Alternative-Metal act formed in 1997 in Palm Desert, California USA, a couple of years after the breakup of seminal Stoner-Rock troop Kyuss and initially comprised singer+guitarist Josh Homme, bassist Nick Oliveri and drummer Alfredo Hernandez. Queens Of The Stone Age made its debut in September 1998 with the self-titled album released by Loosegroove Records, it generated the single "If Only" which was aired on American modern-Rock radio stations drawing the attention of Interscope Records.

Two years later, the label issued QOTSA's second album, "R"; during the recording sessions of "R" Hernandez left and Screaming Trees' Barrett Martin replaced him on drums; the group's second effort featured guest vocalists Mark Lanegan, also of Screaming Trees and Rob Halford of Judas Priest. The album entered the top 20 of the Billboard Magazine's Heatseekers chart and the single "The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret", reached #21 on The Mainstream Rock chart.

Queens Of The Stone Age's breakthrough album, "Songs For The Deaf", arrived in the summer of 2002, Lanegan continued the collaboration with the group that also invited A Perfect Circle guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen and Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl to play drums; the record reached #17 on The Billboard Top 200 chart, highlighted by the #1 Modern Rock smash hit "No One Knows"; the second single, "Go With The Flow", grabbed a #7 spot on the same chart.

Homme, who split from his long-time collaborator Nick Oliveri, once again refounded the group and Queens Of The Stone Age returned in spring of 2005 with a line-up of Homme, Lanegan, Van Leeuwan, Alain Johannes on bass and Joey Castillo on drums, releasing "Lullabies To Paralyze"; the record shot to #5 on both The Billboard 200 and Top Canadian Albums charts. It included another smash, "Little Sister", which peaked at #2 on The Modern Rock Tracks as well as two more alt-Rock radio top 40 hits: " In My Head" and "Burn The Witch".

June 2007 saw Queens Of The Stone Age release "Era Vulgaris", Latin for "common era", another powerful album stacked with colossal guitar chords and the most volatile of heavy-Rock melodies. The set includes the Hot Modern Rock top 40 hits "Sick, Sick, Sick", where The Strokes' Julian Casablancas spews his vocals beneath a wall of multi-guitar catcalls and "3's And 7's".