There's no way you can say “Era Vulgaris” isn't a good album, but in comparison to everything Josh Homme has done so far, this could be the first step backwards. Audibly, in the ambition to make something original and still in the vein of his ostensibly retrograded sound developed from the Kyuss era, now he’s created an effort that sounds like there's something missing... and no matter that there’re guest appearances by Trent Reznor (NIN), Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) and Mark Lanegan, because the man who seems to be really missing is named Nick Oliveri... who, on the other hand, didn't manage to bring something really unique in the latest Mondo Generator album as well… but we all know what these two old mates can create together, having in mind “Rated R” and “Songs for the Deaf”. And even if we could probably say with no doubt that every single song in the previous QOTSA albums was a hit, it seems in “Era Vulgaris” something's not right. I’ve already met people telling me, "Hey, better check out the new White Stripes," which is the first wave of disappointment. Maybe this is due to the fact that the new album is minimalistic and raw in comparison to its predecessor? As Josh says, if “Songs for the Deaf” was inspired by the California desert, “Era Vulgaris” is inspired by Hollywood. A strange experimenter is Mr. Homme, trying never to repeat himself in any way, but is he going to manage to keep the high level forever?