Some band lineups should never be touched, tampered with or changed in any way, shape or form.

Take U2 for example. If The Edge suddenly left the Irish quartet, the power, prestige and musical brilliance would be gone forever. Without the effects laden guitar riffs and dominating distorted choruses, the band would be left with nothing but a rhythm section and a singer who is a bit full of himself.

While punk bands have a tendency to trade members like baseball cards between bands, some lineups beg for a change and the result is for the better.

Wilco multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett was nothing but a constant burden on the band and his departure after “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” was a blessing in disguise. The addition of keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen has elevated both the playing and performance style of Wilco.

So sometimes it’s good to drop one member and pick up someone new.

However, this is not the case with Queens of the Stone Age. After firing long time friend and bassist Nick Oliveri, singer/guitarist Josh Homme tried to create the follow up to 2002’s “Songs for the Deaf,” but fell short.

What is delivered instead is a dark, overbearing album that focuses around Homme’s guitar and vocals instead of Oliveri’s trademark bass lines that once dominated every song.

While vocals range from muffled syllables to falsetto whispers, drummer Joey Castillo tries his best Dave Grohl impression, but to no avail. It’s almost possible to say the phrase “I gotta have less cowbell, baby” after “Little Sister.”

Garbage front woman Shirley Manson and Distillers singer Brody Dalle add vocals to ” ‘You’ve Got a Killer Scene There, Man … ,’ ” but the music overpowers their sultry voices, thus drowning out any trace of the females’ contribution to the track.