The Musiquarium

Released: 2025

Genres: Acoustic Rock, Alternative Rock

The Musiquarium’s Alive in the Catacombs Review Score: 8.5 out of 10

Following Queens of the Stone Age’s The End Is Nero tour (which launched after the release of their 8th studio LP, In Times New Roman…), the band was finally able to record a live album in the Paris catacombs, something which had never been done before. In fact, it took frontman Josh Homme nearly two decades to receive permission to record there. This determination led to Alive in the Catacombs and a subsequent tour supporting it.

Released as an EP, the tracklist comprises of acoustic renditions of some of the band’s deepest cuts from their past five albums, including I Never Came (Lullabies to Paralyze), Running Joke (a bonus track from Era Vulgaris), Suture Up Your Future (also from Era Vulgaris), Kalopsia (Like Clockwork…), Villains of Circumstance (Villains) and Paper Machete (…In Times New Roman).

The only real issue with this project holding it back from a perfect rating, is its length. With a vast catalogue of songs to choose from, an entire album’s worth of material was easily warranted, but seeing how it took the band so long to be allowed to record in the catacombs in the first place, I imagine the French government only allowed the band so much time to record there. so while it’s not the band’s fault, the project is still just too brief.

Regardless of the short length of Alive in the Catacombs, this is still a completely unique live project with an interesting choice of songs and a fascinating concept that will likely never occur again.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Queens of the Stone Age on Discogs.

Back to the 2025 Album Guide or the Queens of the Stone Age Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard