{ "id": "ep577qyzp9", "slug": "lullabies-to-paralyze", "title": "Lullabies to Paralyze", "updated": "2026-10-25", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.music", "label": "Music", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music" }, { "id": "culture.music.works", "label": "Musical works and recordings", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.works" }, { "id": "culture.music.works.recordings", "label": "Albums and recorded releases", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.works.recordings" }, { "id": "culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums", "label": "Studio albums", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums" }, { "id": "culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.indie-and-alternative-albums", "label": "Indie and alternative albums", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.indie-and-alternative-albums" }, { "id": "culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.indie-and-alternative-albums.studio-albums-of-the-2000s", "label": "Studio albums of the 2000s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.indie-and-alternative-albums.studio-albums-of-the-2000s" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.indie-and-alternative-albums.studio-albums-of-the-2000s", "label": "United States · 2001 to 2020: Studio albums of the 2000s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.indie-and-alternative-albums.studio-albums-of-the-2000s", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001", "label": "United States · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.music", "label": "Music", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.music" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.music.works", "label": "Musical works and recordings", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.music.works" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.music.works.recordings", "label": "Albums and recorded releases", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.music.works.recordings" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums", "label": "Studio albums", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.indie-and-alternative-albums", "label": "Indie and alternative albums", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.indie-and-alternative-albums" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.indie-and-alternative-albums.studio-albums-of-the-2000s", "label": "Studio albums of the 2000s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.indie-and-alternative-albums.studio-albums-of-the-2000s" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Lullabies to Paralyze is Queens of the Stone Age's fourth studio album, released March 22, 2005 on Interscope after Nick Oliveri's firing; it debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and features Billy Gibbons guesting on three tracks.", "snippet": "Lullabies to Paralyze is Queens of the Stone Age's fourth studio album, released March 22, 2005 on Interscope after Nick Oliveri's firing; it debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and features Billy Gibbons guesting on three tracks.", "node": "culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.indie-and-alternative-albums.studio-albums-of-the-2000s", "markdown": "# Lullabies to Paralyze\n\n**Lullabies to Paralyze** is the fourth studio album by the American rock band [Queens of the Stone Age](https://www.edgepedia.org/queens-of-the-stone-age), released on March 22, 2005 in the United States and March 21, 2005 in the United Kingdom through [Interscope Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/interscope-records) and Polydor.[1](https://record.club/releases/albums/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze) • [2](https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze) It was the band's first album made entirely without bassist [Nick Oliveri](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-oliveri), who had been dismissed in early 2004, and it followed the 2002 breakthrough *Songs for the Deaf*. Critics received it mostly favorably, and it debuted at number five on the Billboard 200.[3](https://loudwire.com/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze-anniversary/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Artist and album | Fourth studio album by Queens of the Stone Age[1](https://record.club/releases/albums/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze) |\n| Release | March 22, 2005 (US, Interscope); March 21, 2005 (UK, Polydor)[2](https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze) |\n| Length | 14 songs, 59 minutes on the standard edition; 16 songs on the deluxe edition[4](https://music.apple.com/us/album/lullabies-to-paralyze/1440727134) |\n| Production | Produced by Josh Homme and Joe Barresi; recorded at Sound City Studios, mixed at Bay 7 Studios[5](https://musicbrainz.org/release/c43bb731-eb65-45df-b0ac-f4b6b8a4a533) |\n| Chart and sales | Debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200; 97,000 first-week copies in the US, over 342,000 by March 2007[1](https://record.club/releases/albums/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze) |\n| Key departures | Bassist Nick Oliveri fired in early 2004; drummer Dave Grohl had returned to the Foo Fighters[6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/lullabies-to-paralyze-mw0000261187) • [3](https://loudwire.com/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze-anniversary/) |\n| Guests | Billy Gibbons on three tracks; backing vocals from Brody Dalle and Shirley Manson on \"You Got a Killer Scene There, Man…\"[3](https://loudwire.com/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze-anniversary/) |\n\n## Background and lineup change\n\nBefore entering the studio in early 2004, the band's guitarist, vocalist, and chief songwriter [Josh Homme](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-homme) dismissed bassist Nick Oliveri for reasons described by AllMusic as undisclosed.