55-614: Kyuss ( / ˈ k aɪ ə s / KY -əs ) was an American stoner rock band formed in Palm Desert, California , in 1987, and considered one of the pioneers of the genre. After disbanding in 1995, a number of band members have gone on to form or play in several notable bands including Queens of the Stone Age , Screaming Trees , Fu Manchu , Dwarves , Eagles of Death Metal , Mondo Generator , Hermano , Unida , Slo Burn and Them Crooked Vultures . In November 2010, three former members of
110-487: A "touchstone" of stoner rock. Jim DeRogatis has said that stoner rock bands are "reaching back for inspiration to the psychedelic, proto-metallic jamming of bands like Cream , Black Sabbath , Deep Purple , and Hawkwind ." According to DeRogatis, the roots of stoner rock can be heard on Black Sabbath's Master of Reality , Hawkwind's 25 Years On 1973–1977 box set, the aforementioned Blue Cheer album, Deep Purple's Machine Head and Blue Öyster Cult 's Workshop of
165-528: A 2005 interview: "There are so many untitled songs that have never been heard, that I have up in my little crawl space up above my bed. I don't see those songs coming out anytime in the near future. Everybody's too busy to do stuff like that. It's a job to go back and listen to it, and then if you want to re-record them." In 2010, a European "John Garcia plays Kyuss" tour was announced. In June 2010, former Kyuss members Nick Oliveri and Brant Bjork joined Garcia onstage to perform "Green Machine" and "Gardenia" during
220-526: A French aficionado of stoner rock, the website MoreFuzz.net has been a big promoter of the stoner rock scene in Europe and internationally. Stoner rock bands in Europe, much like their North American counterparts, mix elements of heavy rock music with psychedelia and acid rock . The influence of Black Sabbath or Blue Cheer can be heard – among other examples – in bands such as the Swedish Graveyard and
275-664: A bass-heavy sound. In 1992, the band, along with new producer Chris Goss , began work on their next album, Blues for the Red Sun . Goss understood the band, and was able to accurately capture their live sound in the studio. Released in June that year, the album was critically hailed and is today widely regarded as a pioneering stoner rock record. By the end of 1993, they were invited to open nine dates for Metallica touring Australia. Comparisons to stoner rock godfathers Black Sabbath became common, though Homme claimed to have little knowledge of
330-516: A glorious celebration of rock & roll primitivism run through enough Marshall amps to deafen an army," not unlike the heaviness of MC5 's Kick Out the Jams and the Velvet Underground 's White Light/White Heat . Rolling Stone claims, "What stoner rock delivers, slowed down and magnified, is the riff , the persistent legacy of Mississippi blues. Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath were
385-475: A headlining appearance by "Garcia Plays Kyuss" at Hellfest in Clisson , France, and they also appeared onstage with Garcia in other concerts on the tour. In November 2010, Garcia, Oliveri and Bjork announced plans to tour under the moniker " Kyuss Lives! " with guitarist Bruno Fevery. In reference to the new band name, Garcia stated that "there is never going to be a Kyuss without Josh Homme " and that "hopefully in
440-581: A heartbeat". Reeder also noted that he would "do it for free beer again". Shortly after the breakup, Homme toured as the rhythm guitarist with Screaming Trees and began work on ongoing The Desert Sessions recording series. In December 1997, a transitional split EP was released, featuring three songs by Kyuss (the Black Sabbath cover "Into the Void," "Fatso Forgotso", and "Flip the Phase") and three songs by Queens of
495-685: A subsidiary of the Elektra Records -distributed Chameleon Records , who released their debut album, Wretch , in September 1991. Several songs on the album were re-recorded versions of those that appeared on the Sons of Kyuss EP. Album sales were sluggish, though the band was quickly making a name for itself as a live act. Guitarist Josh Homme soon gained a reputation for his unique downtuned, psychedelic style of guitar playing, and his convention of playing electric guitars through bass guitar amplifiers to create
550-426: Is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock . The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sleep . Stoner rock is typically slow-to-mid tempo and features a heavily distorted , groove -laden bass-heavy sound, melodic vocals, and "retro" production. Due to the similarities between stoner and sludge metal , there
605-454: Is also used interchangeably as a descriptor, and was coined by a MeteorCity Records intern, around the time the label released the 1998 stoner rock compilation Welcome to MeteorCity ; however, not all stoner rock bands would fall under the descriptor of "desert rock", since bands under this subgenre tend to include more hard rock characteristics. The involvement of cannabis in the creation of "stoner rock/metal" can range among bands in
