Sparta: Porcelain

Reviewed by REBECCA BARRY

(Herald rating: * * * *)

When At the Drive In disbanded in 2001, three of its members reincarnated as Sparta, honing their arty prog-punk-hardcore foundations into a more accessible concoction.

This is their second album, and it's a lot to get through in one sitting.

Confident yet anxious, gutsy yet removed, with just enough of the spacey atmospherics to keep fans of A Perfect Circle happy.

Aside from the manic Husker Du romp of Hiss the Villain or the catchy, shout-along chorus of La Cerca, it's the twists, turns and unusual textures that keep things interesting - the rumbling drums of Guns of Memorial Park, the undulating guitar lick of While Oceania Sleeps, the psychotic time signatures of Death in the Family. Occasionally Jim Ward's Robert Smith-on-prozac wail begins to grate and the complex arrangements grow taxing but the gems are there if you know where to look.

Label: Geffen