[.ca] Bedlam In Goliath

Gothic imagery.:
"The Bedlam in Goliath" is The Mars Volta's fourth long player and is based on the band's experiences with an Ouija board bought in Jerusalem. The Mars Volta's brain-frying stuff has always left me cold and, while the latest material still has the full array of over-the-top instrumentation, bonkers lyrics and Cedric Bixler Zavala's soaring falsetto vocal cords, there are more than a few decent tunes. "Aberinkula" surges out of the speakers with mock operatic choruses and frenetic percussion, creating a level of energy seldom reached again in the whole album. "Wax Simulacra" is a song simultaneously taking off in several directions while failing to go anywhere remotely interesting. And at more than eight minutes long, "Goliath" is grandiose and pleased with itself, foaming at the mouth with pseudo mysticism, seeking attention like a hyperactive child. Insanely indulgent? Original and inspired? At least you can never accuse The Mars Volta of lacking adventure. This is about as adventurous as it gets. Highlights : "Aberinkula" and "Soothsayer".

another great entry into an already stellar catelogue for tmv:
TBIG is a return to the concept album for TMV. however it is different from all their previous efforts. the album is fantastic from beginning to end with really only one track that is skipped over (tourniquet man). each memeber is at the top of thier game on this album. the new drummer thomas pridgen shows his skills throughout the album leaving any worriers that theodore could never be replaced to rest. cedric (vocalist) is great hitting all kinds of notes along with some of the catchiest hooks. juan the bassist keeps the band in time and the your head grooving in all the times of chaos. over all the album is a great anyone who is a fan of thier previous works should check this out.

Watch me now:
I'll give the Mars Volta this -- they can spin a concept album out of just about anything. In this case, a cursed/haunted ouija board from Jerusalem. And their fourth full-length album "The Bedlam in Goliath" is a suitably haunted, demented affair with some vibrant moments buried in the crazy lyrics and tsunamis of distorted, chaotic hard-rock. It just grabs you and pushes you to the edge, with the force of its dense music -- and if you like it weird, it's a blast. It starts off loud -- a blazing twisting bassline, hammering drums and Cedric Bixler-Zavala's howling vocals buried somewhere in the twisting melody. And it's folllowed the equally eruptive "Metatron," a swirling storm of clashing riffs and sharp drums... really, it's like an extension of the first song, With the distorted buildup and electric riffs of "Ilyena," the Mars Volta try out some different sounds -- blazing droning tsunamis of twirling bass'n'guitars, epic rockers with the power of a sandstorm, landslides of sputtering hoarse riffs, howling psychedelica, wailing laments, and the tight, serpentine power of "Ouroborous." Admittedly, the Mars Volta can't keep up this energy continually -- "Tourniquet Man" is a messy tangle of distortion, horns, halfhearted drums and a continuous drone of synth in the background. "Askepios" flirts with this sound, but is saved from total boredom by its louder moments. The Mars Volta has been dabbling in this stuff for years now, though they stumbled with an album that was more about the weirdness than the music. Fortunately, while it has some limp moments, "The Bedlam in Goliath" is more about the eruptions of vaguely psychedelic, extremely uncatchy hard rock -- in other words, what they do best. They've also gained some polish to their stormy, tangled instrumentation -- lots of blazing riffs, machine-gun drums, and powerful basslines that sputter and twist together. These are tangled with some blaring horns and a mess of schizophrenic synth that can sound like anything from crickets to a landing UFO. At times it sounds like the instruments are being strangled, especially the guitar -- it's hard to imagine how those sounds are being produced by ordinary instruments. The disappointment? I don't know where "Tourniquet Man" came from, except perhaps the need for a single -- it's just a meandering electric guitar, loosely strung with some synth effects and a moment of sax. They don't even bother with drums -- it sounds like they didn't have their coffee that morning, and were performing in a daze. Good luck figuring out what Bixler-Zavala is singing, though. As always, his cryptically weird lyrics -- wormholes, sulfur, "an avalanche of Toltec bones," Ouroborous and corpse-swapping -- are sung in his sharp, high-pitched voice, and then buried inside the music like another guitar. I'll tell you this -- it sounds like a musical apocalypse, filled with lust, dread and pain. "The Bedlam in Goliath" is exactly what it sounds like -- bizarre and crazy. But aside from a few duds, the Mars Volta are in fine form.

Another masterpiece attack from Mars!:
As all their previous albums, at a glance, this one is not an easy listening. But if you just forget about following the lyrics and trying to find out where each song starts and finishes and instead close your eyes and let yourself been carried away... it is a great experience. This is one of Mars Volta's most coherent and richest albums musically, and at the same time, the more complex. Each time you listen to this album you'll find out an instrument or solo which you've never heard previously. Cedric's voice is hitting higher notes then ever! The more you listen to this album, the more you'll like it. The duo Omar Rodriguez Lopez/Cedric Bixler Zavala is among the most talented and prolific in progressive music history. The Mars Volta has been compared to lots of great bands from the seventies. They sound like all of them and at the same time, like none of them. Their sound is unique and fits their name. About the album. Just Goliath itself is worth buying the album. And so are the rest of the 75 minutes of total aural assault!

• Aberinkula
• Metatron
• Ilyena
• Wax Simulacra
• Goliath
• Tourniquet Man
• Cavalettas
• Agadez
• Askepios
• Ouroboros
• Soothsayer
• Conjugal Burns