Review: The Bedlam In Goliath : A

The Mars Volta
"The Bedlam in Goliath"
Sounds like: Prog-rock meets jazz fusion meets Latin groove

Music enthusiasts love to hate The Mars Volta - it's easy, after all. No one really wants to sit through their 17-minute self-indulgence, only to discover an overall lack of pop-tune, do they?

Even the most devoted Mars Volta fan is skeptical about their new material. But the band's fourth studio album, "The Bedlam in Goliath," is its most thrilling album to date. The record's 12 tracks tell the story of a possessed Ouija board guitarist/composer Omar Rodriguez-Lopez purchased while in Jerusalem. Shockingly, this collection of songs is the most focused Mars Volta fans will have ever heard. Surprised?

The record's second track, "Metatron," is a highlight, as its movements range from utterly frantic to haunting and delicate. If that's not your cup of tea, tracks like "Agadez" and "Ilyena" groove with more style than ever before.

Part of the reason this album rocks is the addition of drummer Thomas Pridgen. After widely idolized drummer Jon Theodore left the band following the release of its third album, 2006's "Amputechture," fans worried that no earthly soul could replicate his rhythmic miracles. But fear not! Pridgen fills the shoes of his predecessor with relative ease. His whomping beats on "Ourobouros" and "Wax Simulacra," the record's first single, show just how talented he is.

For all the trepidation that "Bedlam" displays, it's remarkable how ably it swings. Some of the songs can even be described as catchy. Fans everywhere can once again have faith in the Mars Volta.

-ROB NATALE

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