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Oh no, it's another The Mars Volta record! I can hear the critics sharpen their knives already. Except for the EP 'Tremulant' and to some extent, their first record 'De-Loused In The Comatorium', the press has been bashing these ex-At The Drive-In boys like there's no tomorrow. And it's easy to see why they do such a thing. Songs that last almost 17 minutes, with some kind of structure somewhere in the background but mostly progressive use of guitar solos, high pitched singing and shifts in dynamics, Mars Volta records can be a pain in the ass to understand.
However, for people like me who love to learn to listen to music, again and again to try and see the structure, getting familiar with the melodies how difficult it may seem, this is pure heaven. Why spend time on records with three minute singles that you know from front to back in a day, when you can go on an exhaustive rollercoaster like this for weeks?
In fact, 'Amputechture' is one of Mars Volta's most accessible records to date, although that isn't saying much. Album opener 'Vicarious Atonement' begins the record quietly, much like second track on 'Frances the Mute', 'The Widow' did last time. Then the over 16 minutes long 'Tetragrammaton' kicks in and we're back to the familiar sound this band is known for.
But there are, thank god, surprises. 'Day of the Baphomets' features singing we're not yet used to from Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and it makes for a good listening experience.
Nowhere does the structure of the entire record not the songs itself get anywhere near the complexity of 'Frances the Mute'. That record will probably forever stay Mars Volta's jamming record, which is saying something since each song on every record itself sounds like a big jam anyway. 'Amputechture' is more focussed, but in a Mars Volta way.
Only for people who love this kind of stuff. I do, so I'm good.
10/10
