10 Greatest Hard Rock Concept Albums
2. Songs for the Deaf - Queens of the Stone Age
As the 2000's were turning a corner, Queens of the Stone Age were fast becoming one of the biggest names in hard rock music. With an ever-shifting lineup under the direction of Joshua Homme, the band had created one of the greatest stoner rock albums with Rated R, but the real genius was yet to come.
Adding Foo Fighter Dave Grohl on drums, Homme started writing for Songs for The Deaf with the mindset of taking the listener on a drive through the California desert. Across the album's runtime, the songs are meant to feel like you're surfing the channels as you start to venture deeper and deeper into the arid landscape. However, things start going from badass to almost metallic once you hit the tail end of the record. Instead of being a fun loving trip to Joshua Tree, the music makes you realize just what type of shady characters you have aligned yourself with throughout the course of the album.
By the time the title track comes on, you know this is a journey that you won't soon recover from. The trip through the dark side of California may be a bit of a daunting task, but QOTSA was able to cram every single sleazy delight of the City of Angels into one solid hour of glorious hard rock.