Demolition Day

Album Review

Early 2004 saw Queens of the Stone Age hand bassist Nick Oliveri his walking papers. And instead of sitting around moping, he immediately accepted an invitation by his former bandmate in Kyuss, Brant Bjork, to open shows as a solo/acoustic act. Proving that the move was more than just a mere one-off, Oliveri reported directly to the recording studio after the tour, to put together an all-acoustic album. Although reported in the press at the time to be coming out on Bjork's Duna label, as of 2006, the album has mysteriously been shelved. Copies of the album — titled Demolition Day and credited to Mondo Generator — have circulated however, and the reason for its non-release is certainly not from a performance standpoint. Comprised both of new tracks and covers, Demolition Day is just as angst-filled as anything Oliveri has worked on previously — especially such tracks as "I Want You to Die." Elsewhere, spaghetti western-style horns make a surprise appearance on "All That I've Got (Everything)," an electric piano adds a nice touch to a stripped down version of the Queens of the Stone Age classic "Autopilot," while a bonus cover of Johnny Thunders' "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" is even more emotionally raw in an acoustic setting. Hopefully some day, Demolition Day will receive a proper release.