Queens of the Stone Age formed in Palm Desert, California in 1996 around Josh Homme after the dissolution of Kyuss, carrying desert rock into the mainstream. Songs for the Deaf (2002), with Dave Grohl on drums, is the essential entry; ...Like Clockwork (2013) is the late-period peak. Find Queens of the Stone Age vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Queens of the Stone Age (often abbreviated QOTSA) formed in Palm Desert, California in 1996 around Josh Homme following the dissolution of his foundational desert rock band Kyuss (Generator 1992 / Welcome to Sky Valley 1994 desert rock landmarks). The band's name was derived from the Kyuss-era Kings of the Stone Age (a joke about Kyuss's demographic). They are widely cited as one of the most important contemporary stoner rock and alternative rock bands, with foundational influence on the contemporary desert rock revival. Their 2002 album Songs for the Deaf - featuring Dave Grohl (Nirvana / Foo Fighters) drumming and Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees / Mad Season) vocal contributions, plus the international singles No One Knows and Go with the Flow - became their international commercial breakthrough. Their parallel work includes Homme's Eagles of Death Metal (with Jesse Hughes), Them Crooked Vultures (with Dave Grohl and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, 2009), and the Desert Sessions ongoing curated recording series. They have continued releasing material across multiple decades. Their foundational influence on the contemporary stoner rock and alternative rock revival is widely cited.
Queens of the Stone Age's sound is foundational to contemporary stoner rock as a recognized genre - combining stoner rock, alternative rock, hard rock, desert rock, art rock, psychedelic rock, and post-grunge with Homme's distinctive vocal delivery (use of falsetto), his signature guitar work (use of distinctive distorted tone), and lyrical content addressing themes drawing on classic 1970s hard rock alongside contemporary alternative rock influences.
Loosegroove, Interscope, Matador, and Rekords Rekords pressings of the Queens of the Stone Age catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and elaborate limited deluxe pressings, with collector demand.
Listeners new to Queens of the Stone Age typically start with Songs for the Deaf (2002) or...Like Clockwork (2013).
