Released November 2013 Length 3:34 | Format Promotional CD | |
Recorded August 9, 2012 – March 9, 2013 at Pink Duck Studios in Burbank, California Genre Alternative rock, art rock Label Matador, Rekords Rekords | ||
"The Vampyre of Time and Memory" is a song by Queens of the Stone Age, from the band's sixth studio album, ...Like Clockwork. Written by Josh Homme, the song was released as a promotional single in November 2013.
Contents
The band performed the track live on Conan on October 30, 2013. An interactive music video for the song was also released on November 18, 2013.
Critical reception
Jason Heller of The A.V. Club described the song as "insidiously catchy." Leonie Cooper of NME wrote that the song "is a startlingly low-key piano hymnal, even with its flashes of Giorgio Moroder synths and cocaine-soul guitar solo," while comparing the confessional lyrics and the power ballad melody to the works of Fleetwood Mac. Kitty Empire of The Observer also compared the song to the works of David Bowie during the 1970s. Hywel Roberts similarly wrote that the song "is a piano driven Bond-esque track with Homme sounding really very similar to David Bowie in the opening verse. Stuart Berman of Pitchfork Media stated that the song "strains too hard in its attempt at an early-70s John Lennon piano ballad."
In his track-by-track review, Gary Graff of Billboard wrote: "This dark power ballad starts with just Homme's voice and piano before filling out into an angsty but tuneful lament." Sharon O'Connell of Uncut stated that elements of electronica are added to a backdrop of the song "that taps, Eric Clapton, Queen and early-’70s Elton John."
Music video
A teaser trailer for the interactive music video was released on October 28, 2013, while the video itself was officially released on November 18, 2013. It was directed by Kii Arens and Jason Trucco, in partnership with the Creators Project.
The video shows "embalmed-looking Josh Homme" and rest of the band performing in a set of increasingly macabre locales, including "a taxidermist’s parlor," accompanied by "two maids and one voodoo priestess." The viewers of the interactive video are able to tour "a haunted house" which the band is performing in and flip through the song's lyrics.
The regular version of the music video was also released on YouTube.