FRANCES THE MUTE

This is the best prog album since Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here (1975). And there are some similarities between both of them. Guitarist Omar Rodriguez was born in 1975. Both albums contain five songs. Both albums are inspired by a tragic loss of a friend and band member. I am not a fan of At The Drive In ( I don't like punk) and I was completely shocked to discover that ATDI gave birth to the best prog group of the last 20 years. They have the vibe of 70's music- from Led Zeppelin (Rodriguez mentions Jimmy Page as main influence) to Pink Floyd as well as Yes , Santana, Uriah Heep, Rush and many more. But they're not copying any of these groups. Omar Rodriguez is an incredible guitarist and songwriter, he plays relentlessly and the combination of his psychedelic /agressive sound with the amazing voice of singer Cedric Bixler and his twisted lyrics takes you to a wonderful musical journey. Just set the volume high and forget about reality. You don't even need do decipher all of the complex lyrics, some words made up by Bixler. They only serve to guide your fantasy and emotions. Every time I listen to the album I discover a different aspect of their music. Absolutely stunning experience. And, amazingly, despite the overall sad mood of the album, it won't depress you. I can't stop listening to this masterpiece! De-Loused in Comatorium was alredy a masterpiece, but Frances The Mute is even better! And all musicians playing on the album are amazing, especially drummer John Theodore , basist Juan Alderete and keyboardist Ikey Owens. The album turned out to be so great that they decided not to put the title song on it (although the lyrics are present in the booklet). It is true in a way that the song doesn't fit in, but it's also excelent and you can get it on the single The Widow.