"Queens of the Stone Age", the debut studio album by the American rock band of the same name, was released on September 22, 1998, through Loosegroove Records. The album was primarily written and recorded in April 1998 by founding member Josh Homme and his former Kyuss bandmate Alfredo Hernández, who played drums while Homme handled vocals and all other instruments. Homme co-produced the album with Joe Barresi. By the time of its release, bassist Nick Oliveri, also a former Kyuss member, had joined the band.
The album garnered generally positive reviews, with critics placing it within the stoner rock genre and drawing comparisons to krautrock bands like Neu! and Can, as well as to Kyuss and various metal acts.
In 2011, Homme reissued the album through his Rekords Rekords label, featuring remastered tracks and three additional songs—two from the original recording sessions and one from two years prior. This reissue received a positive critical response and was supported by a concert tour, which influenced the recording approach for their sixth album, ...Like Clockwork, released in 2013. In 2022, the album was reissued again on Matador Records, complete with its original LP artwork.
Following the breakup of Kyuss in 1995, Josh Homme began exploring new musical avenues, initially recording under the name Gamma Ray. He collaborated with producer Chris Goss and musicians Van Conner and Victor Indrizzo, resulting in the 1996 Gamma Ray EP, which included the track "If Only Everything." However, due to a cease and desist order from a German band of the same name, Homme changed the project’s name to Queens of the Stone Age.
In 1997, the Gamma Ray material was re-released on the Kyuss / Queens of the Stone Age split EP, showcasing some of Kyuss's final studio work and debuting the new moniker. During this transitional phase, Homme initiated The Desert Sessions, a series of jam sessions featuring various musicians, including former Kyuss drummer Alfredo Hernández. The song "Avon" emerged from these sessions, later appearing on Volume 3 in 1998.
Reflecting on this period, Homme noted his desire to create a unique sound that hadn’t been fully explored. He described his writing process, stating that he aimed for an instantly recognizable identity for his music. The first ten tracks of Queens of the Stone Age were recorded in April 1998 at Monkey Studios in Palm Desert, California, with Hernández on drums and Goss contributing bass and backing vocals on a couple of tracks. Homme played most of the instruments and even credited himself under the pseudonym "Carlo" for his bass and keyboard work.
The album's recordings were mixed by Joe Barresi and featured a cover image taken from Mark Gabor's 1972 book The Pin-Up: A Modest History. The visual layout was created by Homme in collaboration with graphic artist Frank Kozik. Nick Oliveri joined the band just before the album's release, and he is heard in the closing moments of the album, leaving an answering machine message for Homme, confirming his membership in the group.
