Megaritual, con Marcel, 10° lp, 2009

WAR13 - Megaritual
1 A Device Imagined to Turn
2 Screaming Babies Inside Out
3 At the Push of a Button
4 Bells at the Slipstream
5 Good is Repaid with Evil
6 Panta Section
7 Hands Vs. Helix
8 Dispanec Triage
9 Dead Hisses to Match Our Own
OMAR - GUITAR, BASS, PIANO, SYNTH
MARCEL - DRUMS, PERCUSSION, PIANO, SYNTH

Megaritual does not appear in the dictionary, nor on wikipedia. The concept, however, is gaining momentum amongst conspiracy theorists and those fascinated by the social, political, and other real-world consequences of events that, at face value, seem too massive in scope to be the result of design. However, as religious fundamentalists find proof of "intelligent design" abundant in the world around them, so too do those who acknowledge the idea of the megaritual as inherent to the society we live in and, indeed, the universe we occupy. There comes a time when coincidence, happenstance and the arbitrary nature of "chaos" simply do not provide adequate explanation for the myriad spokes of the web we inhabit. When the concept is applied to nature and the rhythms of the planet, the cosmos, and the vast, uncharted depths of the human subconscious, it would seem that viewed in a certain light, every aspect of our physical and psychological realities is megaritual.

Megaritual is the final album in the series initiated and recorded by Omar Rodriguez Lopez in Amsterdam. Committed to tape in 2006 and mixed the following year, the album features nine instrumental tracks performed solely by Omar and his brother, Marcel. Accomplished multi-instrumentalists, there are few moments on the album that do not give the impression that the duo are in fact a "full" band, though perhaps not one as populated as The Mars Volta. Opener "A Device Imagined to Turn" rocks and rumbles in a similar manner to that band's anthemic "Goliath"; the somnambulant "Bells at the Slipstream" and "Good is Repaid with Evil" combine piano and synth melodies in a manner recalling Vangelis' soundtrack for Blade Runner; album closer "Dead Hisses to Match Our Own" stomps and wails in psychedelic abandon. Megaritual is another compelling and unpredictable entry in the growing Rodriguez Lopez canon, sure to satisfy the casual passerby and the committed fan alike.