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/lullabies-to-paralyze-mw0000261187) Loudwire reported the firing followed an off-stage issue, and Homme later stood by it in an interview with Billboard: \"When you have your chance to make your statement, which for me was firing Nick, that's what I did.\" He also resisted reading the album as a response to the split, saying, \"This isn't an album about Nick. I didn't want this to be a 'breaking up is hard to do' album.\"[3](https://loudwire.com/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze-anniversary/)\n\nSeveral musicians central to *Songs for the Deaf* were unavailable. Grohl had returned to the [Foo Fighters](https://www.edgepedia.org/foo-fighters), and co-vocalist [Mark Lanegan](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-lanegan), busy with his solo album and the Twilight Singers, became a late addition to the recording.[3](https://loudwire.com/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze-anniversary/) The new core lineup was Troy Van Leeuwen of Failure and [A Perfect Circle](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-perfect-circle) and drummer Joey Castillo, formerly of Danzig, joined by frequent contributors Alain Johannes and Chris Goss.[3](https://loudwire.com/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze-anniversary/) Lanegan nonetheless returned on vocals for the opening track, \"This Lullaby,\" a Spanish-tinged piece that sets a deliberately ominous tone for the record.[2](https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze)\n\n## Recording and production\n\nHomme co-produced the album with engineer Joe Barresi, who had also engineered, mixed, and co-produced the band's 1998 debut.[5](https://musicbrainz.org/release/c43bb731-eb65-45df-b0ac-f4b6b8a4a533) • [7](https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/recording-queens-stone-age) [MusicBrainz](https://www.edgepedia.org/musicbrainz) credits list [Sound City Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/sound-city-studios) in [Van Nuys](https://www.edgepedia.org/van-nuys), California as the recording location and Bay 7 Studios in Valley Village, Los Angeles as the mixing site.[5](https://musicbrainz.org/release/c43bb731-eb65-45df-b0ac-f4b6b8a4a533) In an Audio Technology feature, Barresi noted that one song was intentionally made to sound like the band's first album, \"like a 'welcome back' to the listener,\" and described the record's left-field turns, such as the opening of \"The Blood Is Love\" with its 3/4 time signature, clean guitars, and sound effects.[8](https://www.audiotechnology.com/PDF/FEATURES/AT41_Queens_of_the_Stone_Age_Album.pdf)\n\nWith Oliveri gone, Homme assembled a session he described as more of a jam with friends than a pressured follow-up. He recruited [Dave Catching](https://www.edgepedia.org/dave-catching), Jack Black, and [Jesse Hughes](https://www.edgepedia.org/jesse-hughes-musician) as guests, and fulfilled a long-standing wish by landing [ZZ Top](https://www.edgepedia.org/zz-top)'s Billy Gibbons for three tracks: \"Burn the Witch,\" \"Like a Drug,\" and \"Precious and Grace,\" on which Gibbons sang co-lead vocals and played guitar. Gibbons's three-track appearance was among the most noted features of the sessions.[3](https://loudwire.com/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze-anniversary/) Gibbons, Brody Dalle of the Distillers, and Shirley Manson of Garbage sang together for a brief backing-vocal moment on \"You Got a Killer Scene There, Man…\"[3](https://loudwire.com/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze-anniversary/)\n\n## Songs and style\n\nThe album shifts into what the musicOMH reviewer called a more occult, more densely fuzzy area, while remaining within the band's characteristic droning, riff-heavy rock.[2](https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze) • [9](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/6607-lullabies-to-paralyze/) AllMusic observed that no one expected a retread of *Songs for the Deaf* when the album appeared in 2005.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/lullabies-to-paralyze-mw0000261187) Standout tracks in contemporary reviews included \"Medication\" and \"Everybody Knows That You Are Insane,\" built on droning guitars and muffled vocals; \"Tangled Up in Plaid,\" which opens on a childish piano before a simple, heavy riff; and \"Burn the Witch,\" described by musicOMH as a ritual of primeval guitar sludge.[2](https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze) \"Little Sister,\" the album's most obviously commercial track, was judged a bit inconsequential by musicOMH in the company of the darker material around it.