The Mars Volta – Bedlam in Goliath

There are some people that avoid listening to a band based on its reputation. Being notorious of noodling, The Mars Volta was one of those bands to me. Since this is the first album I’ve heard from this band, all I can say is that I was blown away by Bedlam in Goliath. I always thought I had ears of steel and the ability to sit through any album no matter how difficult or horrible it may be; until now. This is the first album that I had to turn off after a couple of tracks to clear my mind before tackling again.

It’s hard to tell if The Mars Volta is creating fine art music ahead of its time or musical wanking. Two thirds into “Abernikula” a saxophone roars in a similar manner to Miles Davis’ experimental albumBitches Brew. Playing in odd meters, The Mars Volta’s math rock has a highly cerebral edge, especially with drummer Thomas Pridgen pounding away with ease. Sadly, this aspect also works against The Mars Volta, like in “Metatron.” Since every song has at least one guitar solo and three different movements—one of those movements being a free form jam session, the music feels excessive and over the top. While it’s admirable that Omar Rodriguez Lopez is creating music on his own terms (he wrote all of the music and arrangements), he forgets about the listener. By cramming every technical musical concept known to man in one song, a lot of what is on Bedlam in Goliath is forgettable and loses a sense of melody and musicality.

So you either fall into one of two camps. If you’re the kind of person who mourns At the Drive-In with every new release of The Mars Volta, then go ahead and skip this album, because there isn’t a song remotely close to “Enfilade”. If you have liked their previous albums and like album concepts, then you will have a field day with the haunted Ouija board theme.