THE BEDLAM IN GOLIATH

Generally speaking, most, including myself, consider the first four Mars Volta albums (Deloused through Bedlam) to be the best the band has to offer due to their mix up of wild, fenetic progressive rock that merged latino sensibilities with almost punk-like styles of playing. I really love their music, they were a grower for me but after I fully sat comfortably within their highly vigorous prog-hold, I just have been loving most, if not all their works. As of late, I have been listening to The Bedlam In Goliath a lot, and I gotta say, it definitely is one of those types of albums that grows on you.

This is probably the band's most abrasive records yet, with a lot more emphasis on the brutality the band can put out, unlike their previous record of Amputechture, which took a more avant-garde approach that originated from the more ambient parts of Frances The Mute and Deloused In The Comatorium. Whereas that record, I say, is the spiritual successor to Frances, Bedlam feels like the spiritual successor to Deloused, but with a more progressive push.

What I really love about this record is just how much the band likes to hook you in, and never let go. Immediately, the album pushes you off the cliff with Aberinkula, and while your falling throws more rocks and stones in the form of tracks like Goliath and Ourobouros at you, and honestly, as a whole package, this album really savors the fact that it never pulls any of its punches, and only really give you a break once within the beginning minute of Ilyena and the entirety of Tourniquet Man. It seems like they wanted to not only create a more brutal record, but also make one that was still highly enjoyable for people like me that crave some more frantic prog like The Cardiacs, or, in a more recent example, black midi.

I think the brutality works in the band's favor here, but I cannot deny the abrasive nature this album has is a bit much admittedly. What I think made the previous 3 records work was that they had moments for you to breathe. Deloused has a bit more calmer tracks, Frances has in-between moments in each track that broke up the loudness, Amputechture has a lot of softer moments that prepared you for the heaviness. The Bedlam In Goliath rarely has these moments, and the times it does are way too short. I love my brutal prog rock, don't get me wrong, I just think the album would be way better if it had a lot more moments that made me take a breather.

Even then, I think this album is probably some of the best playing the band has put out. Omar's frantic guitars mesh really well with Thomas Pridgen's drumming and Cedric's vocals that each track feels very special in the grand scheme of things. They really held their own on this record, even despite the grueling, and sometimes even spiritualistic recording sessions the band took just to make this album. This album definitely does showcase that this band can do a lot, even under the most 'tense of pressures.

While it is imperfect, this album is just one of those that never lets me go. The catchy, very frantic songs, and the entire atmosphere of this record soars with each listen, and I never allow myself to get bored. If you really like the more brutal prog sound the band exudes from their previous records, then you'll love this, I am sure of it. However, if you want something more calmer and collected, this may not suit your tastes.