes.
Another interlude as the person keeps changing the radio dial to several stations until it comes to a piece where a preacher says “Hallelujah” repeatedly. Then comes the song, “God Is In The Radio” with Nick Oliveri’s ominous, low-sounding bass lines and Dave Grohl’s chilling beats that are followed by Josh Homme’s visceral guitar drone as he sings, “I thought I saw him on the video/A trance is keeping him under/I know that God is in the radio/Checking the station/I’m glad I caught it from me to you/Just a call in the medium/I know hear it, I hear it too/It’s everywhere that I go”. Then comes a smooth and catchy chorus of “You come back another day/And do no wrong” as it is followed by droning guitar solos and ominous keyboards in one of the album’s most chilling pieces. “Another Love Song” comes in with its melodic guitar riffs and smooth, mid-tempo rhythm as Homme sings, “You’re so impossible/Scream and moan it chills my soul/Don’t wanna hear you got left behind/It’s no lie/You did it to yourself/Like chewed up gum under my shelf/Don’t look surprised/You must have known all along” that leads to the chorus of “It’s just another love song/Another love song” with Grohl’s pulsating beats that gives chills up your spine as this love song is not like any other love song, it’s just creepy enough for Halloween.
Another radio interlude comes in from a woman as she introduces “Song For The Deaf”. With its hollow bass lines and ominous guitar textures as it is followed by Dave Grohl’s hollow and pulsating beats. Homme’s chilling lyrics are the centerpiece of the song as he sings, “Nobody’s coming down the hall/Nobody echoes in my head/Broken reflection had a look/Nobody ever needed her” with his eerie and seductive vocals as he belts out Sabbath-like guitar drones and screeches that leads to the chorus of “And I got what was/I want to take what’s left/No talk will cure/What’s lost, or save what’s left/For the deaf”. With Oliveri’s ominous bass lines and Grohl’s powerful fills, the track gets darker and heavier with its metal-driven guitars and beats. As the song ends comes a final radio interlude as the DJ signs off and says goodbye and it is followed by eerie screams hollow beats, and wobbly bass lines as it closes almost the entire album.
The final track is a not-so-exactly hidden track known as “Mosquito Song”. The acoustic ballad at first doesn’t seem to fit in with the album but its creepy lyrics and ominous arrangements is enough to not only fit in but gives “Songs for the Deaf” a smooth close. Homme performs a smooth and melodic acoustic guitar as he sings, “I know, I know the sun is hot/Mosquitoes come suck your blood/Leave you there all alone/Just skin and bone/When you walk among the trees/Listening to the leaves/The further I go, the less I know/The less I know/Where will you run? Where will you hide? Lullabies, to paralyze”. The song is then followed by an eerie keyboard track and an ominous string performance from the Lenchantin sister of Anna and Paz of A Perfect Circle along with Nick Oliveri on the string bass. Then comes a hollow and powerful brass section with Grohl on percussions as the track shows the diversity and songwriting capabilities of the Queens of the Stone Age.
“Songs for the Deaf” is by far one of the best albums of 2002 and is so far the best hard rock/heavy metal album of the year. While Dave Grohl deserves credit for his drumming and giving the Queens of the Stone Age some attention, the real credit goes to Nick Oliveri and Josh Homme for their songwriting and performance as they prove that you can still be heavy and melodic at the same time without going to lines of mainstream pop. With the nu-metal scene finally waning on its own indulgence and lack of respect, metal music finally regains some of its respect and bite thanks in large part to the Queens of the Stone Age. For a record with heavy riffs, powerhouse rhythms, and catchy songs, this is the metal album to own.
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