reax music magazine :: music + culture » Reviews » The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath

The fourth studio album from these prog-rockers, The Bedlam in Goliath, is a fat-free amalgamation of their previous work. Newly appointed drummer Thomas Pridgen brings bombastic precision to the table in each track as he seeks to prove himself to veteran fans of The Mars Volta, and does quite a thorough job of it. Long gone are the muddied, drawn-out meanderings so common in previous albums. Instead, this album is a vociferous propellant of prog-rock at a rabbit’s pace. “Aberinkula” and “Metatron” set the tone of the album with whirling sci-fi inspired guitar effects. The lyrics revolve around a mysterious Ouji Board, which is a constant theme over the twelve-track epic. Indeed, Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s stunning vocals reflect an intense connection with the music, almost inseparable. “Cavalettas,” with its breakneck tempo and sudden stops, is a relentlessly euphoric experience – the saxophone solo in the latter movement is the closest thing to an eargasm I’ve had this year. Truthfully, there’s only one song that left a bad taste in my mouth, “Tourniquet Man,” which just didn’t fit the tone of an otherwise cohesive collection. Truthfully, The Bedlam in Goliath is the least pretentious, and most honest, compelling release from The Mars Volta since their debut LP, Deloused in the Comatorium. – Christian Crider