In 2017, Queens Of The Stone Age released the optimistic party album Villains, produced by Mark Ronson. Today, the band returns to uncompromising and at times brutal creativity. In Times New Roman... is their heaviest and darkest album since Songs For The Deaf two decades ago. And it's no wonder, as the band's leader has been going through a rough patch in his personal life. In 2019, after nearly 14 years, his marriage to Brody Dalle, the lead singer of The Distillers, came to an end. The reason cited was Homme's addiction to alcohol and drugs, as well as his use of violence. The artist went to rehab, but it couldn't save the marriage. The legal battle was nightmarish, with Dalle seeking a court order to keep Homme away from their children. However, in the end, Josh obtained sole custody rights, and the mother was accused of falsifying their statements. All these experiences are reflected in the lyrics and music.
Rumors about a new album started circulating in 2019. It was said to feature Billy Gibbons and Dave Grohl. But none of that happened! In Times New Roman... has no guest appearances, external producers, or experiments. We get 100% of the old good Queens Of The Stone Age sound.
"Obscenery" is like kicking down the door. Strong riff, fast tempo, but also the characteristic swing from their previous album. The exceptionally bitter and venomous lyrics are accompanied by shamelessly catchy music. It's strange that the first single wasn't the killer melodious "Paper Machete," whose rhythm resembles "Go With The Flow." This is a very guitar-driven album, with barely noticeable keyboards, speeding like a TGV train, which is also evident in the powerful "Negative Space." They only slow down in the psychedelic "Time & Place," airy, riff-driven, and trance-like. Played at a moderate pace, the somewhat talkative "Made To Parade" could have been on "R." In fact, In Times New Roman... sounds like the missing link between "R," "Songs For The Deaf," and "Villains."
"I fly high, I know there are no more mountains to climb. We live, we die, we fall, we rise. I am a vulture, I hear the words of farewell. Life has no end. It goes on and on..." we hear in "Carnavoyeur." Reading the lyrics, I wonder if Josh will want to revisit these songs during concerts in a few years? In my favorite track on the album, "What The Peephole Say," with its great bass and devilishly sexy second vocal in the chorus, Josh sings: "I don't care what people know. The world will end in a month." And indeed, the leader of Queens Of The Stone Age is rushing at full speed, and In Times New Roman... is not only a chronicle of the worst period in his life but also a catharsis. The apocalyptic "Sicily" leaves an impression, slow and unsettling. The single "Emotion Sickness," with its Beatlesque choirs and great riff, is a good representation of the album, but there are better tracks on it. And that epic ending! The expanded 9-minute "Straight Jacket Fitting," which could be part of the Kill Bill soundtrack, is infused with blues and the psychedelic atmosphere of The Doors. Josh recites like the Lizard King: "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Safety is an illusion..."
It may sound trivial, but in these unfavorable times for rock, Queens Of The Stone Age emerge as saviors of guitar-driven music. Josh Homme is like the musical Quentin Tarantino, who can create a new quality from well-known elements, at a high artistic and commercial level, without any embarrassment. It's a great album, it's just a shame that it was created under such circumstances.
