Eagles of Death Metal Get a 'Heart On'

Posted on Oct 9th 2007 10:30AM by Jolie Lash
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Desert rock 'n' rollers Eagles of Death Metal have left the road for a little while in order to record their third album, and if frontman Jesse "the Devil" Hughes' words are anything to go by, it'll be one heck of a release.

"I'm the luckiest hillbilly ever and rock n' roll's being very good to me right now," Hughes tells Spinner of his recent demo-recording sessions. "Without sounding pompous, I almost feel like the cape of rock has come around me and I might be in its confidence for a split second."

Hughes has a host of tracks being primed for the release including the Kat Von D-inspired 'High Voltage,' as well as 'Prissy Prancin',' 'Secret Plans,' 'S---s and Giggles' and 'Stylus Interuptus.' The latter song would have lent the February 2008 due release its title were it not for Queens of the Stone Age mainman and Eagles co-conspirator Josh Homme naming his last QOTSA album 'Era Vulgaris.'

"Josh beat me to the Latin punch so to speak," Hughes laughs. "It's gonna be released on Valentine' Day is how it looks, and I want to call it like, 'Heart On.'"

Though he adds a "just kidding" about the potential title, one thing Hughes isn't giggling about is how inspired he feels. The songs are most definitely coming together. So what do they sound like, Spinner asked. "Like I'm raping the Rolling Stones again, but this time, with Devo," Hughes states, noting some of that inspiration is coming from Little Richard, George Clinton and Led Zeppelin axe-god, Jimmy Page.

"I want to be like Jimmy Page in the brilliant manner that he redefined production, the full tilt unadulterated rock 'n' roll and the dark manner in which he wields the power," Hughes enthuses. "He's a force and he's an enigma, and he's someone who can merely pose with a guitar and have a million posters of him. That is voodoo magic!"

QOTSA records often use a rotating cast of guest stars such as Dave Grohl, Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas and NIN mainman Trent Reznor. And like his buddy's main ensemble, Hughes too is open to the collaboration thing.

"Joshua brought me into rock and roll, and he taught me and put me in front of some of the greatest teachers -- Jack Black, Billy Gibbons, Joan Jett, Dave Grohl -- people that I've gotten to personally learn from," he says. "They're the finest people that I've gotten to personally know in my life. You're only as good as the worst person on your team, and you're only as good as the best people you can possibly surround yourself with. Really, you let the music dictate the terms of what's happening. It will tell you what it wants and only the person who can do it gets the gig. This ain't show friends, it's show business."