7. The Mars Volta "The Bedlam In Goliath (2008)

What it is: Wild progressive rock
Favorite Track: Goliath

You can always count on them pretentious afrospaniards Cedric and Omar.

Very rarely do I see Mars Volta fans call this their favorite album from the band and it is really surprising to me. The Bedlam In Goliath sticks to me like superglue, and how other people don't get this same effect is inconceivable. The Bedlam In Goliath is the group's craziest, most technical, and overall most enjoyable album to me. The layout makes the album an enjoyable listen start to finish and the quality of individual songs makes it worth listening to even in sections.

The Bedlam In Goliath has been one of my most played albums since, well, I grapsed the concept of listening to entire albums. De-Loused In The Comatorium may catch your ears on first listen, but it is The Bedlam In Goliath that has longevity.

One of the most important things about The Mars Volta is the talent of the musicians, and Bedlam certainly showcases both their individual talents and the talents of the band as a group. As always, Omar's guitar is crazy good and Cedric's high-pitched voice is as up there as ever, but one of the things that I really enjoyed about this album was their new drummer, Thomas Pridgen. Wax Simulacra is solid proof that that dude has mad skills.

Even more than De-Loused, Bedlam has tons of hooks, and that's what makes the album so memorable. Cedric of course, provides the catchiness with his high pitched voice (a technique he uses even more than usual in this case), but the insane drum fills on Wax Simulacra, the melodic guitars on Goliath, and the odd sounds here and there are great touches.

The Bedlam In Goliath is a very addictive album to listen to. The Mars Volta did exactly what I wanted them to do with this album, they made something wild, catchy, but still progressive and experimental. I eagerly await what they will do next.