Queens Of The Stone Age have a new drummer. It’s sort of their old drummer. You might recognize him.

His name is Dave Grohl.

Moments before Queens Of The Stone Age frontman/nucleus Joshua Homme broke the news to Zane Lowe on BBC’s Radio 1 today that longtime drummer Joey Castillo had left the band, the official QOTSA Facebook account posted a portion of the following photo:

Antiquiet has since gotten confirmation that Grohl is handling drum duties on the new Queens record, which is due in early 2013. In addition to teaming with Homme for the incredible Them Crooked Vultures project, fans will remember that Grohl played on Queens’ most successful and what’s widely considered their best album, 2002’s Songs For The Deaf.

Here’s a taste of what we’ve been missing:

With the Foo Fighters on hiatus, there’s no stopping Grohl from returning as a full fledged member of the band as Queens kicks into touring mode to support their yet-untitled new release. Developments indicate that Grohl may only be temporarily filling the position, but we’ll take what we can get.

Joey Castillo is a beloved member of the QOTSA family, and while info is still scant on his departure, we enthusiastically wish him well.

Dave Grohl has never been shy about his love for Queens: “Queens Of The Stone Age are the best band I have ever been in – without question,” he said in 2005. “I usually get nervous when I go on stage, but when I was in QOTSA I never got nervous, because I knew the people in the crowd were about to witness the best thing they had ever seen live. I felt like that every single night I played with them. It’s like the best lover you’ve ever had in your life – you don’t have to talk about it, you just do it.”

Welcome back.

More details as they develop…

P.S. In case you missed it, while you’re here, fans of the QOTSA family might be interested in the news that Brody Dalle has a solo album on the way.