AMPUTECHTURE

The autistic child.

This is The Mars Volta at its best. It's as if they had joined the two better than his previous albums (for which I have mixed feelings) offered and create a superior album, but incredibly underrated. And I wonder: Why? There's nothing here that has not been seen before. Only this time it's good for me.

Amputechture opens with psychedelic nuances (Pink Floyd to be exact, a major influence on the band) something very characteristic of these guys, and guitar moves with enough psychedelia before the two minutes between Cedric's voice is slow and slurred, contributing to the strange weather at the beginning of the album. It's Vicarious Atonement, an opening track unusual. However, what can I say except that she's amazing! Actually not everyone was prepared for this song (I was not), but this is the kind of strangely pleasant experience. Things get even better when after a great climax the music enters in a "soul" section led by bass, piano and vocals. The music grows with sound effects and ends abruptly. This is a feature of the album (and one of its shortcomings): most of the songs end abruptly and shockingly, leaving the listener unprepared. I know that TMV is not a band of conventions, but if the songs end with a final truth would be something decent and dignified.

At this point a fan of the band should be asking yourself, "Man, but where's the crazy and cacophonous sound of these guys?" . The answer comes with the epic Tetragrammaton that is ready to go crazy with the listener 16 minutes of what the band knows best: doing experimentation and unconventional. The Mars Volta not is a band for all (I am not a big fan of them). However once immersed in the strange universe is difficult to get out of them (and I think this is happening to me).

All the folly of this epic is replaced by a simple song called Vermicide. Frankly I wanted to use a vermicide against this song, because it is the second worst on the album (after the mediocre close music), though its chorus is cool. But the band recovered with honors and soon after is given one of the best songs on the disc: the epic Meccamputechture. There are two things I love this music: the metallic bass line that pulses all the time and the crazy saxophone shown here. Wow, this is awesome! Asilos Magdalena is a gentle ballad in Spanish rhythm (and also letters in that language) which is nice, but not be anything else.

Viscera Eyes is the single from the album and and one of the highlights. After a strange start full of sound effects (and that made ​​me wonder if my sound was in trouble - ha, I'm an idiot) explodes with a frantic guitar riff that leads to an amazing ride. The music is divided into two distinct sections: the first is very good and crazy, while the second is jazz- fusion and released disappointing (although initiated by a powerful and spectacular bass - man, that bassist plays a lot!).

And if the band's influences are not clear enough, I think a guitar emulating the sound of a Frippertronic can open your eyes, dear reader. Yes, Day of the Baphomets is an obvious nod to the King Crimson of the 70s and 80s, but to incorporate that sound bizarre and heavy - oh, that's only the pod to TMV. By far one of the best songs on the album, and one in which the sound is more present prog. I like the break that occurs there for 5 minutes, where the music ranges brutally - is, I was not prepared for it, but I can say that I liked. Actually I liked it so much now I say this is the absolute masterpiece of this album and is definitely my favorite song ever from The Mars Volta.

Unfortunately all the good fruits harvested in this album are wasted on the mediocre, dull El Ciervo Vulnerado. Despite the title pretty (inspired by a biblical passage) the song is nothing but pure 9 minutes thrown in the trash - a lot of disconnected ideas, bad vocals and ridiculous passages environments, in a failed attempt to end the album as the Vicarious Atonement began.

Well, I think it is clear that this is in my opinion the best album of TMV to date. Criminally underrated, incredibly good, I think it deserves 5 stars. And that's all.

Omar and Cedric, the autistic child is your best.

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