The Bedlam in Goliath

by The Mars Volta

Overview

It can't come as a surprise that the Mars Volta's fourth album opens with a bang -- sonic terrorism is one of the only things listeners can count on from the band -- but it's genuinely novel that The Bedlam in Goliath never lets go of its momentum, not even after a full hour's worth of unrelenting war on silence, the wrapping paper for a concept album about the power of the occult. On their first three proper albums, Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez played games of quiet-loud-quiet (or loud-quiet-loud), sneaking around stealthily for minutes at a time before detonating another blast of thrash metal riffing and piercing screams. The Bedlam in Goliath is simply loud-loud-loud, virtually every song played at maximum volume and tempo. But, in fact, instead of being wearisome or exhausting, it's an oddly refreshing album. The band gets closer to its roots in thrash and funk-metal than ever before, avoids using electronics except where they can make a big impact, and finally lets semi-permanent guest John Frusciante occupy a readily discernible role. The "Goliath" of the album title is the name given to a spirit conjured by a Ouija board that Rodriguez-Lopez bought in Jerusalem; the band used the board heavily while on tour, and it supposedly brought bad luck to the entire recording process -- including reports of computer poltergeists, flooded studios, and a nervous breakdown for the album's first engineer (who may have simply been driven over the edge by the band's musical extremism). Musically, it's the funkiest work the band has ever done. No one's going to confuse them with James Brown (or even Red Hot Chili Peppers), but in a ten-minute streak that runs from the end of the third track, "Ilyena," through the single "Wax Simulacra," and to the end of "Goliath," an eight-minute extravaganza, the Mars Volta finally seize the mantle held by Rage Against the Machine for a dozen years (thanks in large part to Frusciante, as well as new drummer Thomas Pridgen). The band also exhibits more patience on The Bedlam in Goliath than it has in the past. No one who cares about the band should be interested in hearing a "maturing" Mars Volta -- you might as well ask for a sun that wasn't as hot -- but the band has shown the ability to mature in all the ways they can without losing what makes them unique. The album is as dynamic as ever (it seems to live perpetually on a knife's edge of tension), but it's more closely composed than Amputechture or even Frances the Mute. This should have been the album where the Mars Volta either wore their formula down to nothing or abruptly turned in a different direction, but instead the band created an album that nearly perfects what they've been working toward. ~ John Bush

Product Details

Release Date:	10/18/2024
Label:	Clouds Hill
UPC:	4250795602538

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Mars Volta   Primary Artist
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez   Vocals (Background),Guitar
Juan Alderete De La Pena   Guitar (Bass)
Thomas Pridgen   Drums
Owen Levine   Guitar (Bass),Bass (Upright)
Adrian Terrazas Gonzalez   Horn
Isaiah "Ikey" Owens   Keyboards
Sam D. Bass   Cello
John Frusciante   Guitar
Cedric Bixler-Zavala   Vocals
Anthony Blea   Violin
Paul Hinojos   Guitar
Pablo Hinojos-Gonzalez   Guitar
Edwin Huizinga   Violin
Maestro Edwin Outwater   String Conductor
Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez   Percussion
Sam Bass   Cello
Isaiah Owens   Keyboards
Charith Premawardhana   Viola

Technical Credits

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez   Audio Production,Producer,Direction,Performer,Recording,Group Member,Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Engineer
Thomas Pridgen   Performer,Group Member
Lars Stalfors   Engineer,Recording
Isaiah Abolin   Engineer,Recording
Charith Premawardhana   Improvisation
Owen Levine   Improvisation
Adrian Terrazas Gonzalez   Performer,Group Member
Nathaniel Tookey   Composer,String Arrangements
Pablo Hinojos Gonzalez   Performer,Group Member
The Mars Volta   Composer
Sam D. Bass   Improvisation
John Frusciante   Performer,Group Member
Robert Carranza   Engineer
Nick Drake   Composer
Cedric Bixler-Zavala   Composer,Performer,Group Member
Claudius Mittendorfer   Editing,Organizer
Howie Weinberg   Mastering
Justin Phelps   String Engineer
Rich Costey   Mixing
Omar Lopez   Composer
Anthony Blea   Improvisation
Charlie Stavish   Mixing Assistant
Jeff Jordan   Artwork
Edwin Huizinga   Improvisation
Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez   Performer,Group Member
Sonny Kay   Design,Layout Design