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#1732858325835660-426: Is often a crossover between the two genres. This hybrid has traits of both styles, but generally lacks stoner metal's laid back atmosphere and its usage of psychedelia . Bands such as Weedeater , High on Fire and Electric Wizard creatively fuse both styles. The descriptor "stoner rock" may originate from the title of the 1997 Roadrunner Records compilation Burn One Up! Music for Stoners . Desert rock
715-464: The Palm Desert Scene with Blues for the Red Sun . Critics have hailed it as "a major milestone in heavy music," while NME described their music as an attempt to figuratively melt "a hundredweight of hot desert sand into metal". In 1992, San Jose doom metal band Sleep released their album Sleep's Holy Mountain , and along with Kyuss were heralded by the heavy metal press as leaders of
770-567: The Palm Desert scene . Also in 1997, Roadrunner Records released the stoner rock compilation Burn One Up! Music for Stoners , which includes many of the aforementioned bands, as well as a track by Josh Homme's new band Queens of the Stone Age . In September 1997 Jadd Shickler (of stoner band Spiritu) and Aaron Emmel founded an online store based in Albuquerque, New Mexico called All That's Heavy , which began selling hard-to-find releases of Kyuss, Monster Magnet, and Fu Manchu. They soon expanded
825-610: The UK Singles Chart . In July 1995, Kyuss released their fourth and final album, ...And the Circus Leaves Town . The band's only album recorded for a major label, it featured a simpler sound, in contrast to the instrumentally based Welcome to Sky Valley . " One Inch Man " was released as the album's only single in June 1995, and a music video was also made for the song. The album was not as successful commercially as Sky Valley , receiving mixed reviews. Kyuss broke up during
880-516: The Wiltern LG in Los Angeles. They performed three Kyuss songs together: "Thumb", "Hurricane" and "Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop". The band has reportedly received numerous offers to reform, all of which have been turned down: "The offers come in all the time. They're getting more and more expensive, and more and more elaborate. The money is crazy, but I've never been tempted – I don't really care about
935-473: The 60-minute song is about cannabis, which resulted in conflict with Sleep's record company. Some members of the genre state that "stoner rock is a style, not life," which is interpreted as the band members do not participate in smoking cannabis or are influenced by cannabis. However, the style of their music reflects the sound of "stoner rock/metal." Bands such as King Caravan and Sea of Green have come under terms with this statement. Similarly, Matt Pike from
990-474: The Bros , and at times by Queens of the Stone Age, who have since largely departed from Kyuss' stoner rock sound, and reject the label, preferring the term "desert rock". As acknowledged by Dave Wyndorf , the lead singer of Monster Magnet , in a 2015 interview: "Europe is really good for psychedelic music." So much so that some US stoner rock bands will even choose to tour Europe rather than North America. Founded by
1045-581: The EP in 1990, the band recruited Nick Oliveri – who had previously played second guitar in Katzenjammer – to replace Cockrell on bass, and shortened their name to Kyuss. Kyuss' first line-up consisted of vocalist John Garcia , guitarist Josh Homme , bassist Nick Oliveri and drummer Brant Bjork . The band gradually built a local following in Palm Desert, California and frequently performed at parties in and around
1100-516: The Stone Age released their breakthrough album Rated R , which helped bring the stoner rock sound into the mainstream, despite the band themselves rejecting both the genre and being labeled as such. Songs for the Deaf , their next release in 2002, included a single from the album peaking at No. 1 on the US Modern Rock Tracks . Another label focusing on the international stoner rock scene
1155-462: The Stone Age (" If Only Everything ", "Born to Hula" and "Spiders & Vinegaroons"). Homme and Hernandez formed Queens of the Stone Age in 1998, and recruited Oliveri as bassist after completion of their debut album. Hernandez later played with Yawning Man , Ché and Orquesta del Desierto , while Oliveri formed the band Mondo Generator , named after the only Kyuss song credited solely (words and music) to him. Drummer Brant Bjork went on to form
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#17328583258351210-568: The Telescopes . The 1970s Calfornia-based supergroup Captain Beyond have also been described as "pioneers" of stoner rock. Black Sabbath's Master of Reality is often cited as the first album of the genre, and Martin Popoff states: "When ' Sweet Leaf ' kicks in, one witnesses simultaneously the invention of stoner rock". Allmusic summarizes this unique fusion as follows: "Stoner metal bands updated
