If you’re reading this review then chances are you’re already familiar with Queens of the Stone Age, Josh Homme, their style, and some of their history. So guess what? I’m not gonna bother catching you up. That’s what Wikipedia is for.

June 3rd will see the release of the band’s sixth studio album, …Like Clockwork.

The biggest thing I noticed with this new record is the maturity of the songwriting. The tracks seem more hand-crafted this time around, and the styles range from gritty rock and strange melodies to almost piano pop (e.g. “Like Clockwork” intro). The overall attitude sits in the bluesy, heavy and dark section of the room.

…Like Clockwork is definitely not an in-your-face release, but it arguably stands as Queens’ most confident effort… and the personnel here is borderline insane. Aside from the usual suspects, we see the return of Dave Grohl on drums for most tracks, Jon Theodore (the original Mars Volta drummer, who is now a full-time member of QOTSA), Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) lends some vocals, Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor contributes to a couple of tracks, and even Sir Elton John (yes, Elton John) can be heard on piano and vocals on “Fairweather Friends”.

Tracks like “My God is the Sun” and “I Sat by the Ocean” are very recognizably Queens of the Stone Age.

“The Vampyre of Time and Memory” is a sultry descending track that I felt would have been a great soundtrack to the recently re-imagined Great Gatsby film. More-so than the ridiculous existing soundtrack.

Bottom Line: …Like Clockwork has a lot to offer, and it changes up the mood just enough to remain interesting throughout it’s 46-minute length. As some previous QOTSA releases are hit or miss with me, I thoroughly enjoyed this one from front to back. Upon first listen, my stand-out tracks are “Keep Your Eyes Peeled”, “My God Is The Sun”, “Fairweather Friends” and “Smooth Sailing”.

Rating: 8.5/10