10 Albums That Are Difficult To Listen To

10. Songs for the Deaf - Queens of the Stone Age

Not too many rock bands at the turn of the century were willing to be as outlandish as Queens of the Stone Age were on Songs for the Deaf. Even with the garage rock revival starting to pick up steam around this time, Joshua Homme's band of stoners made this rusty form of rock feel new and exciting, all while dropping their tunings to unheard of levels. When you sit with it for a while though, you might find yourself getting winded fairly quickly.

Suffice to say that the title itself is more than just a cheeky pun. From a raw auditory perspective, this is one of the louder albums to have been released in the '00s, with every speaker sounding like it's being pushed to the max at every turn. Even on some of the softer cuts like Hanging Tree, you can still feel the guitars at the front of the mix, seeping into your brain with every riff. While that could be a plus, it could be detrimental if you have hearing issues.

If you aren't listening to something like this on a healthy volume, this record has been known to trigger ear fatigue. As much as the songs might be good, this is probably the one Queens album that you might need to dissolve in chunks before making the deep dive. Not because it's bad...just for your own health.