Super-group albums are difficult to approach. When I first heard about Them Crooked Vultures, I was initially over-joyed. Three incredibly talented musicians were coming together to create something new. As such, when I bought the album, it would be fair to say I listened to it with the expectation that it would be awesome. Unfortunately, in this case, Them Crooked Vultures didn’t turn out to be greater than the sum of their parts, as I will explain.

Josh Homme’s vocals are very good, as I expected from his previous work with QOTSA. Lyrically though, I find his work here to not be of the same quality. It doesn’t seem to flow as well. Though this aspect is less important than it sounds. This album’s real strength, and funnily enough downfall, lies in the emphasis placed on the progressive dominating guitar riffs. These riffs will no doubt bring a great amount of happiness to those who long for the "old days" of rock, and I will admit that this is a side to rock music I hadn’t heard much of before. The infectious guitar lines are well crafted, and well produced as well. The problem I found, was that they drag on. Though I have nothing against long albums, with it clocking in at over an hour, there needs to be more variation for it to hold my attention.

It’s worth mentioning that the drumming from Grohl and the bass work from Jones is also of a high quality. The main gripe I have with this album, is that although it all meshes together stylistically, which is nice, it seems to go on and on, and fails to hold my attention. Die-hard rock enthusiasts will no doubt be shaking their fists at this suggestion, but perhaps cutting down some songs in terms of length would allow these three talented musicians to create something more enjoyable as a whole.

In the end, it isn’t a bad album, but it’s best enjoyed in small doses.

Score: 6/10