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**Queens Of The Stone Age - Villains**
★★★★☆

After a six-year hiatus that felt like an eternity in rock years, Josh Homme and his merry band of desert miscreants returned in 2017 with *Villains*, an album that found Queens Of The Stone Age trading some of their trademark heaviness for a slicker, more groove-oriented approach. The gap between this and 2013's *...Like Clockwork* wasn't entirely silent – Homme had been busy with Eagles Of Death Metal and surviving a near-fatal spider bite that genuinely threatened his life, while the band weathered various lineup changes and personal upheavals. But when the dust settled, QOTSA emerged with perhaps their most accessible record yet, though whether that's a blessing or a curse depends entirely on your tolerance for mainstream rock polish.

The most significant change comes courtesy of producer Mark Ronson, the British hitmaker behind Amy Winehouse's *Back To Black* and Bruno Mars' *Uptown Funk*. On paper, pairing the man who crafted some of the slickest pop records of the 2000s with rock's premier purveyors of heavy psych seemed like musical oil and water. In practice, Ronson's influence proves both *Villains*' greatest strength and its most contentious element. His production strips away much of the band's characteristic fuzz and distortion, replacing it with crisp, punchy arrangements that prioritize groove over grunge. The result is undeniably catchy, but longtime fans may find themselves mourning the loss of that signature Queens density.

Musically, *Villains* sits somewhere between the experimental tendencies of *Era Vulgaris* and the song-focused approach of *...Like Clockwork*. The desert rock foundations remain intact, but they're now draped in disco-funk flourishes, new wave synthesizers, and an almost danceable rhythmic framework. It's Queens Of The Stone Age filtered through a Studio 54 lens – still recognizably themselves, but dressed up for a night out rather than a motorcycle ride through Joshua Tree.

The album's undisputed masterpiece is "The Way You Used To Do," a swaggering anthem that perfectly encapsulates the record's refined yet rebellious spirit. Built around a hypnotic guitar riff and Homme's most seductive vocal performance in years, it's simultaneously the band's most commercial moment and one of their most effective. "Feet Don't Fail Me" follows suit with its Prince-influenced funk workout, proving that Queens can indeed make you move your hips without sacrificing their essential coolness. "The Evil Has Landed" opens proceedings with typical Homme menace, while "Head Like A Haunted House" delivers the album's heaviest moments, complete with guest vocals from Royal Blood's Mike Kerr adding an extra layer of intensity.

Less successful is "Fortress," which despite its arena-rock ambitions, feels somewhat generic by Queens standards. "Un-Reborn Again" suffers from similar issues, trading the band's usual lyrical cleverness for relatively straightforward rock posturing. These missteps highlight *Villains*' central tension: when QOTSA aim for universal appeal, they occasionally lose the very weirdness that made them special in the first place.

Lyrically, Homme continues his fascination with relationships, power dynamics, and the darker aspects of human nature, though his observations feel less barbed than usual. There's a playfulness here that suggests either contentment or complacency, depending on your perspective. The title track's exploration of moral ambiguity and "Domesticated Animals'" examination of modern relationships showcase Homme's continued growth as a songwriter, even if they lack the venom of earlier efforts.

Five years on, *Villains* has aged remarkably well, particularly as rock music has continued its retreat from mainstream consciousness. What initially seemed like calculated commercialism now reads more like prescient adaptation – a veteran band refusing to become museum pieces by embracing contemporary production techniques without abandoning their core identity. The album's emphasis on groove over heaviness has influenced a new generation of rock bands, while songs like "The Way You Used To Do" have become setlist staples and streaming favorites.

*Villains* may not rank among Queens Of The Stone Age's absolute peaks – that honor still belongs to *Rated R* and *Songs For The Deaf* – but it represents something equally valuable: proof that even the most established artists can evolve without losing their essence. In an era when rock bands often choose between nostalgic