10 Classic Music Albums Turning 20 In 2022

The entire rock scene at the turn of the century seemed to be divided from one side to the next. Loud guitar players were no longer one big happy family, either going in the pop punk direction, wearing their scars on their sleeves in nu metal, or trying to make something a bit more raw in the realm of garage rock. There was always a certain formula for these kind of bands, but Queens of the Stone Age didn't need a formula to wow us on Songs for the Deaf.

While most of this album is still a delve into Josh Homme's traditional stoner rock territory, there's a lot more versatility on this record than just heavy as hell riffs. Framed as a car ride through the desert, each song gives you a different slice of what they're listening to on the ride to Joshua Tree, be it swaggering rock and roll like No One Knows or going off the rails with Nick Oliveri on tracks like Six Shooter.

Even when Josh decides to throw everything sideways on a track, it ends up going over like gangbusters. For instance, the Sky Is Fallin was something new, with Homme's falsetto sounding like Thom Yorke some of the time, before breaking back into heavy rock once Dave Grohl's punishing drums come right back in. There might not ever be a perfect rock album out there, but in terms of what it set out to do, Songs for the Deaf is nearly flawless. The minute you hear it, you can immediately feel the hot sun on your face and the world of trouble that you're going to get into.