As Queens Of The Stone Age slowly fade from this year’s instalment of media glare, it seems they have wisely chosen a few different approaches to ensure general interest is sustained. One is the recently released live DVD – a massive collection of career-spanning and rare material topped up with an additional disc. Another approach sees the band pumping out singles long after the critically-acclaimed Lullabies To Paralyze album was released.
Burn The Witch is not a track that immediately stands out as a single. It is, however, one of the most theatrical tracks from the latest album, and subsequently distances itself from the furious energy and accessibility of previous singles Little Sister and In My Head. The newest single hints at darker themes – with both the title and the music itself evoking a mood that suggests it’s the soundtrack for some kind of medieval ritual.
The intro almost sounds like a beast panting, but it’s actually a very human (and suspiciously Mark Lanegan-like) repetition of the song title. Rumbles of bass and boulder-heavy guitar stomp out an intimidating rhythm, while the rest of the instrumentation is kept fairly stark. The rhythm section is kept to tom-pounding and a hint of tambourine, weird warbles of guitar and pitch-bending keyboard float ominously by, and the vocals are executed uncompromisingly, sticcato-style, over the whole arrangement.
Lanegan’s vocals add a sultry, gutteral air to the chant-like lyrics, while Josh Homme’s flair for otherworldly falsetto provides much of the depth. The QOTSA trademark fattened guitar sound takes shape towards the end of the track, with Homme splicing some solid riffing into the bizarre psychedelia of the remainder.
Burn The Witch probably won’t appeal to the masses, because – let’s face it – it doesn’t blend with the other hit-potential stoner rock material quite as conveniently. For others, though, this may be the single’s biggest drawcard. It really was about time the Queens followed on from the crazed experimentalism of Rated R, and Burn The Witch is a testament to the band’s continued strength in the area.
