Rocks Off is leaving for Austin City Limits earlier than usual this year to catch Them Crooked Vultures at Stubb's across town off Red River Thursday night. The show at the amphitheater will be the band's first Texas appearance before they play ACL Friday. Supergroups don't get any more coma-inducing or ass-kicking than TCV. A line-up such as theirs is the stuff that rock-nerd wet dreams are made of.

TCV is made up of Queens of The Stone Age's Josh Homme, Dave Grohl on drums, Homme compatriot Alain Johannes holding down rhythm guitar duties and the stalwart John Paul Jones on bass. The latter was in a moderately influential and popular blues metal band in the late '60s to early '80s who you may remember as being fucking epic. Between all these he-men you have the sexual heft of QOTSA, the ferocity of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters and the dirty blues of Led Zeppelin.

What we have heard of the band from YouTube clips is monolithically hard, with "Nobody Loves Me and Neither Do I" being our standout. The clips really don't do the band justice, but they are at least tiding us over until a proper album release, which is said to be hitting stores by the end of October.

The Vultures truly sound the way they should, with every member bringing their own superpowers to the family table. All the songs we have heard have monstrous Homme hooks and Grohl hasn't sounded this agile on drums since his metallic Probot project back in 2004.

No word yet on if the band plans on hitting Houston in the near future - although some VERY UNSUBSTANTIATED rumors have been floating around they might make a surprise appearance opening for Arctic Monkeys Saturday at House of Blues - as the band leaves for another European and Asian which has them on the road until at least the end of January.

7:30 p.m. Friday, October 2, Xbox 360 Stage.