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Missing Queens Of The Stone Age? So, it seems, are Wigan’s Deepshade, if this, their first album, is anything to go by.

Everything Popular Is Wrong pays Homme homage so shamelessly that the Queens themselves could well be scratching their heads and wondering whether The Line or Bring The Axe Down were scraped from the cutting room floor after Songs For The Deaf and spirited off to the great northern city of pies.

In Deepshade’s defence, this is a well-crafted debut, but in those rare moments they’re not kissing QOTSA’s ring they find themselves lost and alone in a Nirvana hall of mirrors (Tattoo), or dressing up in the Screaming Trees’ musty old glad rags on The Blood The Mud The Tears.

All impeccable touchstones, of course, but without a glimpse of Deepshade’s own personality it’s difficult to invest in their time-capsule world.

Classic Rock 215: New Albums A-G

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Emma has been writing about music for 25 years, and is a regular contributor to Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog and Louder. During that time her words have also appeared in publications including Kerrang!, Melody Maker, Select, The Blues Magazine and many more. She is also a professional pedant and grammar nerd and has worked as a copy editor on everything from film titles through to high-end property magazines. In her spare time, when not at gigs, you’ll find her at her local stables hanging out with a bunch of extremely characterful horses.