1265-513: The band Brant Bjork and the Bros , recorded and performed with Fu Manchu and Mondo Generator, and has recorded several solo albums. John Garcia went on to form Slo Burn , although the band was short-lived and released only one EP, Amusing the Amazing , before disbanding in September 1997. He was also briefly associated with the band Karma to Burn . In 1998, he began working with the band Unida , recording one EP, one LP and an unreleased album. At
1320-446: The band High on Fire stated, "It's a very strong scene, but I don't think any of the stoner rock bands want to be labeled as stoner rock ... I might use the word 'stoner' in my lyrics, but I think we're metal , dude. I'd say I was crossover metal, actually, or progressive metal . It's kind of a tough thing to lump into a category, but I guess we get the stoner-rock label because of the whole pot thing." Like most subgenres of music,
1375-629: The band (minus Homme, who declined to participate) reunited under the adapted moniker "Kyuss Lives!" for a world tour with plans to record a new album. A federal lawsuit subsequently filed by Homme resulted in Oliveri leaving the band in March 2012. Five months later, a court ruled that Garcia and Bjork were not allowed to release audio recordings under the Kyuss Lives! moniker. As a result, they changed their name to Vista Chino . The band formed in 1987 jamming under
1430-449: The band at the time but Bjork asserted he and Oliveri were hugely influenced by the British group. Oliveri left the band following completion of the album and Scott Reeder , who had been approached about joining Kyuss five to six months earlier during a West Coast tour with The Obsessed , made his debut at the release party for Blues for the Red Sun . In 1993, Kyuss were moved from Dali to
1485-578: The catalog to include artists who stylistically fit with those bands. After half a year they were contacted by the former proprietor for the first Kyuss fan website, who recommended All That's Heavy do a compilation of unsigned bands that Kyuss fans would enjoy. This resulted in the formation of MeteorCity Records and the release of the compilation Welcome to MeteorCity in 1998, which included established desert and stoner rock acts, as well as new bands established by John Garcia of Kyuss, Ed Mundell of Monster Magnet, and Pete Stahl of Goatsnake. The album
1540-457: The critically acclaimed 1993 album The Ethereal Mirror . During this same period, heavy metal band White Zombie achieved multi-platinum success with their two major label albums, significantly expanding the heavy music audience with their groove-based, sample-laden "psychedelic horror" sound. During the early to mid-1990s, a number of southern-California bands developed the style that would be called stoner rock. In 1992, Kyuss emerged from
1595-481: The emerging stoner scene. These two bands were among the first to introduce a psychedelic groove to their doom -influenced sound. A year earlier, New Jersey 's Monster Magnet released their debut album Spine of God , which displayed fewer metal influences but was psychedelic and sludgy, in the vein of their California peers. Together with these three bands, southern-Californians Fu Manchu , who released their eponymous album in 1994, are credited with being "one of
1650-432: The first to make a monolith of it." Sir Lord Baltimore were called "the godfathers of stoner rock" by Classic Rock magazine, who went on to state that Leaf Hound have been cited for influencing countless bands in the stoner rock movement, including Kyuss and Monster Magnet . James Manning of Time Out London recognises The Beatles ' I Want You (She's So Heavy) as "laying the foundations for stoner rock with
1705-494: The future him and I can get together and do some writing." The band went on to tour Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and North and South America. The band then announced plans to record a new studio album for a summer 2012 release in addition to a live album. However, in March 2012, it was revealed that Josh Homme, after persuading bassist Scott Reeder to support him, had filed a federal lawsuit against John Garcia and Brant Bjork alleging "trademark infringement and consumer fraud" over
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1760-430: The genre. Bands such as Sleep have involved the concept of cannabis to be part of the core of their albums and songs. The consumption of cannabis is common in the live performances of some stoner rock/metal bands, and bands such as Electric Wizard are known to have concerts with the band members and the crowd participating in smoking cannabis. Dopesmoker (previously Jerusalem ) by Sleep received controversy because
1815-559: The isolated towns of Southern California 's desert areas. These impromptu and predominantly outdoor shows, referred to locally as "generator parties", consisted of small crowds of people, beer drinking, and the use of gasoline-powered generators to provide electricity for the equipment. Homme commented that playing in the desert "was the shaping factor for the band" noting that "there's no clubs here, so you can only play for free. If people don't like you, they'll tell you. You can't suck." The band then signed with independent record label Dali ,
