Their last epic saw them transformed into the Chelsea of alt-rock: an all-conquering, uber-efficient metal machine swiping the finest talent in the field.
Dave Grohl's super sticks may be missing this time but Mark Lanegan's grunge shipwreck of a voice is washed ashore again, while Brody Dalle (Distillers) and Shirley Manson (Garbage) fleetingly provide what the credits describe as "sultry vocals" on another juggernaught of a record from a band still teetering on the edge of insanity.
Taking up where Songs For The Deaf smashed into a cliff at about 700mph, Josh Homme's talent for balancing a catchy, skeletal melody on top of a supersonic riff shows no sign of failing in a consistently strong trawl through rock's dark, satanic cellar. Another euphoric heavyweight from a Stone Age showing no sign of crumbling. Even Jose Mourinho couldn't argue with that verdict.
Updated: 08:57 Thursday, March 31, 2005
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