BY SUJIN THOMAS

IT'S hard to go unnoticed if you have a member of Led Zeppelin in your band. Then again, this isn't a trio made up of nobodies.

Meet Them Crooked Vultures, music's hottest group du jour, which also boasts Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and Joshua Homme from Queens Of The Stone Age.

It is clear from the start, though, that Led Zeppelin bassist Jean Paul Jones, who lends his keyboard and bass wizardry, firmly steers this ship.

His work over the past 30 years has seen him largely playing with orchestral arrangements - even working on track  for R.E.M.'s Automatic For The People.

One can almost imagine the production process that must have ensued in the studio - the cosmic explosion of ideas of two fan boys with their classic rock hero and the pats on each other's backs which surely ensued afterwards.

They are not unwarranted.

Lead single New Fang puts a spotlight on Grohl's pounding drumming, which recalls the late Led Zep drummer John Bonham and his flawless, metronome- perfect timing.

Homme makes his presence felt on typically Stone Age tracks like Mind Eraser, No Chaser and Dead End Friends.

He lathers the tune Gunman with a lazy slur which is sure to send tingles up your spine.

Scumbag Blues hears the trio paying homage to another rock great - Cream - with Homme showing his chameleon qualities by pulling off a convincing Jack Bruce swagger.

The trio create a swirling dream-state dabbling with echoey vocals, distantly placed instruments and repetitive melodies.

These are all evident on Interlude With Ludes, Warsaw Or The First Breath You Take After You Give Up and Gunman.

If this is a rock lover's dream, then good news - it isn't even close to being over yet.

The band is heavily touring Britain and the United States at the moment and has yet to announce if there will be a follow- up to this debut.

Would they be able to replicate such mastery in another release?

Who knows? Who cares at the moment?

For Them Crooked Vultures have combined their classic rock with enough modernity to appeal to both the new and old generations of music fans, delivering an album of such heft that you'll be listening to it for years to come.

Music Review:

THEM CROOKED VULTURES
- Them Crooked Vultures (Sony)

Ratings: 4

OTHER MUSIC REVIEWS:

» NORAH JONES - The Fall

» SNOW PATROL - Up To Now

» RIHANNA - Rated R

» LADY GAGA - The Fame Monster

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