I know everyone has already had their say on this one, but here is my 2 cents. Omar A Rodriguez-Lopez has really outdone himself this time. For starters his guitar stylings on “Cygnus…Vismund Cygnus” have far surpassed anything he has picked through on the first record. Once Cedric Bixler Zavala is done ripping your head off on “The Widow” and the band breaks down into “Umma Gumma” mode can you really deny their superiority? If the psychedelic salsa of “L’ Via L’ Viaquez" with it’s Snakefinger-like harmonized guitar can’t wake you up then you are really dead, pal. The creepy effects-laden vocal at the end would not be out of place on a RESIDENTS recording one iota. The fact that this band is on a major record label touring with SYSTEM OF A DOWN is quite unbelievable considering the overly conservative mainstream musical climate at the moment.

I also find it hard to believe that Zavala’s vocal range appears to have improved almost half an octave since “Deloused…” What notes does this guy have left to hit? If it goes much further it will segue it’s way into the KING DIAMOND zone. “Miranda That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore” drones on for quite some time until the vocals come in. There are all kinds of trumpets and strings floating through this one before it ends with "Red"-era KING CRIMSON improvisational brutality. Thank God Flea played trumpet instead of bass on this one. I personally think Flea’s bass playing on the first album was pretty weak and current bassist Juan Alderete de la Pena (formerly of RACER X) completely blows his shit away. Most of these songs were made to play with overdriven (or distorted) bass tone and Flea’s clean-as-a-baby’s-butt tone did not bode well at all on “Deloused…”. It was the weak link in the chain and now that link has been tightened with Lemmy-era HAWKWIND bass tone. Lopez’s guitar has definitely got more Frippish this time around. There is some noisy Derek Baily-isms present as well. Not as much of that Steve Hackett thing he had going on last time around (or SANTANA for that matter) except a little bit at the end. “Cassandra Geminni” ends the album heavily as the last of 5 (12 if you count each piece’s “movements”) songs on an hour-plus CD. Fuckin’ A.

- Herring

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