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At last, a live album with decent sound quality, not to mention incredible
music. This is not surprising from a band that’s steadily making a reputation as one of hard rock’s leading acts. Over the Years and Through the Woods is a mixture of offerings (past and present) from the lads in QOTSA, who have never disappointed. Considering this is their fifth album, (first live, not counting collaborative efforts under different names) that’s an incredible statement and a difficult achievement.
The best part about this album is the inclusion of the concert DVD. The band is absolutely mesmerizing onstage and proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they’re capable of bringing the same energy and eeriness of mood to a live performance as they do on a studio LP. The inclusion of a previously unreleased track (recorded specifically for fans in London because of past performance cancellations by the band) is a great bonus. The track called “The Fun Machine Took a Shit and Died” is incredible. The only downside is that the band has only produced copies of the recorded version of this track for fans that had tickets to the cancelled shows. The live version is enough to satisfy the rest of us die-hard fans, but this is only available on the DVD, and was not placed on the CD tracks. This is unfortunate due to the addictiveness of the tune.
The album is an exploration of the evolution of the band with songs from all four studio albums, plus a track or two from the Desert Sessions (a series of albums recorded by various members of the band and a slew of other grunge-era royalty like Mark Lanegan, of Screaming Trees fame).
Essentially, if you’re a fan of classic horror-movie soundtracks, spooky
Halloween sounds, carnival or organ-grinder music, there’s something
about this band that will make your head spin. While they maintain a heavy
edge, it’s the spook that really lights up the show, putting QOTSA among
bands like Radiohead and Pink Floyd, as far as talent goes, while also furnishing them with a uniqueness that should not go unmentioned. Personally, I’m one of those “phase” types and the problem with Queens of the Stone Age is, they’re it as far as this brand of music is concerned.
There’s nobody else out there quite like them, which can be frustrating when you’re looking for new music that sounds similar. Guess I’ll just have to wait like everybody else for the next studio release, which hopefully won’t be long.
