Review

The Mars Volta in under-egging the pudding shocker! That’s right, everyone’s favourite OTT prog-metal exponents have taken a step back from the brink, reigned in their penchant for throwing the kitchen sink at every track and taken their foot off the gas. The result is stunning; eight spellbinding tracks which weave gorgeous vocal harmonies around fantastic, interpretive drumming and their most melodic guitar work to date. Crucially, for the first time since classic debut full-length De-Loused In The Comatorium they’ve given the songs room to breathe, balancing their still jaw-dropping chops and wordy lyrics with strong hooks and recognisable structures. Add this relative accessibility to the sheer depth of emotion on display and you have their strongest recording yet. Lee Gorman

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DOWNLOAD: ‘SINCE WE’VE BEEN WRONG’, ‘TEFLON’, ‘COTOPAXI’.
FOR FANS OF: LED ZEPPELIN, AT THE DRIVE-IN, THE DECEMBERISTS.

Posted on: July 28, 2009