The Bedlam in Goliath - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
No one has ever accused the Mars Volta of subtlety. But even so, the cyclonic caterwaul of Bedlam in Goliath is the band's fullest starburst to date. Sure, the songs have titles that seem indecipherable, from "Aberinkula" to "Conjugal Burns." The important thing, though, is the molten, guitar-spiraling, drum-thundering core at the heart of the whole endeavor. "Aberinkula" opens the album with an unfettered explosion of clustered guitars and a dense keyboard haze pierced by Cedric Bixler-Zavala's coarse, pitched yowl. A scouring soprano sax solo cuts across the songs's midsection, and that vibe spreads throughout Bedlam, but so does the most pervasive melding of herky-jerk rhythms, post-punk speed, uber-funk bass, and chaotic riffage that you're likely to find in rock & roll. If it's Bedlam you want, you can't miss here. --Andrew Bartlett

Album Description
This USB drive, which has a 1 GB memory stick with the full album, "Wax Simulacra" video and album artwork preloaded, will be encased in a wooden Ouija board planchette. Dimensions of the planchette and USB drive are 3 inches high and 1 inch wide. Plug it in, and on the 29th of each month after January, you'll get monthly content updates throughout 2008. This is THE product for the avid Mars Volta fan, keeping you in touch with the band and all their new content well after release date. Monthly content updates include b-sides, live videos, webisodes, exclusive wallpaper, the Goliath The Soothsayer video game, previously unreleased songs, and much, much more.

The genesis of The Mars Volta's new album The Bedlam in Goliath is a tale of long-buried murder victims and their otherworldly influence, of strife and near collapse, of the long hard fight to push "the record that did not want to be born" out into the world. Omar was in a curio shop in Jerusalem when he found the Soothsayer, an archaic Ouija-style "talking board." Had he known at that moment that the board's history stretched far beyond its novelty appearance, that its very fibers were soaked through with something terribly other, that the choral death and desire of a multi-headed Goliath was waiting behind its gates... well, he might have left it at rest there on the dusty shelves. The Upside of That Choice: No bad mojo unleashed. Erase the madness that followed. Erase the bizarre connection to a love/lust/murder triangle that threatened to spill out into the present every time the band let its fingers drift over the board. The Downside: No Soothsayer means The Bedlam in Goliath never would have existed. And it turns out that this demented spiritual black hole of a muse has driven The Mars Volta to produce a crowning moment in their already stellar career. The band names this Ouija board "The Soothsayer", as it offers them a story: It's always about a man, a woman, and her mother. About the lust floating between them. About seduction and infidelity. And pain. And eventually, murder. Entrails and absence and curses and oblivion. To understand the full story....listen to "The Bedlam in Goliath."

Album Description
Limited Australian three disc (two CDs + PAL/Region 0 DVD) pressing of their 2008 album features a bonus audio CD containing an epic dose of previously unreleased covers plus a DVD that includes all five videos for the album. 2008 album from the eccentric Alternative outfit. Fans of this American Progressive Rock band should expect the same thematic approach to storytelling as on their former records. This album chronicles The Mars Volta's time with the Soothsayer AKA the Ouija board owned by vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and its mutation from a source of amusement during the tour supporting the band's Amputechture album into a malevolent psycho-spiritual force that nearly tore the group apart, collectively and individually. The album's creation process was subject to "bad luck controversy" after the band's bizarre experience. The Bedlam in Goliath is their fourth full-length studio album. Produced by guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez with engineer Robert Carranza, Universal.

