LP – Limited EditionSpring Green Vinyl.

Theres no question about whether its the profiles of Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodrguez-Lpez that were biggest to emerge out of seminal El Paso post-hardcore band At the Drive-In. Partly, thats down to the pairs flamboyanceboth musical and in terms of stage presencebut also in large part because of their work together with The Mars Volta over the years after the dissolution of their first band.

And while they dont not deserve all that attention, you have to feel slightly for Jim Ward, who certainly made vital contributions to that bands output in those early years. He founded Sparta after At the Drive-In called it quits (the first time, in 2001), but after three albumsnot to mention one of the best covers of Jawbreakers Kiss the Bottlethe band kind of just faded away without fanfare after the release of 2006s third LP, Threes. It took 14 years for Sparta, in somewhat altered form, to return with 2020s fourth album Trust the River, but theyre already back again with its follow-up. And although now just a two-piece comprised of Ward and bassist Matt Miller, Sparta is very much a full-band album.

Tracklist:

Side A
1. Kill The Man, Eat The Man
2. It Goes
3. Three Rivers
4. Hello Rabbit
5. Slip Away
6. Just Wait

Side B
1. Until The Kingdom Comes
2. Mind Over Matter
3. Carry On
4. Dark Red Quicksand
5. Spiders
6. True To Form