Queens of the Stone Age Villains Track-By-Track Album Review

The album cover of Queens of the Stone Age's new album, Villains, out August 25.

After four years since 2013's ...Like Clockwork, Queens of the Stone Age have released their seventh studio album, titled Villains.

The album contains nine tracks, including the two singles, "The Way You Used To Do" and "The Evil Has Landed".

Despite the short tracklist (in fact, the shortest, Queens of the Stone Age have never released an album released an album with less than 10 tracks), the album is 48 minutes long.

Six of the album's tracks are longer than five minutes, with just "Head Like A Haunted House" being the only track under four minutes long.

The band's initial announcement of the album gained controversy for including Mark Ronson as the producer.

Ronson is known for his collaboration with Bruno Mars in the hit single "Uptown Funk" and his long producing career, most recently with Lady Gaga's 2016 album Joanne and Adele's 2015 album 25.

Ronson's collaboration with desert rock group Queens of the Stone Age was received with skepticism and criticism from the band's long-term fans, as they saw the move as a form of selling out.

However, the criticism would be moot if the album itself was solid and received well by fans old and new.

Let's take a look at Villains then.

THE TRACKLIST REVIEW:

As I listened to Villains once and then again, I noticed that the album is much like a baseball lineup.

I mean this in the way that the first track is powerful, gripping and catches your ears. This is followed by a solid second track that keeps you interested.

In the first track, "Feet Don't Fail Me", the intro may remind the audience of 2013's ...Like Clockwork and its sinister vibe and dark sound. This can be heard for a solid two minutes.

Then it transitions to the sound of hard-hitting rock that seems a bit bouncy. The inclusion of the song's haunting keyboard work by Dean Fertita illustrates the shift in the band's new work.

Overall, it's a solid opening track, perhaps better than ...In Clockwork's opening track, "Keep Your Eyes Peeled".

Transitioning to the second track, I must admit that although I do enjoy "The Way You Used To Do" (I mean I put it in my Top 25 Songs of 2017 So Far article), this track seems so out of place.

I, like many other QotSA fans, was surprised when I heard this track released as a single. It's known that Josh Homme has a love for old school rockabilly music and it could have been assumed that the vibe from "The Way You Used To Do" would be more prevalent in Villains.

This wasn't the case.

"The Way You Used To Do" feels like an odd addition to this album. Every track with exception of "Head Like A Haunted House" begins with a slow tempo that builds up and even then, "Head Like A Haunted House" brings past vibes associated with Homme (more on that later).

This second track is good, don't get me wrong. The flow is great and its a fun song to dance to and whatnot, but that wasn't really the vibe of this album.

The clapping tuning out Jon Theodore's drumming and the hip-swinging vibe just seems unnatural coming from this group. This issue isn't seen in any of the other tracks.

I personally think "The Way You Used To Do" could've served better as a non-album single, although I know those are being seen less and less in the rock industry in the past decade or two.

Even though it seems out of place, this track serves as a good lead-up to the meat of the album.

The real meat of Villains is seen in the third, fourth and fifth tracks. This is the power of the lineup, the point where you watch out for true rock bombs.

Getting back into the rhythm of the album, the third track of the album, "Domesticated Animals" is a good combination of old and new sound.

This track definitely fits the style of the band and the album, yet could really fit in any other album, especially with 2007's Era Vulgaris.

In my baseball analogy, this is the equivalent of a trustworthy batter who comes in and produces a solid performance, and this is what "Domesticated Animals" brings to the table.

Now for the cleanup hitter. The solid slugger who brings you to the plate every time you see him marching in.

I'll admit it, I'm not the biggest fan of Queens of the Stone Age using a futuristic-sounding synthesizer for Villains. However, with their newest evolution, "Fortress" makes it work.

The chorus combines Josh Homme's vocals paralleled and matched with similar notes by the synth. I know some may be annoyed by it, but I think it's a good touch.

This song follows the band's format with Homme's elevated pitch in the bridge that leads to a grand conclusion to the track, but the addition of this new style makes it whole.

The synth takes a back seat to the guitars and drums which is a nice touch. This song may be my favorite along with "Feet Don't Fail Me".

