Queens Of The Stone Age - Queens Of The Stone Age

Any similarities that Queens of the Stone Age may have to Kyuss are probably inevitable--all three members of this group were in Kyuss at one time or another. The intention of this band, however, is not to create Kyuss 2, but to make its own brand of noise. Falling somewhere between Can and Canned Heat, the trio brings an occasional electronic aura to the guitar-based chug of stoner rock. While not as brash and earsplitting as their previous band (singer-guitarist Josh Homme--a Jack Bruce sound-alike--lays back where Kyuss frontman John Garcia would have yelped), these guys have made a debut album that is nevertheless an intriguing, aggressive, trippy aural journey that bows down to no trend. --Janiss Garza