Customer Reviews: Read 89 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

"I'm starting to feel a miscarriage coming on..." January 29, 2008
24 out of 31 found this review helpful

(The Bedlam in Goliath" by The Mars Volta)

On their fourth studio album, The Mars Volta have definitely decided not to take it easy. From the very moment it starts until its ending 75 (!) minutes later, the band works in full steam ahead hyperdrive mode, rarely stopping for breath. One could be halfway through the album before realizing the first track is even over. On the upside, it shows a band determined to prove they're now the hardest working men in show business; on the downside, the songs tend to blend together into a massive rush of LOUDERFASTERNOW!!! Although working with the same prog-punk blueprint they've been developing over the years, here they seem to reject the more jam-band approach of Frances the Mute or Amputechture. All of the songs on the new album fall below the ten-minute mark, which for them is concise (disgruntled fans of the first album may want to check this one out). Their love of latin rhythms continues, however, aided ably by new drummer Thomas Pridgen, who gives the impression he's actually two men. The twin guitar attack of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and (former Chili Pepper) John Frusciante, while using every style they can think of (including feedback noise), here they at least stick to the song at hand. This is not to say they're not coloring outside the lines, but they play it at such light-speed that the impression one gets is of Miles Davis' On the Corner interpreted by meth-addled robots. Meanwhile, vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala sticks mainly to the upper registers of his voice and lets the words tumble out at such a rate thay a lyric sheet is necessary to know what they are. This is not to say "understand," though, "The Bedlam in Goliath" is billed as (what else?) a concept album about a seemingly cursed ouija board that the band acquired in Jerusalem. Hey, I don't make the news; I just report it. If any of this sounds a bit daunting, that's probably because it's supposed to be. The Mars Volta obviously don't appeal to casual listeners; in fact, die hard Rush or Tool fans may even run screaming from the room. One of their major inspirations, Carlos Santana, would probably also be baffled. Still, if you're already a fan of the band, or just want to test your fortitude as a music fan, this is the album you've been longing for. Though one wishes they'd slow down sometimes--this album is all crescendo, all the time--this is no return to the form of their earlier work but another creative level entirely. With their maximum-firepower approach, if The Mars Volta aren't the best band ever, they're certainly the most.

4 out of 5 stars

An Intense, Impressive Step Forward for The Mars Volta! January 29, 2008
14 out of 32 found this review helpful

I first stumbled upon The Mars Volta when I was in college. Not really into the progressive rock scene at all, I was stunned to find that I not only liked their first album, De-Loused In the Comatorium, but simply couldn't get enough of it. I spent countless hours rocking out to it in my dorm room, annoying roommates and probably the whole hall as well. Their second album, Frances the Mute, was equally as impressive, and perhaps more intriguing and challenging than their first. Therefore, it was a bit disheartening for me when they released their third album, Amputechture. It seemed to lack the focus of their previous works, often placing emphasis on extended complex freak-out sessions and putting secondary importance on Cedric Bixler-Zavala's vocals. Melodies seemed patched together, and afraid to take center stage. As a huge fan of vocals in music (indeed, it is almost always the most important thing), I was completely disenchanted with this approach and was equally as disappointed in the album. The Bedlam In Goliath has similarly disappointing sections, though I am pleased to say that the album as a whole is a step in the right direction for The Mars Volta.

Opener "Aberinkula" opens the album at full force, charging out of the gate like a bull. The song features a trotting bass line and absolutely mind-blowing percussion from new drummer, Thomas Pridgen. The vocal melody is uncomplicated, but still somewhat catchy. Cedric belts out "Have you seen the living, tired of their own shells?" in the chorus, and his piercing voice is well-suited to the musical chaos that it accompanies. The song eventually breaks down with a freeform saxophone solo, which the Mars Volta has basically perfected at this point. An infectious, guitar-led groove carries the song to it's end, and everything sounds great.

Amputechture's biggest problem rears it's ugly head again on "Metatron," where the music once again takes priority over the vocal melody. Cedric's voice is biting and forceful, but it is second to all the organized chaos that envelopes it. It's a shame too, as the lyrics are some of the album's more interesting. The instrumentation is unrelenting, as it is throughout most of Bedlam, and if you find yourself placing importance on that, "Metatron" may be a favorite for you. It is definitely reminiscent of "Tetragrammaton." "Ilyena" is a much cooler song in general. It begins with an incredibly distorted, wet vocal solo. When Cedric sings, "I need a brand new skin," it is undeniably awesome! After about a minute of that, the song busts out with a funky guitar riff and salsa percussion that just begs to be danced to. It's a very jam-band type of song, and doesn't scream of the forced complexities of many Mars Volta songs. Every aspect of this song is virtually flawless, and you'll undoubtedly find yourself singing along or dancing after a few listens. It's got a very cool drum outro too that is unfortunately ruined by some unnecessary distorted vocals.

