Over The Years And Through The Woods (Live At Brixton Academy / 2005)

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Released a mere eight months after their divisive fourth album Lullabies to Paralyze, Over the Years and Through the Woods is a CD/DVD package documenting Queens of the Stone Age in concert -- and as the punning title indicates, it's not just on the 2005 tour, either, but from throughout their career. The centerpiece of the DVD, and all of the CD, is their London shows at the Brixton Academy and Kokos from the summer of 2005, but the DVD's bonus footage includes a wealth of performances shot at the time of each album's release. Which means, of course, that there's footage of QOTSA with Dave Grohl on drums for 2002's Songs for the Deaf, but that's hardly the only captivating footage here -- there's grainy audience tapes for the first album, Billy F. Gibbons playing "Burn the Witch" with the band for Lullabies, and the main feature has behind-the-scenes footage and interviews scattered throughout. It's an excellent DVD, and while the CD isn't nearly as an immersing experience -- how could it be? -- it is a lean, hard live album that thrives on its casual virtuosity. While that may not be the sort of thing that will win over new fans, this densely packed set is targeted at the hardcore fans and it more than pays back their long-standing devotion.