From Queen Archives: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, Interviews, Articles, Reviews

Reviews > Queen + Paul Rodgers Music Reviews > 09-17-2008 - The Cosmos Rocks - Eskilstuna Kuriren (Sweden)

by Esbjörn Lindén

4 / 5

Queen without Freddie Mercury isn't the same, not only due to the lack of his unique voice, but also because the most insane creativity died with him. When Brian May and Roger Taylor decided to move on with the band, they instead brought in competent singer Paul Rodgers, and thankfully, he does his own thing and handles himself really well. They start off the new album by going back to the roots of rock and pile rock clichés on top of each other, and even re-use own riffs and incorporate 70's-style harmonies.

It's complete fan service, but a bit of a shame since it doesn't do the album justice. Only a couple tracks in, with the ballad Small and the smoking rocker Warboys, the temperature rises and the new Queen takes shape. With some of the song lyrics, the reborn band deals criticism to both the war hungry and the reality TV-stars. Musically, the album grows with every song, and when the heavy blues in Voodoo hits like a thick fog halfway through, they've proven one thing: Queen has gotten over the loss of their frontman, and against all odds taken a new form. Long live the Queen!