Album of the Day

Kyuss was formed in the late-1980s in Palm Desert, California, and the heat and isolation of that birthplace forged one of the greatest bands in stoner rock. Following a pair of independent releases, the quartet signed to Elektra Records for WELCOME TO SKY VALLEY, a powerful combination of crushing metal riffs and spacey neo-psychedelic excursions. The ten tracks on the album proper (in best mid-'90s fashion, there's also a hidden track) are grouped into three epic suites to encourage start-to-finish listening, though with songs as compelling as “Gardenia” and “Demon Cleaner,” it's tough to resist hitting the replay button. Before founding Queens of the Stone Age, Josh Homme manned the guitars in Kyuss, and today we'll cue up WELCOME TO SKY VALLEY to celebrate his birthday.