"Welcome To The Era Vulgaris. Please Watch Your Step."

Era Vulgaris has been out for less than two weeks now, and already it's stirring up even more controversy than 2005's Lullabies To Paralyze. An album people either absolutely loved or absolutely hated. With it, the Queens forewent both the heavy-yet-relaxed psychadelia of 2000's Rated-R and the good-times rock of 2002's Songs For The Deaf in favor of a darker and more sensual sound/style. While still a very good album overall, it ultimately fell short of its two predecessors due to its comparably unpolished songwriting and often forced attempts at experimenting.

Which brings us to this year's follow-up Era Vulgaris. Despite typically glowing reviews from professional critics, Era Vulgaris is drawing opinions all across the board from fans. Many are saying the Queens have finally "gone soft" and even "sold out" (the ultimate death knell for any rock band). While others are commending them for taking (yet another) new approach with their music and broadening their sound to include elements of almost every genre from thrash metal to techno to even R&B(!). Plain and simple, Era Vulgaris may very well be the most hotly debated rock album since St. Anger.

Now, before getting onto the review, let's get a few things straight (for the naysayers):

1. Queens Of The Stone Age is NOT a "heavy metal band." Sure, they cite influence from a few heavy metal bands. Most notably Metallica and Judas Priest. However, their music is clearly rock n' roll. Josh Homme himself often says that he wants to be disassociated with the metal genre.

2. Queens Of The Stone Age is not a non-commercial band. Their music is catchy, hook-heavy, and yes "poppy." And has been since their 1998 debut. And lyrically, despite dealing with serious topics, the Queens' music always has a sharp sense of humor, making them stimulating yet also fun to listen to.

Now that that's out of the way, let's get down to the actual review. Era Vulgaris (latin for "Common Era") is a concept album about the state of the world here in 2007. However, while most rock bands sing about the horrors of such current events as the War On Iraq and the Virginia Tech Shootings, Era Vulgaris attempts to take a more positive stance on the state of the world. The album proclaims that this is an exciting time, and we should all be celebrating it.

Musically, this is easily QOTSA's most complex and daring album yet. As previously mentioned, the album attempts to squeeze influences from techno, 70's rock, heavy metal, and even R&B into one eleven (twelve if you count the bonus track) song rock record. Even bolder, it attempts to do all that without losing the core QOTSA sound. In this respect, it works very well. The influences mesh perfectly with the Queens' classic sound, and if the daring musical influences don't make you smile, the surprisingly technical musicianship (a first for a QOTSA record) certainly will. The drumming, guitar work, everything is tighter and more complex than ever before.

Opening track Turnin' On The Screw is best described as "Alice In Chains Gone Electronica." Josh Homme does a dead-on Layne Staley impersonation with his slow, dreamy vocals. And instrumentally, the song is reminiscent of Sludge Factory but with a conspicuous techno influence (which can be attributed largely to the album's production). Fortunately, this somewhat unusual combination works beautifully. The song retains the emotion of an AIC song, but sounds unique enough to be more than just a sterile rehash. The result is one of the best songs on EV.

Next up is Sick Sick Sick, which is also the album's lead single. All in all, this is classic QOTSA shredder (something that was sorely missing on the band's previous album). Josh Homme's one-note singing (about the glories of the rock 'n' roll scene) works surprisingly well. The riff (despite being just one chord played at various time signatures) is catchy and blends perfectly with the frantic drumming. Plain and simple, this song would've fit in perfectly on Songs For The Deaf.

I'm Designer is one of the oddest songs Josh has ever written. It's an almost danceable/rappy tune with a heavy techno riff and Josh Homme half-singing/half-speaking sarcastically about the way musicians are often exploited in the music industry. The song is so unlike anything QOTSA has ever written that, if it weren't for the stellar Rated-R like chorus, you may not even know that it's them. Great song either way.

Into The Hollow returns the album to the Lullabies To Paralyze sound with its murky guitar work and slow, plodding melody. There's some excellent vocal interplay between Mark Lanegan and Josh Homme. And the drumming, despite the slow pace, is quite solid.

Misfit Love is another techno-influenced track (suspiciously similar to Version 2.0-era Garbage) with a feedback-ridden main riff and simple rock/techno beat. Josh Homme does a great job of mixing his falsetto with his standard singing, and even implements some looped techno-like robot vocals into the song's main riff. A very nice, melodic bridge in the middle too (complete with some mid-90s alternative styled guitarwork in the background and excellent multilayered vocals).

Battery Acid sounds slightly influenced by Master Of Puppets-era Metallica with its almost thrashy main riff and surprisingly technical drumming. But make no mistake: This is a classic QOTSA rocker with its melodic chorus and obvious rock sensibility. Josh Homme in particular shines with his energetic vocals and surprising diversity in the way they're delivered.

Now we get to the infamous Make It Wit Chu (undoubtedly one of the most non-PC songtitles ever). Mark Lanegan once again takes over the vocals for the majority of the song, with Josh Homme doing a pretty convincing R&B-styled falsetto during the chorus. Musically, the song is purely R&B-influenced, with a great bluesy guitar solo in the middle.

3's And 7's is my personal favorite song on the album. The main riff sounds very Nirvana-like, only much more energetic and catchy than anything that band's ever done. The song is a brisk and all-around fun rocker with some great guitar work (just wait until you hear that solo at the end) and Josh Homme's fail-proof vocals. Not to mention the awesome SFTD-ish breakdown in the middle.

Suture Up Your Future is a largely bass driven song with some of Josh Homme's softest singing yet and an almost swing-like groove. Lyrically, it's basically about making the future every bit as good as the present. Keeping in the spirit of Josh Hommme's self-admitted glorification of the "era vulgaris" perfectly.

After a somewhat strange Circus-like opening (may the Queens never lose their eccentric sense of humor), River In The Road comes in. This is possibly the most technical song QOTSA has ever done, with its surprisingly complex main riff and technically proficient drumming. However, what the song gains in musicianship it loses in lyrics. Lyrically, it's kept very simple. Especially with the chorus, which consists simply of some multi-layered "Ooing" and "Ahhing."

Finally, Run Pig Run closes the main album. If you thought some of the music on Rated-R was wild and crazy, wait until you listen to this. The tempo and melody seem to change every second. Josh Homme puts on a zany vocal performance, complete with some sassy "Whoo hoo hoo"'s during the "chorus." The guitar work is deliberately murky/messy. Even those most convinced of Josh Homme's claims that he doesn't do any drugs may want to think twice after listening to this off-the-wall rocker.

The hidden title track Era Vulgaris may or may not be on your version of the album. This Nine Inch Nails collaboration was originally released only to members of the QOTSA fanclub, and then at the last second tacked onto the final album as a bonus track. I'm a little surprised this originally wasn't going to be included, because it's actually among the best songs on the album. It's a heavy mid-paced rocker with Josh Homme putting on a very Rated R-like vocal performance and an amazingly catchy chorus. This is probably the only time QOTSA ever managed to mix the Rated R sound with the Songs For The Deaf sound, and the results are remarkable.

So there you have it. QOTSA's most complex, technical, and ambitious album yet. Is it a sellout? Not by a longshot! Is it better than Lullabies To Paralyze? Most definitely! Is it as good or better than Songs For The Deaf and Rated R? That's a toss-up. All three are very different records, and excellent in their own right. Era Vulgaris, however, stands out for its diversity and "ballsy songwriting."

Undoubtedly the best non-metal album yet of 2007. And possibly the best album of QOTSA's career.