Album of the week: The Mars Volta
Corey Martin
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
The Mars Volta
The Bedlam in Goliath
The Mars Volta have come a long way since their founding members parted ways with the former alt-rock power house At the Drive In, and it has completely paid off for those who have stayed faithful and followed every step of the band.
They have kept themselves hard at work, releasing a new album almost every year. Their newest, The Bedlam in Goliath, slated for release on Jan. 29, is a long-awaited step for Mars Volta, and is expected to connect to a wider audience than the last three.
Goliath however, draws from the eerie, real-life events circling around a strange and mysterious board game that Cedric-Bixler Zavala (vocals and lyrists) purchased in Jerusalem on a previous tour. The "Soothsayer," as it is called, is similar to a Ouija board, and was an object of harmless entertainment until its transition to a psycho-spiritual force almost tore the band apart. The album has also sparked an online game titled Goliath, the Soothsayer, loosely based on the misfortune of the band's experience with the actual Soothsayer.
The Bedlam in Goliath hits deep in a part of the human psyche which previous Mars Volta releases only managed to scratch the surface. Themes of self-persecution, religion, murder, possession and the supernatural exude through Zavala's brilliantly crafted lyrics. The sheer complexities (and at times mind-altering) effects of the album make it addictive.
Musically, the album is a non-stop force that hits you like a train. Every song moves seamlessly into the next and never fails to surprise the listener. The Mars Volta introduces some tactics never before used by the band. It pulls influences and sounds from jazz fusion to the far east ambiance of Middle-Eastern drones and Indian tonal progressions.
The addition of Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante brings an interesting element and proves itself a to be a prolific ingredient to the sonic beauty that is The Bedlam In Goliath. The album features more English spoken lyrics than the previous Amputechture, which was mostly in Spanish. Bedlam has a more polished, commercial sound than the last three albums.
There isn't a below-par selection. Each track shines with an intensity not seen today in most of today's heavy-rock records, meeting and exceeding what most artists in their genre have been trying in vain to do for a while. Key tracks include "Metatron," "Wax Simulacra," "Goliath," "Soothsayer" and "Aberinkula."
A+
The Bedlam in Goliath
The Mars Volta have come a long way since their founding members parted ways with the former alt-rock power house At the Drive In, and it has completely paid off for those who have stayed faithful and followed every step of the band.
They have kept themselves hard at work, releasing a new album almost every year. Their newest, The Bedlam in Goliath, slated for release on Jan. 29, is a long-awaited step for Mars Volta, and is expected to connect to a wider audience than the last three.
Goliath however, draws from the eerie, real-life events circling around a strange and mysterious board game that Cedric-Bixler Zavala (vocals and lyrists) purchased in Jerusalem on a previous tour. The "Soothsayer," as it is called, is similar to a Ouija board, and was an object of harmless entertainment until its transition to a psycho-spiritual force almost tore the band apart. The album has also sparked an online game titled Goliath, the Soothsayer, loosely based on the misfortune of the band's experience with the actual Soothsayer.
The Bedlam in Goliath hits deep in a part of the human psyche which previous Mars Volta releases only managed to scratch the surface. Themes of self-persecution, religion, murder, possession and the supernatural exude through Zavala's brilliantly crafted lyrics. The sheer complexities (and at times mind-altering) effects of the album make it addictive.
Musically, the album is a non-stop force that hits you like a train. Every song moves seamlessly into the next and never fails to surprise the listener. The Mars Volta introduces some tactics never before used by the band. It pulls influences and sounds from jazz fusion to the far east ambiance of Middle-Eastern drones and Indian tonal progressions.
The addition of Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante brings an interesting element and proves itself a to be a prolific ingredient to the sonic beauty that is The Bedlam In Goliath. The album features more English spoken lyrics than the previous Amputechture, which was mostly in Spanish. Bedlam has a more polished, commercial sound than the last three albums.
There isn't a below-par selection. Each track shines with an intensity not seen today in most of today's heavy-rock records, meeting and exceeding what most artists in their genre have been trying in vain to do for a while. Key tracks include "Metatron," "Wax Simulacra," "Goliath," "Soothsayer" and "Aberinkula."
A+
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