‘The Bedlam in Goliath’ proves to be monumentally mediocre

When asked to describe The Mars
Volta sound to someone unfamiliar with
the band, the task often proves to be
rather difficult. The words “experimental”
and “psychedelic metal” can be thrown
around, but it’s virtually impossible to tie
the band down to one particular genre.

The same can be said of an inquiry
about the content of the songs. It’s the
quality of the content that has made the
band’s past albums great. However, I’m
not sure the same can be said of “The
Bedlam in Goliath,” which was released
last month.

Various incidents that occurred during
the production period of the album were
very strange.

After guitarist and co-producer Omar
Rodriguez-Lopez purchased a Ouija board
for vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band
faced an astonishing number of bizarre
setbacks. “Goliath” was the name given
to a combination of the three individuals
who contacted the group through the
board. Shortly after its purchase, the
band’s drummer at the time quit mid-tour,
Bixler-Zavala underwent major surgery,
audio tracks mysteriously disappeared,
production notes were lost after the
album’s engineer suffered a nervous
breakdown and Rodriguez-Lopez’s home
studio flooded. A decision apparently was
made to bury the board and refrain from
talking about it for the duration of the
album’s production.

“Aberinkula,” the first track on the
album, has a heavily guitar-dominated
sound.

The song also includes an improvisatory
saxophone interlude that traverses
the entire scope of the instrument’s range,
only adding to the confusion of sound
that occurs.

Bixler-Zavala’s falsetto pierces the
meandering melodies in “Metatron” while
the changing tempo keeps listeners on
their toes in “Ilyena.” Both songs are
decent in production but lack The Mars
Volta’s infamous creativity.

At a little more than two and a half
minutes, “Wax Simulacra” is not the
typical seven- or eight-minute foray into
the minds of the band members. I was
surprised to find that this was the first
single that was released, because it is
hardly the album’s strongest track.

The haunted-castle feel of “Askepios,”
coupled with a section of indiscernible
babbling in the background of the song,
made me feel – frankly – a little crazy.

“Goliath” is, hands down, my favorite
song. As the fifth track on the album, I
began to think “The Bedlam in Goliath”
was beginning to turn around. The song
portrays the signature energy of the band,
complete with screaming guitar riffs
and drummer Thomas Pridgen playing
at breakneck speed. At its climax, this
song entices one’s Dionysian proclivities,
almost daring one to give in to the wild
frenzy of the piece.

Listening to this album made me feel
like a teacher grading a star student’s
lackluster essay. The expectations are
high, but the end product, although
far superior to the output of his or her
peers, leaves one with a feeling of slight
disappointment.

In its defense, The Mars Volta could
seek refuge in “the dog ate my homework”
excuse, considering the circumstances
surrounding the album’s creation, but
excuses often fall short of acceptability.
The Mars Volta presents itself in a manner
that seems completely unapologetic and
wholly original, and that is one reason
for their magnetism.

A friend of mine once described
the band as “technically amazing,” and
although that statement is arguable,
there is a wealth of indisputable talent
in these progressive rockers. So for this
one – I’ll award “The Bedlam in Goliath”
a passing grade and hold out hope the
band works to its full potential for the
next assignment.

My grade: a reluctant ‘A’