OCTAHEDRON

Does anyone else here think that Cedric Bixler-Zavala is starting to sound somewhat similar to a young Geddy Lee? That, and some of the guitar/bass/drum centric songs make The mars Volta occasionally sound like an edgy, punky, Rush. "Cotopaxi" is the Rushiest (is that a word?) of all the tracks.

I enjoyed The Bedlam In Goliath more than any other Mars Volta album, and was looking forward to this release. Honestly, except for a couple of tracks, I'm not very impressed. I was prepared for a lighter album than the previous, as many reviewers called this one "acoustic". No, it's not acoustic, just slower, for the most part, than Bedlam. While not bad, I much prefer the frenetic pace of the prior album. I like the Pink Floyd style they employ, but I would have liked to have heard more bedlam mixed in as well.

Also, I have a problem with the mix of this disk. While I love Thomas Pridgen's drumming, it's mixed a bit too far out front. On my primary sound system, it sounds great, but on any others, the drums sound breaks up the other instruments.