1870-425: The late summer of 1995. After the band's breakup in 1995, there had been frequent and persistent speculation among fans regarding the possibility of a Kyuss reunion. When asked in late 2004 about whether the band would ever re-unite, Homme replied that this was unlikely to happen in the near future. However, on December 20, 2005, Garcia made a guest appearance onstage with Queens of the Stone Age during their encore at
1925-406: The long, mind-bending jams and ultra-heavy riffs of bands like Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Blue Öyster Cult, and Hawkwind by filtering their psychedelia-tinged metal and acid rock through the buzzing sound of early Sub Pop –style grunge ." However, Kyuss members Josh Homme and John Garcia have shrugged off the heavy metal influence, and instead cite punk rock and hardcore punk , particularly
1980-720: The magazines Decibel and Terrorizer released issues featuring a list of the 100 greatest and most important albums of the 2000s, respectively. The stoner band Electric Wizard's Dopethrone was featured on both lists, being placed 10th on Decibel's list and 1st on the Terrorizer's one. Since Kyuss' break-up, the success of the bandmates' other projects has caused the Kyuss back catalog to become more widely listened to and their fanbase has inevitably swelled. The sound has been continued on by directly descendant bands Unida, Slo Burn , Hermano , Mondo Generator , Fu Manchu , Brant Bjork and
2035-472: The main Chameleon label, and recorded their third album, Welcome to Sky Valley . Once again produced by Chris Goss, it demonstrated a much more psychedelic and mature sound. However, personal problems emerged and drummer Brant Bjork left the band following completion of the recording sessions. Bjork cited his extreme distaste for touring, particularly band relationship problems that develop during long periods on
2090-444: The money, I never have. That's not what KYUSS was about, so to punctuate the end of our sentence with that would be blasphemy. KYUSS fans are so fuckin' rad, they're fuckin' badass – but to me, reunions are just not necessary. It's not what it was, it's what it is, and KYUSS was a really magical thing – and if you weren't there, well, you weren't. That's just the luck of the draw. I don't feel the urge to do it for somebody who didn't have
2145-488: The moniker for live shows (as long as, unlike the band's current logo, Lives! is written in the same size and next to the word Kyuss to avoid confusion), the judge stated that they may face issues in the future and that "it may be in Defendants' best interest to begin re-branding under a new name". On November 29, 2012, it was announced that Kyuss Lives! had changed their name to Vista Chino . In July 2020, Homme stated that he
2200-441: The most enduring and influential bands" of the genre. In 1994, San Francisco's Acid King and Britain's Acrimony released their debut albums, both of which adopted this psychedelic approach to doom metal. Though more closely associated with the grunge movement (which itself sometimes influenced, was influenced by, and occasionally overlapped with stoner rock), Soundgarden has also been cited as "stoner metal" or influential on
2255-489: The name Katzenjammer (German slangword for "Hangover" [ archaic ], literally "moaning of a cat") before eventually deciding upon Sons of Kyuss . Brant Bjork selected the name from the undead monster found in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game . In 1989 the band recorded their eponymous debut EP, Sons of Kyuss , which was their only release to feature Chris Cockrell on bass. After self-releasing
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2310-459: The now-famous Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California . This musical collective brings artists together for impromptu writing and recording sessions that yielded ten albums between 1997 and 2003. The project has included members from Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Soundgarden, Monster Magnet, Goatsnake , earthlings? and Eagles of Death Metal , as well as PJ Harvey , Dean Ween and others associated with
2365-459: The opportunity to see us, or just didn't take the opportunity to see us. I'll let other bands alter their great legacies. KYUSS has such a great history that it would be a total error. I like that nobody saw KYUSS, and that it was largely misunderstood. That sounds like a legend forming to me. I'm too proud of it to rub my dick on it." Scott Reeder also commented on a possible Kyuss reunion in early 2008, saying "I think everyone but Josh would do it in
2420-454: The origins of stoner rock are hard to trace and pinpoint. Nevertheless, several known progenitors and signature songs are widely credited with helping to shape the genre. Blue Cheer is considered one of the pioneers of the style; as AllMusic author Greg Prato puts it, "When talks about 'stoner rock' come up, one band that tends to get overlooked is Blue Cheer." According to critic Mark Deming, Blue Cheer's first album, Vincebus Eruptum , "is