"Wax Simulacra" is filled to the brim with typically cryptic lyrics ("I bring an avalanche of Toltec bones. Contaminated cravings if you choose to play something that aches for a spill.") It is a very vocally intensive song, but it sounds as if they are constantly doing battle with the instrumentation to see who will be the focus of the song. In the end it's such a mess that it's hard to focus on anything. Fortunately, "Goliath" completely voids any problems that it's predecessor had simply by being relentlessly amazing. Mars Volta fans will immediately recognize the song as a reworked, sped-up version of "Rapid Fire Tollbooth," a song from Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's last solo album (and from the band's live show in the past). It is, without a doubt, the standout track on the album. It's the first time on the album that Cedric gives us a vocal melody worth remembering, and despite it's 7+ minute runtime, it never feels too long or repetitive. Indeed, if anything, I found myself wanting it to continue. The band feels focused and tight throughout, only getting out of control when absolutely necessary.

Unfortunately, the momentum built by that song is instantly crushed by "Tourniquet Man," a song that sounds entirely too much like Limp Bizkit's cover of "Behind Blue Eyes" for me to take seriously. All Mars Volta albums have had a radio-friendly song, and this one just sounds like a failed attempt at one. Despite a convincing performance from Cedric, it gets a big "meh" from me. Likewise, "Cavalettas" struggles to find any meaningful reason for existence. The longest track on the album, it is unbearably repetitive and uninteresting, which is something I never thought I'd say about The Mars Volta. The band seems to get lazy and can't find a way to transition from one section to the next, opting instead to just drop out all the instrumentation for a few seconds before jamming back in. This happens 7 times (really). Not even manic sax and flute solos can save this song from the skip button.

"Agadez" picks things back up. Again, the band comes together and blends perfectly, resulting in a much more satisfying experience. Cedric syncopates, "I'm nowhere near this place you wear. It's unforgivable. It knows that I am visible," over some truly great instrumentation. The song breaks down at 3:45 and adds in some ethnic drums and more subtle vocals before picking things back up for a more appropriate Mars Volta-esque freak-out. It's a great song! "Askepios" is really just a waste of time. It's 5 minutes of uninspired drivel. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why the band insists on continually squandering any ounce of momentum that they have for stuff like this. "Ouroborous" is a very vocally focused song. As such, I instantly connected with it. It features Cedric crooning softly over some harmonium-like synths, singing, "Of all the warnings that you gave me with all components in the fault. Have you heard me scraping? It'll be hard to hold." It's one of the album's cooler moments, and by far its most unique.

"Soothsayer" begins with enchanting strings and a lazily moving guitar solo. Cedric's vocals are haunting as they sing, "This deceit has no arms. Bended will, take what's yours." It is a beautiful song that never overdoes it, and everything just seems to work. Surely the strings were an excellent touch that pushed the song over the edge. The songs end with creepy "Requiem for a Dream-ish" violins and a reverbed choir. It's a very nice touch. Bedlam's closer is "Conjugal Burns" and once again, Cedric treats us to some impressive vocal stylings. When he sings, "I got a pain inside that'll rip through the fabric of time," I literally perked up because it was so unexpected. It's a solid song and it keeps it at a relatively short runtime (for a Mars Volta song, 6:35). It seems out of place as a closer though. Musically, "Soothsayer" seems much more appropriate. Still, I can't detract from it's greatness.

The Bedlam In Goliath is undoubtedly The Mars Volta's loudest album to date, and long-time fans will undoubtedly be pleased with what they hear. Unfortunately, there are a few songs that just don't work and should have been left in the studio. Indeed, at nearly 76 minutes in length, The Bedlam In Goliath could have used a nice trimming. As a result, the album feels less cohesive than their previous albums, and is definitely more enjoyable to listen to in small doses. However, I have found myself entirely satisfied with the album's better moments, and can therefore overlook its missteps along the way. For fans like me who felt a little disenchanted after Amputechture, rest assured that The Bedlam In Goliath is a much better album and worth picking up and investing your time in. Like all Mars Volta albums, it is not for everybody, but it is definitely something that deserves to be noticed.

