10 Best Rock Albums Of The 2000s
4. Songs For The Deaf - Queens Of The Stone Age
After coming off a great album cycle with Rated R, Queens of the Stone Age were riding high as kings of the stoner rock genre. Once you reach the top though, it not exactly clear as to where to go next. However, Josh Homme knew the way out: ditch the genre labels and blow out the speakers.
With newcomer Dave Grohl providing the drums, the band made Songs for the Deaf, which took the listener on a booze-fueled ride through the California desert all the way to Joshua Tree. The sound of the record is one of the heaviest of the decade, with a guitar tone that is bone crushing while at the same time being incredibly playful. Across each track, Homme has a wonderful way of putting together guitar riffs that sound like they shouldn't work and making them fit perfectly in whatever song it calls for.
The eclectic mix of styles also adds to the hazy atmosphere of the record, almost as if you are listening to the record while sitting in the back seat of a blown out El Camino as the desert sun beats down on your face. When a lot of rock music was being fed through a particular filter, QOTSA's balls-to-the-wall masterpiece displayed the true meaning of being a rock and roll badass.