The name Queens of the Stone Age is, at this point, legendary. With landmark records like ‘Songs For The Deaf’ and ‘…Like Clockwork’ under their belt, as well as a list of collaborators that reads like a who’s-who of musical superstardom, Josh Homme and company are left with very little to prove in 2025. The band themselves might disagree though, as months of teasing has finally given way to the release of their latest project: a live EP, recorded down in the depths below Paris. That ominous setting would probably have been enough to make ‘Alive in the Catacombs’ a worthwhile endeavour in its own right, but ends up as mere salad dressing— it’s the complete reinvention of every song played here that lends the EP its downright haunting atmosphere.

As you might expect given the sheer number of real human skulls watching the band, this isn’t your typical bombastic rock’n’roll live album: it’s a sombre, mournful affair, stripping Homme of his usual style and swagger. The band have steered clear of their concert mainstays here— the setlist takes one song from each of the group’s last five studio albums, notably excluding fan-favourite ‘Songs For The Deaf’— instead opting to breathe new life into some newer, more underrated cuts. Though the majority of the songs chosen, especially the likes of ‘Villains of Circumstance’ and ‘I Never Came,’ were already fairly solemn in their original arrangements, they’ve never felt so eerie as this. The winding corridors of the Paris Catacombs lend this EP an uncomfortable atmosphere, full of unsettling echoes: even in the most climactic moments, an overpowering sense of emptiness remains.

Queens of the Stone Age don’t even treat us to any moments of levity between tracks, focusing singularly on atmosphere in every moment. Homme’s vocals feel isolated and lonely as they kick off opener ‘Running Joke’ (a particularly left-field inclusion)— though his singing was a point of concern before the EP’s release given the state of his health last year, it’s wonderful to hear just how well he fits an experience as serious as this. Homme sounds weary and forlorn here, exchanging his usual David Bowie-esque mannerisms for a more straightforward, honest approach: in spite of some pitch issues, as we’ll touch on, his performance works to add addition weight and gravitas to the recording. 

There aren’t any drums to be found on ‘Alive in the Catacombs’— instead, the plucking of acoustic guitars is the only timekeeper for these stripped-back arrangements. The opening number builds from a distant piece of electric piano into something more bitter, allowing Michael Shuman’s bass lines and a series of guitar and violin elements all the space in the world (or, at least, in the Catacombs). ‘Running Joke’ and ‘Paper Machete’ blend together in a shockingly natural fashion, with the refrains of “look at you now” and “so long, my love is dead” working in tandem to make this a dismally dark opening to the project. The following string arrangement of ‘Kalopsia’ may be even more enthralling though, drawing on the uneasy blend of beauty and terror that defines the original— the song’s endearing verses have never sounded as ethereal as they do here, delivered via chimes and wandering violin accompaniments. By its end though, the track has devolved into a nightmarish cacophony of dissonant note choices and feverish scrabbling: in many ways, this feels like the arrangement ‘Kalopsia’ was always meant to indulge in.

‘Villains of Circumstance’ makes for another gorgeous moment in the track list, with the song’s somber atmosphere lending itself perfectly to this project— Queens of the Stone Age lean almost solely on strings here, transforming the song into something almost romantic. Even if Homme is audibly struggling to hit some of the higher notes throughout the cut, you’d be hard-pressed to find a fan of the band that wouldn’t adore an adaptation as earnest and heartfelt as this. For any enjoyers of the group’s more energetic material though, ‘Suture Up Your Future’ retains some of its devilish charm, stepping from the haunting spoken word of “when you’re going through hell, keep going” into that infectious bass line: even still, the cut feels right at home on this EP, earning itself a more serious mood via washed out synth backing and despondent vocal harmonies. By the time closer ‘I Never Came’ rolls around— an unexpected but welcome choice from 2005’s ‘Lullabies To Paralyze’— we know we’re in safe hands: indeed, stabbing strings and melancholic guitars make this, arguably, the definitive version of the song.

Given the extreme limitations of recording on location, the limited scope of ‘Alive in the Catacombs’ is entirely understandable— nonetheless, the EP is so immersive that it leaves you craving more. The location these songs were recorded in may be plastered across the cover, but it’s really the haunting atmosphere and gorgeous instrumental changes that makes this release so special. Queens of the Stone Age may have little else to prove in 2025, but ‘Alive in the Catacombs’ is a welcome reminder that the band are just as driven and creative today as ever.