Key Tracks:
1. "Aberinkula"
2. "Ilyena"
3. "Goliath"
4. "Agadez"
5. "Ouroborous"

7 out of 10 Stars

2 out of 5 stars

It's no De-Loused, that's for sure February 3, 2008
11 out of 26 found this review helpful

"What were they thinking?" is the question that continually comes to my mind while listening to this album. At first listen, the album really didn't do much for me, but like most of my favorite albums, I decided to listen more before starting to form opinion. Quite a few listens later, I'm pretty disappointed in this album.

I think Omar needs to stop trying to be a producer. Bring back Rick Rubin or something. These guys need some outside ears. What did they do to Cedric's voice? I'm all for the crazy effects they've always used, but it sounds like they stuck a ring modulator and a chipmunk pitch shifter on his voice and simply left them on for most of the record. Even the mix is suspect... there are some odd inconsistent volume ramps and the vocal really kills the rest of the mix at random times throughout the album.

There are moments where the vocal takes really fail on pitch, and I noticed a few parts where there were some relatively major drum mistakes. Was this album rushed, perhaps? Seems like there were some performances that needed fixing.

Granted, there are some cool moments. Cool riffs and excellent lyrics are to be found throughout the album. No complaints at all about the new drummer (good stuff!). The concept behind the album is great, too.

While the song-through structure of the songs is appreciated, there is too much repetition inside the songs, and an awful lot of the album sounds too much the same. There's not nearly as much variety in the songs as on previous albums.

That said, the album is still more original than most stuff on TV/radio, so it's far from a 1-star. But beyond the originality, I wouldn't give it much.

If you're a hardcore TMV fan, I think this album will most likely rate as passable for you, so by all means, pick it up. If you're someone who recognized that De-Loused in the Comatorium was one of the greatest and most innovative rock masterpieces ever made, and you are hoping for another work of that caliber to get your ears and mind addicted to, this album just isn't it.

Not even close.

5 out of 5 stars

"I foamed at the mouth while the lights winked at me" February 2, 2008
10 out of 15 found this review helpful

The year and a half wait is over and the Mars Volta has finally unleashed its fourth LP, the Bedlam in Goliath. The question that begs to be asked is, was it worth the wait?

Although it isn't their best record, the Mars Volta have not sounded this tight since their debut LP. The Bedlam in Goliath has been proclaimed a concept album but is really a display for the group of reinvigorated artists to play music for music's sake.

At first glance, the addition of drummer Thomas Pridgen and the continual maturation of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez as a producer are largely responsible for the album's success.

Omar produced and mixed this album in a very flattering way for new drummer Thomas Pridgen. Prigden takes front and center stage here. Omar did the group's third LP a huge disservice by mixing down Jon Theodore's drumming. Thankfully, he did not make the same mistake again.

I can not say enough about Pridgen's ability. Words will not do him justice, he is that good. He must be heard on Bedlam to be believed and when combined with the rest of the Mars Volta, comprises an unrivaled juggernaut in music today.

Rodriguez-Lopez has channeled his Miles Davis/John McLaughlin inspired solo work for this record. Along with Bixler-Zavala's vocals and Pridgen's drumming, Rodriguez-Lopez's guitar dominates this record.

It is great to hear the technical strides Omar has made in his playing since Frances the Mute. Amputechture only gave us a taste of his development. On Bedlam, Omar combines his trademark frenzied playing with jaw-dropping riffs to near perfection.

Thankfully he has cut down on the noodling between Amputechture and Bedlam as much as he cut down on the aimless ambiance between Frances and Amputehcture.

The influence of John Frusciante's pop sensibilities on Omar's guitar playing can not be overstated. Once again Frusciante guest stars on many of Bedlam's tracks but he is not the primary guitarist featured. Rodriguez-Lopez recently stated that when you hear two guitar solos being played, Frusciante is playing one of them. It is a friendship and musical collaboration I hope continues for many years.

