The band was originally formed in 1989 in Palm Desert, California under the name "Sons of Kyuss". They took the name from a monster in Dungeons and Dragons. Shortly after the release of their self-titled EP, the name was shortened to just Kyuss.
The quartet gained popularity around the desert due to their famous generator parties. These were parties fueled by gas generators in the canyons and isolated desert surrounding the small valley towns.
The group disbanded in 1997. They felt that they were in a decline and felt it best to call it quits before it escalated into something that could not be fixed. The line up had shifted dramatically between 1989 and 1997. Josh Homme, John Garcia, Brant Bjork, and Chris Cockrell were the original members. Chris was replaced by Nick Oliveri during high school. That line up recorded Wretch (released in 1991) and Blues for the Red Sun (released in 1992), after which Nick soon left. The eighteen year older, but very able Scott Reeder from The Obsessed was brought in. This line up recorded the famous self-titled album Kyuss (released in 1994; due to the album front cover often referred to as "Welcome to Sky Valley", a small town outside of Palm Desert — wrongly labelled by many). Brank Bjork left after this due to personal reasons. Alfredo Hernandez was brought in. The final line-up recorded ...And the Circus Leaves Town (released in 1995). The band toured and soon disbanded. With the compilation Muchas Gracias: The best of Kyuss, one final greatest hits CD was released in 2000.
All band members still influence the genre they helped to create. The most notable is Queens of the Stone Age. Josh Homme, Nick Oliveri, and Alfredo Hernandez started this up after Josh had experimented with his famous Desert Sessions.
John Garcia took a path geared more towards traditional rock. He opened with Slo Burn. It was a harder Kyuss, and still played in drop C. That project did not last for over a year, although one EP was released. Following Slo Burn came Unida. This band was steered toward rock n' roll and away from the stoner rock genre. John has most recently been involved with the band Hermano. Many consider this the greatest post-Kyuss project. In 2010 a Garcia Plays Kyuss gig at Roadburn Festival (Netherlands), to be followed by a proper European tour, was announced. The line-up of this band includes (former) members of Agua de Annique, Celestial Season, Kong and Arsenal.
Nick Oliveri also has created waves in the music world. Apart from playing for years in Queens of the Stone Age he has played on and off in The Dwarves. He is most known for his side project, which has become his full-time band, Mondo Generator.
Scott Reeder pursued a career of producing mainly (most notably Orange Goblin's Coup de Grace). In 2006, he released a solo album called Tunnelvision Brilliance. He also played in Unida for a little bit.
Brant Bjork has the most stable musical career of them all. He turned down playing with Queens of the Stone Age to pursue a journey with his surfing buddies, Fu Manchu. He left after making numerous records with them to focus on his already blossoming solo career, playing the guitar instead of drums. He has worked with many people since, releasing records with Ché, touring as Brant Bjork and the Bros, and occasionally playing drums as well. Brant Bjork also played on some Desert Sessions.
Los Angeles based drummer Gene Trautmann played for a brief period between Brant Bjork and Alfredo Hernandez.
Alfredo Hernandez has guest starred on too many CDs and bands to count including Yawning Man, Orquestra Del Desierto, Fatso Jetson, and many others. He also played in a local band located in Palm Desert and is the drummer of Brant Bjork and the Bros.
A big influence on the sound of Kyuss was Chris Goss (frontman of Masters of Reality), who produced Blues for the Red Sun, and everything that followed.
Although Queens of the Stone Age has been, and continues to be, a great deal more popular than Kyuss or any of its offshoots for many Kyuss is considered far superior than anything the disbanded members created afterward.
A lot of bands have been inspired by Kyuss, including Electric Wizard, Monster Magnet, Orange Goblin, Beaver, Dozer, Los Natas, Truckfighters, Acid King, Fu Manchu, Clutch, Pelican, Torche.
For 2011 touring line-up, see Kyuss Lives!.
Demon Cleaner
Kyuss Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've got to flush them all away
I feel the demons rage
I must clean them all away
Yeah (yeah)
Inside I see more,
The magic cleaner will
Shine his smile over me
I am the demon
Cleaner to save the day
I get the back one
Important they'll always stay
If only one thing that you'll know
Impostors from the show,
They'll try to trick you into
Normal treatment
Oh don't you listen to them say
Shush them all away
I am the demon cleaner
Madman of Encino
I am the the freedom bleeder
Standing naked here to say
I'm the only way
The lyrics in Kyuss's song Demon Cleaner are about a person who is dealing with demons inside and needs to get rid of them. The lyrics describe how the demons are raging inside and how the person needs to clean them away with a magic cleaner. The song talks about seeing cobwebs in the way, which may represent the mental blocks or obstacles around the person. The person singing the song is the "Demon Cleaner" who is trying to save the day by getting rid of the demons.
The lyrics also talk about impostors from the show who will try to trick the person into accepting normal treatment. The person singing the song advises not to listen to them and shush them all away. The song ends with the person singing that they are the only way to be free from the demons.
