Changing and maturing is fine. They certainly did from S/T - EV. But Queens had an attitude and a snarl before that is just fucking gone now. That was so important to their identity. This new stuff just isn't Queens to me; it's middling, somewhat depressing...well, like Dev said, dad rock. QOTSA is over.

Yeah, so much snarl and swagger here:

Most of what you see, my dear, is purely for show
Because not everything that goes around comes back around, you know
Holding on too long is just a fear of letting go
Because not everything that goes around comes back around, you know
One thing that is clear: it’s all down hill from here

I'm gonna dance my way into a noose!

Yeah, so much snarl and swagger here:

Most of what you see, my dear, is purely for show
Because not everything that goes around comes back around, you know
Holding on too long is just a fear of letting go
Because not everything that goes around comes back around, you know
One thing that is clear: it’s all down hill from here

I'm gonna dance my way into a noose!

I'm burning bridges
I destroy the mirage
Oh, visions of collisions
Fuckin 'bon voyage
It's all smooth sailing
From here on out
I got bruises and hickies
Stitches and scars
Got my own theme music
It plays wherever I are
--------------------
I hypnotize you
And no one can find you
I blow my load
Over the status quo
Here we go

He's trying. He really is. But that song is so out of place on a deathly depressing album about a near-death experience. And when he tries to get his groove back after all this darkness on Villains, it just feels empty and dull. Fake. Hollow. That Josh is gone. Hence why I wish he'd just accept that he's a different person now and go solo.

Yupp. The thing I don't get LV is how fans of music don't see the split in quality when artists call off like this. Like I can see why Superunknown slays for example and so can lot's of people on this board. But then they will pretend like King Animal is the same thing and I just can't wrap my head around it. I think people are too loyal to artists maybe. That or they just think everything is great all the time.

I think people also often conflate a change in direction/'growth' as an artist with a drop in quality. Like Clockwork might not appeal to all fans of the first three albums, but I think the 'quality' of this album is 'objectively' (and I use that term with great trepidation!) up there with anything else the band has put out. Having said that, I wish I could say the same about Villains

Still regularly playing and enjoying the hell out of this

Who the fuck are Shinedown? Just that name makes me want to punch them in the face.