Flak N Flight

Chris Goss has had quite a lengthy history with Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri, as he's produced two of the duo's best albums -- Kyuss' Blues for the Red Sun (1992) and Queens of the Stone Age's Rated R (2000). So when Goss was assembling a backing band to tour Europe in support of his 2001 release, Deep in the Hole (credited to Masters of Reality, but in reality, more of a Goss solo outing), he rang up his two old pals, who took time off from recording QOTSA's Songs for the Deaf, to tour Europe during November and December. It was from these shows that the 2002 live set, Flak 'n' Flight, was assembled. With drummer John Leamy rounding out the lineup (and a cameo by Mark Lanegan), Goss had assembled quite a Masters collective, as favorites from throughout the group's history are included in all their high decibel glory. As expected, the inclusion of Homme and Oliveri gives the songs an extra boost, as exemplified on such riff mongers as "Third Man on the Moon," "Time to Burn," and "The Blue Garden," all guaranteed to scorch your eyebrows. Add to it a pair of long-and-winding stoner epics, "Why the Fly?" and "Rabbit One," and you have a supreme souvenir of the Masters' 2001 tour. ~ Greg Prato