story by Chris Castaneda
photo by Chapman Baehler

Like some heavy S&M, Queens of the Stone Age are the masters and everyone else gladly takes what they give. Mastermind Josh Homme has had a revolving cast of characters help him realize the voices in his head, from former Screaming Trees lead singer Mark Lanegan to Nirvana drummer/Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl. The band's 2002 masterwork, Songs For The Deaf, brought them to the forefront in rock, where they were generally tagged as the latest night riders of "stoner" rock. Queens of the Stone Age has always been a hotbed for the weird and now, with a new cast of characters supporting Homme along with a new album released last month, things are getting even weirder.

Replacing Grohl behind the drum kit is Joey Castillo, who told Chicago Innerview that he is enjoying life as a queen, although he favors the drum sticks over pink lipstick and leather panties. Their new album, Lullabies to Paralyze, is a nightmarishly ferocious undertaking that Castillo and company look to rattle and beat into the heads of listeners. While the album fails to capture the magic of Songs For The Deaf, suffering from the departure of Grohl and bassist/longtime Homme partner Nick Oliveri, the new group does retain much of the vintage loud and sludgy Queens rock/metal/unclassifiable weirdness, if you're into that sort of thing...

CASTILLO'S INNER VIEW "I have come to realize myself as a player that being myself and doing what I do is first and far more important than trying to be in somebody else's eyes better than that next guy. I know what my job is, and my job is to be capable of doing what I'm asked to do and still be myself."

To Castillo, a veteran drummer known for his work with Danzig, being at the table with the cool freaks suits him just fine. "It is a band of weirdoes, it really is," says a laughing Castillo. This is the same man who holds the nickname "Kingshit of Fuck Mountain" on the band's official Web site. "The sense of the word 'weirdo' is so refreshing in this day and age, especially from people who are such strong players," says Castillo. He attests that what listeners will hear on Lullabies to Paralyze reinforces the band's reputation for reaching past the outer limits. "We're not afraid to fucking do a song like 'Long Slow Goodbye' and at the same time do a song like 'Everybody Knows That You're Insane.' That's the gift and that's the best part of it."

Recruited for Songs For The Deaf and then for Homme's Desert Sessions, Castillo sits behind the drum kit for what he describes as one of his favorite bands; a seat previously occupied by Dave Grohl. No pressure. This isn't the first time Castillo has crossed paths with Homme. "I had known Josh from back when he was in Kyuss 'cause I was in a band called Sugartooth," says Castillo. "We did some shows together. There was a real awareness and connection there prior."

That connection currently serves Homme's puzzle and without question, Homme knows what he wants when he brings people into the band. When speaking with Castillo there is definitely a sense that just rocking out isn't good enough, nor is it enough for Homme. Castillo is firm and direct with his answers. He laughs and jokes during the conversation but when discussing the music, he is not fooling around. "I have come to realize myself as a player that being myself and doing what I do is first and far more important than trying to be in somebody else's eyes better than that next guy," says Castillo. "I know what my job is, and my job is to be capable of doing what I'm asked to do and still be myself."

There is no interest whatsoever to make ordinary songs. The overdrive is on at its fullest when it comes to a Queens of the Stone Age tune. It is an epic journey that can be ferocious and disturbing, yet hypnotically melodic. "Josh has always said we set the bar so high for ourselves that we constantly got to keep getting better," says Castillo.

Commercially that bar was kicked up even higher after the explosion Songs For The Deaf made. Platinum sales for the record followed its release while the band was inescapable on television with their videos for "No One Knows" and "Go With The Flow" - not to mention the radio play. To top the list, the album received consecutive Grammy nominations in 2003 and 2004. But it was the announcement of Oliveri's firing for "bad behavior" in February 2004 paired with the news that Mark Lanegan would pursue his solo career that brought Queens of the Stone Age screeching back to Earth. But it didn't take much time for Homme to, literally, regroup. Homme busied himself with side project Eagles of Death Metal and released a debut album called Peace, Love, And Death Metal.

But the tour behind Songs For The Deaf really laid the seeds for what would eventually become Lullabies To Paralyze. There seemed to have been enough stability reached with Castillo as a more permanent fixture to proceed with the new album. Along with guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen (formerly of A Perfect Circle), the trio let the ideas bounce off the walls. As the recording process went on, the ideas grew in number.

"We had to actually drive ourselves and stop ourselves while we were recording because we got up to 20-some songs and we knew we had to put a cap on this," says Castillo. "The creative juices were just flowing." The band hit their stride and found a new surprise around each corner they turned. One such corner revealed "The Blood Is Love," a song Castillo says was recorded in a single take. "We had never rehearsed it. We'd only ever talked about it. It was a pretty special moment."

Lullabies To Paralyze doesn't break any new ground for the band, but there wasn't a specific direction in the first place that the band was trying to head towards. According to Castillo, there are no worries about how the new songs will translate to the stage. Queens of the Stone Age know what they have in their possession is solid. It's what they wanted to make, and the anticipation surrounding their tour is evidence enough that it's going to be another year where the weirdoes have their fun - despite the fact that most everyone agrees that the new album is not as good as Songs For The Deaf. It's a new band, a new year and a new tour, with a new round of weirdness aimed to freak.

Queens of the Stone Age :: The Vic :: April 5.