[2](https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze)\n\nPitchfork's Amanda Petrusich reviewed the album in March 2005 and wrote that, with Oliveri absent, Homme seemed more guarded, his breathy falsetto and tinny guitar tones mixed low and retreating. She identified Grimm's Fairy Tales as a frequently cited influence on Homme's songwriting, noting that the dark, didactic quality of those cautionary fables is recreated in tracks such as \"Everybody Knows That You Are Insane,\" and concluded that the album is \"a frantic, steamrolling realization, dynamic, twitchy, and anchored by Homme's uncompromising vision.\"[9](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/6607-lullabies-to-paralyze/)\n\n## Commercial performance and reception\n\nThe album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 and sold 97,000 copies in the United States in its first week, eventually surpassing 342,000 copies as of March 2007 according to Nielsen SoundScan.[1](https://record.club/releases/albums/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze) Loudwire summarized its reception as mostly favorable.[3](https://loudwire.com/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze-anniversary/) On Metacritic's aggregation of critic reviews, some reviewers called it relaxed and loose, with one calling it the first legitimate album-of-the-year candidate of 2005, while others deducted points for uninspired tracks and questionable production values.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/music/lullabies-to-paralyze/queens-of-the-stone-age/critic-reviews)\n\nThe album carried the burden of following the band's most successful release to that point. The Louder Sound ranking of the band's catalog acknowledged that coming after *Songs for the Deaf* meant a tough act to follow, and placed the album low in the band's nine-album catalog, citing lost chemistry from the departed members and pun-heavy lyrics.[11](https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-queens-of-the-stone-age-album-ranked-from-worst-to-best)\n\n## Legacy\n\n*Lullabies to Paralyze* marked first appearances on a Queens record for Van Leeuwen and Castillo, who remained in the band's core lineup on later records, and it was the first album shaped entirely by Homme's direction after Oliveri's departure.[3](https://loudwire.com/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze-anniversary/) • [9](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/6607-lullabies-to-paralyze/) Sound on Sound, in a July 2005 feature, credited the album with cementing the band's standing, calling Queens of the Stone Age \"the biggest and most exciting rock band in the world\" at that moment.[7](https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/recording-queens-stone-age)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Lullabies to Paralyze (2005) by Queens of the Stone Age, Record Club](https://record.club/releases/albums/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze)\n2. [Queens Of The Stone Age – Lullabies To Paralyze, Album Review, musicOMH (Tim Lee, 21 March 2005)](https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze)\n3. [10 Years Ago: Queens of the Stone Age Release 'Lullabies to Paralyze', Loudwire (Chad Childers, March 22, 2015)](https://loudwire.com/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze-anniversary/)\n4. [Lullabies to Paralyze, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/lullabies-to-paralyze/1440727134)\n5. [Release \"Lullabies to Paralyze\" by Queens of the Stone Age, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/c43bb731-eb65-45df-b0ac-f4b6b8a4a533)\n6. [Queens of the Stone Age: Lullabies to Paralyze, AllMusic review](https://www.allmusic.com/album/lullabies-to-paralyze-mw0000261187)\n7. [Recording Queens Of The Stone Age, Sound on Sound (July 2005)](https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/recording-queens-stone-age)\n8. [Joe Barresi Issue 41, Audio Technology](https://www.audiotechnology.com/PDF/FEATURES/AT41_Queens_of_the_Stone_Age_Album.pdf)\n9. [Queens of the Stone Age: Lullabies to Paralyze Album Review, Pitchfork (Amanda Petrusich, March 20, 2005)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/6607-lullabies-to-paralyze/)\n10. [Critic Reviews for Lullabies To Paralyze, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/lullabies-to-paralyze/queens-of-the-stone-age/critic-reviews)\n11. [Every Queens Of The Stone Age album ranked from worst to best, Louder Sound](https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-queens-of-the-stone-age-album-ranked-from-worst-to-best)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Indie and alternative albums › Studio albums of the 2000s*\n\n*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/lullabies-to-paralyze", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/lullabies-to-paralyze.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Lullabies to Paralyze\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/lullabies-to-paralyze. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Lullabies to Paralyze](https://www.edgepedia.org/lullabies-to-paralyze)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/lullabies-to-paralyze](https://www.edgepedia.org/lullabies-to-paralyze). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Lullabies to Paralyze\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/lullabies-to-paralyze. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Lullabies to Paralyze is Queens of the Stone Age's fourth studio album, released March 22, 2005 on Interscope after Nick Oliveri's firing; it debuted at No." }