Queens of the Stone Age Like Clockwork Album Review
Josh Homme and Co are back with their sixth studio album Like Clockwork with almost a complete line up change since the previous release but this has made no difference to the direction the band want to take. The album cover features a drawing a of a woman with tears falling from her eyes caught in a cloak of a dark figure with skull staring at her, symbolizing the grim reaper perhaps, which might be linked to the fact that Josh Homme wrote the album after dying on the operating table and needed to be revived by doctors but don't let that put you off the album, it is well written and there some great riffs and chord progressions to match the thumping drum beats similar to Era Vulgaris and Songs for the Deaf.
The first track (Keep Your Eyes Peeled) starts off very quiet and become mysterious yet intriguing with a very dark and edgy guitar sound the song reels you in and you will not be disappointed, its five minutes and 1 second of mystery in a way it is the perfect album opener. The song flows nicely into track number two (I sat By The Ocean) which is more upbeat and a special mention to bass player Mike Shuman because there is a fantastic bass line which is noticeable throughout not just this song but the whole album. Josh uses a slider on his guitar to add effect and it works perfectly, it adds to the song and with some good chord progressions the song is one of the stand out songs on the album.
There is a clear direction that Josh Homme has taken in this album, which is amplified by track number three (The vampyre of time and Memory) which is like no other Queens of The Stone Age song. again similar to Keep Your Eyes Peeled it is very mysterious and dark featuring a piano which is ever present in the song, it is an atmospheric song however because of the fact that it is like no other like song from Josh, you may (upon first listen) not take a liking to it. And the next track, again, you will need to listen to it more than once, the track (If i Had a Tail) is very similar to I Sat By The Ocean in that there is repetitive chord sequence accompanied by a wailing guitar effect and simple thumping drum beat which doesn't really give the song any life, it lingers for a little bit then becomes less interesting not one of the best songs josh has written by a clear margin.
Josh Homme is clearly taking the album down a dark path what with all the whining effects and in some cases dreary lyrics however for me there is one track that stands head and shoulders above the rest and that is My God Is the Sun. This is very old school QOTSA and as Dave Grohl played drums on the album track we arrive back to the good side of QOTSA. There is another brilliant bass line and with no obvious guitar effects the song is able to take on a life of its own and you would think it sets us up for the remaining tracks on the album However in my opinion this is as good as it gets in terms of the album as the remaining tracks are dreary and very similar, which is a big shame because the first 5 tracks are good and full of mystery but the last 5 are a disappointment and not even worth me writing about.
It is clear that the album as a whole didn't live up to expectation and what we have come to expect from QOTSA and some people may say that this is a good thing because it shows the band are taking a new direction which in truth can be a good thing and there is clear evidence of that in this album, with the edgy effects and superb bass lines which don't really feature in other albums from Queens of the Stone age so when and if you do listen to the album bare in mind that you will need to persevere with it if you want to like it because its slow paced and needs at least 3 listens per song.
Album rating (out of 10) - 6
Best Tracks - My God Is The Sun, Keep Your Eyes Peeled.
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