Not quite a return to the Stone Age

The case can be made that Queens of the Stone Age in their pomp were among the last great monsters of rock. In their mid 2000s prime the California mega-group could call on an all-star roster of players — Dave Grohl on drums, latter day bluesman Mark Lanegan on vocals.

Yet it’s arguable that nobody was more essential to their primordial stomp and the take-no-prisoners face they presented than bassist Nick Oliveri. With his Satanic beard and wild stare he looked as if he’d beamed in straight from occultist Aleister Crowley’s dungeon — making him the perfect fire-and brimstone wingman to QOTSA leader Josh Homme. But the story did not have a happy ending. In 2004, at the peak of the band’s popularity, Homme and Oliveri had a falling out.