...Like Clockwork – Queens Of The Stone Age (2xLP)

Josh Homme and his band hadn't exactly created the most ideal situation for themselves in the run-up to their new album. There was distraction in the form of projects like Them Crooked Vultures, a tour to promote the re-release of the debut album, and drummer Joey Castillo who left the band. Yet QOTSA sounds on… Like Clockwork perhaps more coherent than ever. Anyone who hopes for a second Songs For The Deaf with Dave Grohl behind the drum kit can forget that right away. The atmosphere on… Like Clockwork is above all calmer, but at the same time much more exciting and threatening. Of course the previous albums already had that in them, albeit often on the surface. On this new record that is actually much more deeply anchored in the songs and more often hidden in double bottoms. Take, for example, a gorgeous ballad like The Vampyre Of Time And Memory, where a synthesiser that looks through in the background is enough to make the atmosphere that little bit more sinister. And then of course there are the guest musicians, who, as always, are entirely dedicated to the record. The one place Elton John, Trent Reznor, Alex Turner, Mark Lanegan and Nick Oliveri really stand out is in the credits. That is no disdain for their achievements, but rather a compliment for the way in which egos play no role on this record and everything is in the sign of the bigger picture. A vision that Homme always had in mind, and this time it turned out more sharply than ever before.