Eagles of Death Metal

Josh Homme’s place in the rock 'n' roll industry, for many, is one of a nuanced rock messiah; from being a lucrative member in a number of bands, including Queens of the Stone Age, the Desert Sessions and Eagles of Death Metal, to collaborating with a plethora of artists, his most recent being the ubiquitous pre-punk provocateur, Iggy Pop. But, none of his groups seem as humorous or off-kilter as the irreverent Eagles of Death Metal. Spanning over the past decade with the bizarre Peace Love Death Metal, pop-sensible Heart On, cock-rocked Death by Sexy and sleazy Zipper Down, the group has a penchant for endearingly juvenile tongue-in-cheek lyrics with a swatch of ZZ-Top and Rolling Stones pastiche. The duo of Homme and Jesse Hughes, who survived last year’s horrific terrorist attacks on the Bataclan in Paris, are the least bit serious, ripping off from classics like the bombastic Led Zeppelin and boisterous New York Dolls, with a childlike and “give-no-shits” attitude. Beneath all the rock shtick and cheeseball puns belies a dark sense of self-awareness that’s nonetheless thoroughly entertaining.