Queens of the Stone Age

About

Also known as: Gamma Ray, QOTSA, Queen of Stoneage, Queens of the Stoneage, クイーンズ・オブ・ザ・ストーン・エイジ

Queens of the Stone Age built their reputation on thick, hypnotic riffs and a restless approach to hard rock that pulls in touches of blues, electronica, and krautrock. Josh Homme founded the band in 1996 out of the ashes of Palm Desert outfit Kyuss, initially naming it Gamma Ray before a legal threat from a German metal band forced a rethink. From the start, the lineup has been fluid, with Homme as the one constant through every shift. The band hit their stride with Rated R in 2000, which featured Mark Lanegan and even a cameo from Rob Halford, and then pushed further with Songs for the Deaf in 2002, a fan favourite with Dave Grohl on drums. After years of relative quiet, they came back hard with the loose trilogy of...Like Clockwork, Villains, and In Times New Roman, the first of which became their only album to top the Billboard 200. Homme's falsetto and his taste for unusual guitar tunings give QOTSA a sound that sits apart from anything else in rock.