Queens of the Stone Age - 'Villains' Album Review

Queens of the Stone Age – ‘Villains’

4 years after the critically acclaimed, dark and mysteriously superb ‘...Like Clockwork’ from California’s resident rockers Queens of the Stone, the group have returned with the Mark Ronson-ed produced record ‘Villains’. The band’s iconic frontman Josh Homme has always utilised his badass persona on previous records in order to give them their distinctively evil sound to great effect for over 15 years now and have been deliciously putting a spin on the way in which the mass public perceived the genre of hard rock since their birth. They are also one of the greatest live bands around at the minute; I still recall their headlining set at Leeds fest 2014 as one of my favourite gigs. All this and more filled me with great excitement for this new record.

From initial listening of ‘Villains’, Ronson’s production is hugely prevalent, this record feels like QOTSA most accessible guise with its sweet melodic harmonies playing a key role at the heart of the 9 songs that make up ‘Villains’. There’s elements of robotic disco on ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me’, glam rock with ‘The Way You Used To Do’ and psychedelic vibes on ‘Hideaway’ with each track seemingly adding its own vital ingredient to this increasingly flavoursome bubbling pot of murky goodness. Despite Ronson’s noticeable influence, ‘Villains’ is still quintessential Queens with hard riffs and choppy style beating at its very core, with maybe just a few synths thrown in for good measure.

Arguably, ‘Villains’ is a risk for QOTSA. After the huge success of their previous record they could have easily kept with the same recipe that made that record so strong, yet they’ve adapted to the current musical climate and attempted to create a concoction of songs which could each easily stand on their own. It feels as this could almost be a band’s debut album with its easy listening nature, a nuance which can sometimes feel neglected on QOTSA records of the past. The band has been at the top of their game for a very long time and they are fully aware that they are talented enough to take these risks and still remain relevant and popular.

There’s a refreshing nature to ‘Villains’, a nature that would’ve been scarcely found on records like ‘Rated R’ and ‘Songs for the Deaf’ that enables it to set itself apart from the rest. The minimalist quality to this record is brilliantly innovative and the tracks themselves are really strong rock anthems ranging from slow burning epics like album closer ‘Villains of Circumstance’ and the strern-faced, retro style opener ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me’.

Overall, ‘Villains’ may have the ability to split die-hard fans of the band, mainly due to its accessibility and vaguely mainstream aspects, however I for one am a great fan of this record. It feels very different to the Queens of the Stone Age I’ve come to know and love whilst still harbouring those core values which has made this band so popular and so dominating in the rock world.

Overall Rating – 8/10

Fave Tracks – ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me’, ‘The Evil Has Landed’, ‘Head Like A Haunted House’, Domesticated Animals’, ‘Un-Reborn Again’

Least Fave Tracks – ‘The Way You Used To Do’