Rolling Stone (12/26/02, p.108) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2002"
Rolling Stone (9/5/02, p.70) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...This is prog grunge for the unpretentious....Whether the ace metal is speedy or onerous, it is always deployed in the service of the eccentric song structures, and every track becomes a splendid, mysterious thing."
Spin (1/03, p.70) - Ranked #8 on Spin's list of 2002's "Albums of the Year" - "...A feast for metal lifers who [can] no longer stomach Korn."
Q (12/02, p.67) - Included in Q Magazine's "50 Best Albums of 2002"
Q (9/02, p.104) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...This album mixes melancholy and might to a rare degree..."
Uncut (1/03, p.95) - Ranked #31 in Uncut's "100 Best Albums of the Year"
Uncut (9/02, p.104) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...(a) breathtaking, virtually flawless album."
CMJ (12/30/02, p.11) - Ranked #10 on CMJ's "Top 10 of 2002"
CMJ (9/2/02) - p.6) - "Queens of the Stone Age get better with age....QOTSA's music is a comfort zone, thanks to its readiness to rock all night and party every day..."
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.52) - "SFTD was a vision of dark-hued rock brilliance louder than a bomb."
Mojo (Publisher) (1/03, p.73) - Ranked #3 in Mojo's "Best Albums of 2002"
Mojo (Publisher) (9/02, p.95) - "All the elements which made its predecessor so great are here, but in excelsis...the thrill of these ensemble performances is downright scary."
NME (Magazine) (8/17/02, p.32) - 9 out of 10 - "...All of what you might want from them and their music is here. There are great titles, displays of extraordinary rock'n'roll and great disturbing pop..."
Queens Of The Stone Age: Josh Homme, Nick Oliveri, Dave Grohl, Mark Lanegan.
Additional personnel includes: Dean Ween (guitar).
Producers: Josh Homme, Eric Valentine, Adam Kasper.
Recorded at The Site, San Rafael, California and Barefoot Studios, Hollywood, California.
"Go With The Flow" was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. "No One Knows" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
Includes 3 bonus tracks.
When one speaks of supergroups, alternative rock has seen its share of shining moments, from 1991's Temple Of The Dog to 1995's Mad Season. In 2002, the wheel spun around to Queens Of The Stone Age with SONGS FOR THE DEAF, their bid to save hard rock. While QOTSA founders Nick Oliveri and Josh Homme have often used a variety of players to round out their lineup, having Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) make his return to the drum throne is cause enough to stop the presses. If that weren't enough, add former Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan and you've got all the ingredients for hard-rock greatness.
Classic rock fans may recall with fondness the car-radio opening from Kiss' DESTROYER, paid tribute on opening track "Millionare" (SONGS is strung together with a series of similar radio station interludes). The vibe is set with fierce impact; requisite Sabbath-like riffs and T. Rex-from-hell swagger are the weapons of choice. Grohl sounds quite at home behind the drums, leaving double-bass drummers scratching their heads with his single-kick mastery in "First It Giveth." Be it undeniable vocal harmony ("Another Love Song"), balls-out psychedelic rock ("Song For The Dead"), or moody alt-rock grooving ("The Sky Is Falling"), SONGS FOR THE DEAF makes a strong case for rock album of 2002.