Overall, the lyrics in Demon Cleaner are quite metaphorical, with the demons inside representing the struggles and challenges of life, and the demon cleaner representing the way to overcome those challenges. The song encourages listeners to overcome their struggles, to not give up or be fooled by imposters, and to trust in their own ability to clean away their demons.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got the demons in me
There are evil thoughts and emotions within me that I need to get rid of.
I've got to flush them all away
I need to completely get rid of these demons and not let them control me anymore.
I feel the demons rage
The demons within me are angry and powerful and are constantly affecting me.
I must clean them all away
I need to clean up the mess and remove all those evil thoughts from myself.
Inside I see more,
There are deeper and more complex issues in my mind which need to be resolved.
Cobwebs in the way
Those issues are complicated and hard to reach, just like cobwebs.
The magic cleaner will
Using an imaginary magic cleaner that can help purify oneself.
Shine his smile over me
The cleaner is smiling over me and encouraging me to stay motivated.
I am the demon
I am the embodiment of evil and all its negative feelings.
Cleaner to save the day
I use my control over myself and my actions to become a better person and overcome my demons.
I get the back one
I will try to tackle the toughest demons first, those hidden deep inside of me.
Important they'll always stay
Although they are painful and undesirable, those demons will always be important to the growth of who I am.
If only one thing that you'll know
If you can only learn one thing from what I say next,
Impostors from the show,
Some people will act as if they are authorities on this topic when they are not.
They'll try to trick you into
They will try and deceive you into thinking that dealing with your demons is for the weak and not worth it.
Normal treatment
They might recommend conforming to societal norms which might not be the solution for yourself.
Oh don't you listen to them say
Don't let those impostors influence your thoughts and actions.
Shush them all away
Ignore the negative influences around you and stay focused on your goal of self-improvement.
I am the demon cleaner
I am my own savior and can clean up my own negative thoughts just as I would clean up dirt.
Madman of Encino
I'm a crazy person who stubbornly refuses to give up and let the demons win.
I am the the freedom bleeder
I am free of the demons, and I can enjoy happiness as my blood flows freely and positively.
Standing naked here to say
I am exposed, vulnerable, and honest, confessing all of this without fear.
I'm the only way
I know that there is no shortcut or easy way to get past my demons, but I am the only one in control of my own destiny.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOSH HOMME
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Georgios Seitopoulos
I've got the demons in me
I've got to brush them all away
I feel the demons rage
I must clean them all away,
Yeah, yeah [with echo]
Excite to scream them away
Cobwebs in the way
That magic cleaner will
Shine his smile over me
Yeah, yeah [with echo]
I am the demon
Cleaner who saves the day
I get the backwall
And important they'll always stay
Yeah, yeah [with echo]
If only one thing that you know
Imposters from the show
They'll try to trick you into
Normal treatment
Oh don't you listen to them say
Shush them all away
I am the demon cleaner
Madman so,
I am the freedom cleaner
Standing naked here to say
I'm the only way
I'm the only way
I'm the only way
I'm the only way
GroovyWaffle
I've got the demons in me
I've got to brush them all away
I feel the demons rage
I must clean them all away
Yeah
(Yeah)
Inside you see more of me
Cobwebs in the way
That magic, cleaner will
Shine his smile on me
Yeah
(Yeah)
I am the Demon Cleaner
Who saves the day
I get the back one
Important, they'll always stay
Yeah
(Yeah)
If only one thing that you know
Impostors from the show
They'll try to trick you into
Normal treatment
Oh, don't you listen to them say
Shush them all away
I am the Demon Cleaner
The madman [unverified]
I am the freedom bleeder
Standing naked here to say
I'm the only way
I'm the only way
I'm the only way
I'm the only way
dredhed33 666
The most underrated yet massively influential (to this day even) bands of the NINETIES & early 2000's. Kyuss was a perfect combination of musical interests between those 4 kats. Kyuss disappeared as fast as they arrived and could possibly steamroll right on through that unforgiving desert. Their influence however has and will continue to, spread far and wide across many dimensions & MultiVerses, through space & time🔥☠️🔥
Jeff Hutton
Good speech bro, kyuss was my 90’s escapism
bloodandashes75
I’ve been a massive fan of Kyuss for about 20 years, yet have never seen this video before….and I think it may be one of my favourite music videos of all time
D Owens
I've been a Kyuss fan since 1992 and I never have either, but it sure is weird as fuck.
consuela-claire
Yeah same, ive never seen this 👀👀
Happi Axxident
Same
Tim Kayjr
18 A.D.
Ignoring the world's problems I suppose
Stefan Morawitz
Same here, listen to Kyuss since 1995.
Mark Groene
How do i make it through 43 years of life and am only now checking out this band? I missed out, but now have "new to me" music to listen to!
nicholas kruger
I’m 53. In the early 90’s I go hours to see them. Little. Clubs. They opened for WEEN. AMAZING. saw them in Vegas and San Fran
Went on their bus with their manager. They were setting white bread and bologna and American cheese. Dirt broke