SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – ALIVE IN THE CATACOMBS

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
ALIVE IN THE CATACOMBS
MATADOR RECORDS

Following an early series of screenings at select, independent cinemas across the world – including Toronto’s Royal Theatre – and the digital release of their concert film, Alive In The Catacombs, Queens Of The Stone Age are releasing the audio on streaming platforms, with digital options shipping later this summer. Alive In The Catacombs, the album, captures Queens Of The Stone Age unlike you’ve ever heard them as they perform five tracks, each entirely rearranged and stripped back to the bare bone, surrounded by the remains of millions within The Paris Catacombs.

Alive In The Catacombs opens with a mashup of “Running Joke” and “Paper Machete”, the former of which starts entirely an a cappella as keys from Dean Fertita and backing vocals from Michael Shuman warm the cool soundscape. From there, a lush 12-string acoustic is introduced by guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen along some light percussion by Jon Theodore as the band seamlessly switches to a startling rendition of “Paper Machete”. Performed acoustically, and in 6/8, rather than the driving, straight ahead, 4/4 rocker you’d expect, the inclusion of “Paper Machete” was among the biggest surprises from the set. The song continued to grow in density and instrumentation, reaching a critical point of culmination with the inclusion of a string trio before once again returning to the closing refrain of “Running Joke”. From here, the band performs a breathtakingly powerful version of “Kalopsia”, that makes excellent use of dynamics and space, as the strings accent a haunting tone that was previously much more subtle in the original. Queens Of The Stone Age bring the opening three songs to a close with a gripping and melancholic “Villains Of Circumstance”, marking a strong collection of material from their most recent three albums.

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – ALIVE IN THE CATACOMBS (THEATRICAL SCREENING @ THE ROYAL CINEMA, TORONTO)

The arrangements across Alive In The Catacombs are simply brilliant. The band sounds incredible in this rarely seen acoustic context, but it is Homme’s vocals that must be commended for the range of emotion communicated with each line as he demonstrates shades of intimacy, vulnerability, fear, and unflinching revelry all within the same breath. The album comes to a close with a pair of early songs from the band that are becoming rarities among their shows: “Suture Up Your Future” and “I Never Came”. The former captures a sauntering pace set atop a walking bass line and accented by Van Leeuwen’s synths, which feel especially cold as they bellow through the halls of The Catacombs. The latter is a fairly faithful arrangement of the familiar structure, but minimalistic in its performance that once again builds in density and excitement with each passage. Here, the trio of strings take the lead, performing an intoxicating melody following the first chorus.

Recorded just days after the band had to cancel their 2024 tour due to an undisclosed medical crisis with singer, guitarist, and leader Josh Homme, Alive In The Catacombs stands as one of the strongest creative statements from Queens Of The Stone Age, while also serving as an arresting performance that should be among the greatest of live albums. Through Alive In The Catacombs, the audience is greeted by a side of the band they’ve only previously seen in flashes, allowing for Queens Of The Stone Age to play with new and older material alike in revitalising fashion that, ultimately, secures the enduring legacy of one of alternative rock’s greatest bands.

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