Now we head to the fun part of "Head Like A Haunted House". Immediately we're thrown into what honestly sounds like a new song from Them Crooked Vultures, the superband that consists of Josh Homme, Foo Fighters' frontman Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones from Led Zepellin.

The fast pace dominated by drumming and loud guitar makes this track a sweet midpoint. This track will likely be a favorite for the upcoming tour with its high energy and fun chorus.

It'll especially be entertaining to watch Troy Van Leeuwen create wild riffs on the fly while shaking and trembling.

I have zero complaints about this track. It's the headbanging, foot stomping jam that the album needs and its a solid closer to the marquee section of the album.

Moving on, there is a bit of a cool down with the sixth, seventh and eighth tracks. This serves more as support, keeping the album solid but nothing that is revolutionary or eye-popping.

We start with the sixth track, "Un-Reborn Again". The reason this track isn't in the powerful section of the album is the high dependency of the synth and keyboard in the non-vocal parts of the track.

At some points, I feel like I'm in a Tron movie, feeling the buzzing in my ears that takes away from the performance from the band. I'm not sure if this is Mark Ronson's doing, but this is the opposite of "Fortress" in my opinion.

Disregarding that flaw, the song is good. The flow follows the same lovable pattern the band has provided for decades. It just seems too clustered.

I'd unfortunately say that I'll be listening to "Un-Reborn Again" the least out of this album's tracklist, not because of the lyrics themselves, but because of the rhythm's flaws.

If anything, I'd listen to the latter half, as Homme takes charge of the lyrics and the song includes a well-crafted violin solo accompanied by the layered vocals that I'll say is quite beautiful.

This song isn't bad, but I know that QotSA could have done miles better.

Next, we talk about track seven, "Hideaway".

Although this track does have partially the same issue as "Un-Reborn Again", it doesn't take as much away from Homme's vocals and the strong guitar performance.

I'd say the guitar performance in "Hideaway" is the highlight of the track, as well as Josh's singing.

Other than that, unfortunately there isn't much to say about this album.

Finally in this section, we transition into the other single of this album, "The Evil Has Landed".

This song is easily highlighted by the natural sound that the band gives. It sounds truly like an evolved QotSA and it's enjoyable throughout.

Although long at 6:31 in length, at risk of sounding repetitive, the band mixes it up in the different sections of the track which make it a true highlight of the album.

Once again, the highly talented guitar work in the track make this song what it is.

However, it would be a crime if I didn't mention the mastery of the final two minutes of the track. The guitar patterns combined with Josh Homme's lead up to the peak of the mountain.

At the top, there is a brief pause followed by a slow "Here...we...come" by Josh accompanied by Jon Theodore's drums that lead to the downhill section of the musical mountain.

This is the downhill, fast-paced incredible ending to the track where Homme warns "get out of the way".

Although the penultimate track of most albums aren't very notable, "The Evil Has Landed" is a clear exception to this.

Finally, the only differentiation in my sports analogy to this musical piece is the last track. Typically in baseball, the ninth slot is set for the pitcher or the worst hitter. This isn't the case in this album or most albums, as this is the last hurrah, the last chance to make a lasting impact.

In Villains, you have the ninth and final track, "Villains of Circumstance", which granted begins slow and you wouldn't be blamed for assuming it'll only be a fade out transition.

However, "Villains of Circumstance" is calculated, meticulous with its combination of Josh Homme's drifting, passionate lyrics and the onslaught of sheer guitar power from long-time members Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Dean Fertita and Michael Shuman along with the highlighted drumming from Jon Theodore, former member of The Mars Volta.

This is the band's song. The combined effort of five extraordinary musicians at the end of a grand show.

This is the ending of a solid album that deserves a grand finale.

The violins march back into the musical scenery, the guitars play a slow tune that brings chills to the spine and the vocals drip into the soul.

The echoing of the line that includes the song's title brings along a beautiful, empowering section of all instruments that induces sing-alongs and lighters to be waving in a sea of darkness as the audience watches this mastery.

Yes, this is Villains. This is Queens of the Stone Age at its peak. Music that speaks to the audience and drives them to fall back in love with rock music.

This album is enjoyable. It's not perfect. It may be overlooked in award season. It may not be in your YouTube music countdowns as the best of the best.

One thing is for sure. It was damn sure worth the wait.