The Mars Volta

“Wax Simulacra,” the lead single from the Mars Volta‘s upcoming The Bedlam in Goliath (out January 29), terrifies progheads who treasure the California octet’s sprawling experimentation. Excepting new drummer Thomas Pridgen’s polyrhythmic pyrotechnics and some free-jazz flair, it’s a standard three-minute alt-rock number, with singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala treading dangerously close to Billy Corgan’s whine. With eight of Bedlam’s 12 tracks surfacing on recent set lists, local longtime Mars Volta fans might be seeking reassurance about the unheard material. They have nothing to fear. Bedlam finds room for voodoo funk (with wah-wah guitars and Bixler-Zavala going falsetto), muted blues-and-keys breakdowns (recalling the Doors’ “Light My Fire” vamping), frenzied gospel explosions (with Bixler-Zavala exhorting Watch me now! and Say it loud!) and creepy fusions of orchestral sounds and Gregorian chanting. All in all, the 75-minute album is packed with eclectic, often transcendent musicianship. Of course, the program could change significantly live — the Mars Volta loves to improvise.

“Goliath” (web video) by the Mars Volta