This week’s new release list is very heavy on the rock. Those of you who bemoan the fate of the genre only need to look at the quality of the albums at the top of the heap this week to be aware that some of rock’s vets are still bringing it.

We’ll start off with Queens of the Stone Age. It’s been five years since the release of their last album, Era Vulgaris. Not that head queen/incredibly tall indivual Josh Homme has been resting on his redheaded laurels. There was the Them Crooked Vultures album for starters, then there was Eagles of Death Metal. Homme has also been active on the production front and he’s even done a spot of comedy. At any rate, QOTSA’s latest, …Like Clockwork, is a bit of a schizophrenic record, and it has a guest list as long as my arm. Former Queen Nick Oliveri appears, as does occasional “member” Dave Grohl. Read Jesse’s review of the album here.

Filter has maintained a solid audience since debuting in the mid Nineties. The brainchild of Richard Patrick, a former touring guitarist with Nine Inch Nails, the act lit the charts up with “Hey Man…Nice Shot” and “Take a Picture.” There have been a few gaps between albums since then, but it’s been a relatively quick three years since the last Filter project, The Trouble with Angels, hit stores. Their latest project, The Sun Comes Out Tonight, has received rave reviews, particularly from our own staffer, Jesse. You can read his review of this album here.

MegadethJesse has also reviewed the new Megadeth album. The metal legends remain a gigantic draw, despite the fact that band founder/leader/vocalist Dave Mustaine appears to be an insufferable douchenozzle. Of course, rock and roll is full of insufferable douchenozzles, but Mustaine’s public statements (many of which are of the Ted Nugent variety) place him particulary high on my shit list. Nevertheless, the veneral band’s latest album, Super Collider, is one of this week’s most highly anticipated releases. You know, hate the sin, love the sinner’s music. Or something to that effect.

LeAnn Rimes…wait, what’s she doing on this list? No, LeAnn hasn’t switched over to hard rock, but she’s been a rockstar-like fixture in the tabloids over the last few years. Lost in all the weird stories about her personal life is the fact that this girl can sing like nobody’s business. Will her new album, Spitfire, remind folks that LeAnn’s a multi-million selling Grammy winner with a ton of natural talent? I haven’t heard a lot of the album, but most of her recent work has jumped between traditional country and the type of singer/songwriter-y yet rootsy stuff best exemplified by fellow loudmouth Natalie Maines’ latest album. I guess we’ll see if LeAnn can still bring it sales-wise…

 

Also releasing albums this week:

George Benson

Dave Davies

David Ford

Ben Folds Five (live)

Lonestar

Matthew Morrison (of Glee)

Portugal, the Man

Rogue Wave

Gretchen Wilson

and…you can find the rest of the list over at Pause and Play. Happy Tuesday!

Megadeth