Delivering on almost two decades of anticipation would be a near-impossible feat for any band. In the case of post-hardcore heroes
At the Drive-In, this insurmountable challenge also holds true.
in•ter a•li•a, their follow-up to 2000's classic Relationship of Command, arrives 17 years after the breathlessly intense "One Armed Scissor" and "Arcarsenal" catapulted them into the mainstream, leading to a split soon after. In the interim, bandleaders Cedric Bixler-Zavala and
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez established
the Mars Volta, creating a discography as respectable as other number two bands like
Foo Fighters,
Gorillaz, or
A Perfect Circle. While their musical chops developed,
ATDI slowly ascended to legendary myth status. Thus, the overwhelming expectations heaped upon
in•ter a•li•a are unavoidable. Taking the album at face value, there's enough to satisfy. Bixler-Zavala's vocals benefitted from those years with
the Mars Volta. He sings more often than yelps, even adopting an arena metal delivery on "Tilting at the Univendor."
Rodriguez-Lopez maintains his guitar's acrobatic prowess, delivering jabbing stabs on songs like "Call Broken Arrow" and "Holtzclaw." Bassist Paul Hinojos -- along with drummer
Tony Hajjar and guitarist
Keeley Davis -- provides a tense atmosphere that centers it all with a cohesive tone (Hinojos stands out on highlight "Ghost-Tape No.9" with a lurching groove that elevates the slow-burning track). While much of
in•ter a•li•a sounds the same, standout "Continuum" blasts through the haze with its bullhorn declarations and distortion that sounds a lot like
Rage Against the Machine. Fans craving their early sound should latch onto singles "Governed by Contagions" and "Hostage Stamps," but even those songs are a far cry from the sheer unhinged ferocity that was bottled on Relationship. In the end, it's difficult to detach from history. There's nothing on
in•ter a•li•a as thrilling as what's found on Relationship of Command, nor is there anything as intriguing as
the Mars Volta's output. However, facing the facts of reality, no one is the same after 17 years of life.
in•ter a•li•a is solid enough and more refined than its predecessor, but will nevertheless disappoint those attacking it through the lens of Relationship. ~ Neil Z. Yeung