It is worth noting that this album needs to be heard on a set of great headphones in order to be fully appreciated. Doing so reveals the unsung but integral contribution of sound manipulator, Pablo Hinojos-Gonzalez.

With headphones and a silent dark room, the soundscapes crafted by Hinojos just might prove to be too intense for the listener to wrap their mind around.

For example, play Metatron the way I have recommended and be prepared to get blown away by intricacies you just can't hear with a car or home stereo. This is what the Mars Volta is all about.

I do have one complaint: Keyboardist Ikey Owens is more or less absent on this album.

Although they might superficially channel other recording artists, the Mars Volta have once again proven they sound like nothing else and nothing else sounds like them. Any attempt by critics to refute this by saying they ape bands like King Crimson or Roxy Music is just name-checking, hispter rubbish. I doubt the failed novelists and college english major dropouts over at Pitchfork have even listened to a King Crimson album all the way through. After all, when do they get the time to pull themselves away from their Feist and Devendra Banhart records?

The Mars Volta are their own genre.

Bedlam is a one star album for people who hate this group. For the Mars Volta faithful: 4 and a half stars.

Highlights include everything but Tourniquet Man. Tracks that are two of the best the Volta ever recorded: Ouroborous and Conjugal Burns.

Bring on the 5th LP.

4 out of 5 stars

Watch me now January 31, 2008
9 out of 13 found this review helpful

I'll give the Mars Volta this -- they can spin a concept album out of just about anything. In this case, a cursed/haunted ouija board from Jerusalem.

And their fourth full-length album "The Bedlam in Goliath" is a suitably haunted, demented affair with some vibrant moments buried in the crazy lyrics and tsunamis of distorted, chaotic hard-rock. It just grabs you and pushes you to the edge, with the force of its dense music -- and if you like it weird, it's a blast.

It starts off loud -- a blazing twisting bassline, hammering drums and Cedric Bixler-Zavala's howling vocals buried somewhere in the twisting melody. And it's folllowed the equally eruptive "Metatron," a swirling storm of clashing riffs and sharp drums... really, it's like an extension of the first song,

With the distorted buildup and electric riffs of "Ilyena," the Mars Volta try out some different sounds -- blazing droning tsunamis of twirling bass'n'guitars, epic rockers with the power of a sandstorm, landslides of sputtering hoarse riffs, howling psychedelica, wailing laments, and the tight, serpentine power of "Ouroborous."

Admittedly, the Mars Volta can't keep up this energy continually -- "Tourniquet Man" is a messy tangle of distortion, horns, halfhearted drums and a continuous drone of synth in the background. "Askepios" flirts with this sound, but is saved from total boredom by its louder moments.

The Mars Volta has been dabbling in this stuff for years now, though they stumbled with an album that was more about the weirdness than the music. Fortunately, while it has some limp moments, "The Bedlam in Goliath" is more about the eruptions of vaguely psychedelic, extremely uncatchy hard rock -- in other words, what they do best.

They've also gained some polish to their stormy, tangled instrumentation -- lots of blazing riffs, machine-gun drums, and powerful basslines that sputter and twist together. These are tangled with some blaring horns and a mess of schizophrenic synth that can sound like anything from crickets to a landing UFO. At times it sounds like the instruments are being strangled, especially the guitar -- it's hard to imagine how those sounds are being produced by ordinary instruments.

The disappointment? I don't know where "Tourniquet Man" came from, except perhaps the need for a single -- it's just a meandering electric guitar, loosely strung with some synth effects and a moment of sax. They don't even bother with drums -- it sounds like they didn't have their coffee that morning, and were performing in a daze.

Good luck figuring out what Bixler-Zavala is singing, though. As always, his cryptically weird lyrics -- wormholes, sulfur, "an avalanche of Toltec bones," Ouroborous and corpse-swapping -- are sung in his sharp, high-pitched voice, and then buried inside the music like another guitar. I'll tell you this -- it sounds like a musical apocalypse, filled with lust, dread and pain.

"The Bedlam in Goliath" is exactly what it sounds like -- bizarre and crazy. But aside from a few duds, the Mars Volta are in fine form.

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