Working on the follow-up to 2002′s Songs for the Deaf, Josh Homme, who is recording with Joey Castillo (Danzig), Troy Van Leeuwen (A Perfect Circle), and Alain Johannes (Desert Sessions collaborator) following the departure of bassist/vocalist Nick Oliveri, has been visited recently by other artists offering their contribution to the currently untitled album.

As posted on the official Queens of the Stone Age website, Homme was joined by ZZ Top guitarist Billy F. Gibbons. The five-hour session that took place between midnight and 5 am led Homme to declare Gibbons a “badass” while Gibbons shared the following sentiments with Billboard.com, “hey’re definitely some dedication fashioners of tone and taste and, clearly, no strangers to those bluesy wee hours. That’s when it’s the most rockin’ and those guys seem to be always ready to rock.”

In addition to the visit by Gibbons, Homme also recently recorded with Garbage’s Shirley Manson and his current girlfriend, Brody Dalle of the Distillers. Manson had the following to say about the new Queens of the Stone Age album, “It’s great. Really REALLY great. You’ll love it. And how Josh Homme is not yet a household name is quite beyond me.”

*QOTSA: queensofthestoneage.com
*Garbage: garbage.com
*ZZ Top: www.zztop.com