Them Crooked Vultures Review

 

After months of speculation of a Led Zeppelin comeback, all of the rumors were quieted when Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones couldn't find a good enough lead singer.  So that meant they could go back to previous projects.  Although there were some rumblings of Jones working with other stars of the hard rock world, this project came a little out of left field.  Josh Homme fronts the group on vocals and guitar, Dave Grohl moves back behind the drums, and Jones takes his familiar place on bass and keyboards.

When you first catch wind of this project, the first thought is "will this just be Queens Of The Stone Age+Foo Fighters+Led Zeppelin?"  Well, yes and no.  Josh Homme certainly brings the QOTSA sound to the group with a sprinkling of Foo Fighters from Grohl, however Jones brings a different sound than expected.  His contributions seem to follow his solo projects Zooma and The Thundertheif more than his Zeppelin work.

Overall, the album sounds very dark and dirty.  It steps outside of the hard rock idea box with a little more blues than you hear these days.  Homme sticks with his normal vocals for most of the album and doesn't really change up his style.  Grohl drops the hammer on the drums, especially on "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" and "Scumbag Blues".  Jones stays in the background like his normal self, however his contibutions are felt throughout.  He glues together the band much like he needed to during his day in Led Zeppelin with great bass lines in "No One Loves Me And Neither Do I" and "Elephants".  He also sneaks in a nice keyboard groove in "Scumbag Blues".

It's a good but not spectacular output from the trio.  The album seems a bit repetitive at times and no one song really shines through.  You should still pick it up if you have a chance, especially if you want to rock out.