2475-449: The relentlessly spiralling outro". Buffalo 's 1973 sophomore release Volcanic Rock has been "heralded as the first great stoner rock record," the song Sunrise (Come My Way) "has since been shamelessly cannibalized for its parts by more stoner-rock bands than you can shake a bong at," and the songs Till My Death and The Prophet have been likened to later stoner rock. Primevil 's album Smokin' Bats at Campton's has been called
2530-576: The road. He was replaced by Alfredo Hernández , who had previously played with Reeder in the band Across the River during the mid-80s. The album was initially scheduled to be released in January 1994, but Chameleon went under in November 1993. Elektra opted to pick up the band's contract from Chameleon, and issued the album in June 1994 to critical acclaim. One of the album's singles, "Demon Cleaner", reached number 78 on
2585-418: The same time he started working with the band Hermano , having released three LP's and one live album to date. Garcia had more recently been working on a solo album. In 1997, Homme, Bjork, and Oliveri recorded three songs together ("13th Floor", "Simple Exploding Man", & "Cocaine Rodeo") for Mondo Generator's debut album Cocaine Rodeo , released in 2000. Also featuring Garcia and Chris Goss on one track,
2640-401: The sludgy hardcore of Black Flag 's album My War as influences. The doom metal band Trouble introduced acid rock elements on their 1990 self-titled album , which became even more prominent on 1992's Manic Frustration . Similarly, the British doom metal band Cathedral increasingly moved toward a psychedelic/stoner sound over the course of their first three releases, culminating in
2695-430: The songs are regarded by many fans as the true final Kyuss recordings. In 2000, a compilation album, Muchas Gracias: The Best of Kyuss , was released. The album is a collection of the band's singles, as well as B-sides and live material. Although Kyuss left behind some "rarities", many of them were released on Muchas Gracias , and further releases from the band appear unlikely. Singer John Garcia told Billboard in
2750-444: The stoner rock genre, with their 1994 album Superunknown being described as a "stoner rock classic". Other influential bands from this era include Clutch , Sons of Otis and Corrosion of Conformity . Kyuss broke up in 1995 after the release of their fourth album , with many members going on to develop the stoner and desert rock scene through new projects. In August 1997, Kyuss' Josh Homme founded The Desert Sessions at
2805-409: The use of the Kyuss name despite the fact Brant Bjork had originally created the name. Nick Oliveri left the project later that month after it was revealed that Garcia and Bjork had tried to take control of the Kyuss trademark. In August 2012, the courts ruled that Garcia and Bjork could not release any recordings, studio or live, under the Kyuss Lives! moniker. While they were allowed to continue using
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#17328583258352860-497: The world was waiting for someone to do what we were doing." MeteorCity soon signed a number of musicians and bands from the Palm Desert Scene, including Hermano , Unida and emerging Swedish stoner rock bands such as Lowrider, Dozer and The Mushroom River Band . During this time, The Hidden Hand and Spirit Caravan also began to gain popularity within the developing scene. In June 2000, Josh Homme's new project Queens of
2915-570: Was Small Stone Records , which released a number of compilation albums of stoner rock bands doing covers of 1970s music, including Right in the Nuts: A Tribute to Aerosmith (2000), Sucking the 70's (2002), and Sucking the 70's – Back in the Saddle Again (2006). In 2002, the Orquesta del Desierto was formed featuring key members of the major desert rock bands, and released two albums. In 2009,
2970-459: Was open to the possibility of participating in a Kyuss reunion. "There have been times I thought it cannot end that way, and the only real way to end it correctly now would be to play." In 2021, Bjork stated he had reached out to Homme in regards to his comments, however, the probability of a reunion has been put into question due to a lack of communication from Homme. Stoner rock Stoner rock , also known as stoner metal or stoner doom ,
3025-556: Was the first time that the new stoner rock bands Sixty Watt Shaman , Lowrider , The Atomic Bitchwax , Dozer , Goatsnake, and Los Natas were featured on record. According to MeteorCity founders: "When this was happening, there wasn't really a [stoner rock] scene yet, there were just a lot of people around the world who were still sad about the end of Kyuss, as well as the end of Slo Burn , and who listened to stuff like Monster Magnet and Fu Manchu but wanted more. The label took off when we appeared with Welcome to Meteor City , as though
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