MEGARITUAL

Unlike some of his other solo albums/projects, Megaritual is a consistent, coherent album. If Omar Rodriguez Lopez has got some sort of issue with the electric guitar, it doesn't show here. (It didn't show at TMV's live shows at The Roundhouse in London in July 08 either). This is fundamentally a semi-freeform electric guitar freakout, but always with some sort of underlying melody or musicality. In this sense it differs from cut and paste efforts like Despair, and in my view is far superior as a result. Close in nature and quality to 'The Apocalypse Inside Of An Orange', this album does feel very much like The Mars Volta, but minus vocals of course. Not to detract from the phenomenal vocals of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (when's his first solo album coming out? Make it soon please), Megaritual really does highlight ORL's considerable and substantial musical talent. If you're a fan of TMV but not sure where to start with the mass of ORL solo releases, you'll find this a pretty essential starting point along with 'Apocalypse...', both progressive and listenable instrumental works but in subtly different ways from each other. Not quite five stars - I'd only award those to 'De-loused...', but here's hoping that Octahedron will be just as good.