“Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light.”
Since the decayed hands of time turned the page into a promising new decade, a whole lot has happened in this world. It’s been a harder road traveled for some of us than others. There’s been love and loss. Sickness and wellness. Dark and light. Like many, Josh Homme knows this all too well. Having weathered the very public, very ugly dissolution of his marriage to Brody Dalle, to his cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgery, to the loss of, amongst others, legendary vocalist, friend and one time member of Queens of the Stone Age, Mark Lanegan.
2017’s Villians, was arguably a joyous affair. The Queens at their most jubilant. It glistened with the production sheen of Mark Ronson and marked a reinvention of sorts of the band’s sound. There were naysayers and town criers, lamenting the change in direction, but typically only until seeing the band on the Villains tour and realizing that Homme and company hadn’t missed a (dance) step.
In Times New Roman find Homme and Queens of the Stone Age in a far different place than when we last met. This is evident in the first dirty chords of “Obscenery”, a stomper that would sound right at home on Era Vulgaris. “Paper Machete” takes a cutting glimpse into the deflagration of a marriage. And if “Machete” is the deflagration, then “Negative Space” is the ensuing mushroom cloud on the horizon.
Lyrics can be be such an after thought in rock ‘n roll. In the past, Josh Homme has avoided these trappings by painting an obscure picture for the listener but here, he’s laid bare with lyrics that have never been more personal and given the content should hope to serve as catharsis.
It should be said that even the most poetic of lyrics don’t mean a whole lot without the musical chops to back them up. Thankfully, the lineup of Michael Shuman, Jon Theodore, Dean Fertita and Troy Van Leeuwen is gloriously intact and indefatigable as always.
There’s a warm familiarity to In Times New Roman that doesn’t sacrifice any of the forward momentum the band has carefully cultivated over the years. Cases in point being “Sicily” and “Straight Jacket Fitting”, two epic songs that are guaranteed to be the highlight of shows to come.
You can catch Queens of the Stone Age on tour through the rest of the year.
