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“I’ve got a secret/I cannot say/A modern movement to give it away.” Such are the opening lines of “The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret,” the irresistible lead single from 2000’s <i>Rated R</i>. In a way, Queens of the Stone Age’s second album is a reflection of those words: Though <i>Rated R</i> exposed the band to a wider audience than the group’s 1998 debut, it was the last time they were a secret to just about anyone. Whereas ringleader Josh Homme recorded the band’s debut as a duo with drummer (and former Kyuss bandmate) Alfredo Hernández, <i>Rated R</i> ushers in a new era. The band is still technically a duo, but this time it’s Homme and bassist/vocalist Nick Oliveri, another former Kyuss bandmate. And it seems like Homme is setting up QOTSA as more of a collective. <i>Rated R</i> features tons of guest musician, including former Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan, Masters of Reality vocalist/guitarist (and former Kyuss producer) Chris Go, three drummer, and a laundry list of side players and backing vocalist. The resulting album expands QOTSA’s sonic palette considerably. You can hear it in the vibraphone on “The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret” and “Better Living Through Chemistry”; on the Zeppelin-esque acoustic interlude “Lightning Song”; and on the delightfully strange acid trip of “Monsters in the Parasol,” which Homme originally recorded for his Desert Sessions project two years prior. Let’s not forget the gimme-drugs clarion call of “Feel Good Hit of the Summer,” which is basically a list of intoxicants repeated over an insistent unison of ba, piano, and distorted guitar—not to mention an unexpected backing vocal from Judas Priest singer Rob Halford. .

via Apple Music

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