Queens Of The Stone Age – ‘In Times New Roman…’

Since their last studio album ‘Villains’ in 2017, frontman Josh Homme has been through quite an ordeal. Having dealt with a very public custody battle with his ex-wife Brody Dalle in recent years, he has also recently undergone treatment for a cancer diagnosis, and had to mourn the loss of former bandmate and friend Mark Lanegan. But despite such a turbulent time in his life, he is still bringing his Queens Of The Stone Age project to the forefront of modern rock once again to deliver their eighth full-length ‘In Times New Roman…’, a record that looks to return to the bluesy swagger of their earlier work.

When QOTSA released ‘Villains’, it felt like the beginning of something new and interesting for the band. Bringing aboard Mark Ronson as producer gave them this more refined style that added some much needed punch to their gritty direction up until that point. But with such an upheaval behind the scenes, it makes sense for them to revert back to more tried-and-tested ideals, giving ‘In Times New Roman…’ a far more familiar feel, but one still filled with passion and bite as often as possible.

It may not have much in the way of instant standout bangers that will go down in infamy, but ‘In Times New Roman…’ still has a consistent and progressive feel to it. Resting on their laurels a little too much in places, this is a return to the groove-filled desert-rock they originally emerged with, and a confident revival from a band always striving for impactful weapons to add to their glittering arsenal to date.