Porcelain - Sparta
  • Band Name: Sparta
  • Record Label: Geffen
  • Release Date: Jul 13, 2004
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Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

  • Summary: The El Paso, Texas four-piece (featuring those members of At The Drive-In who didn't join the Mars Volta) return with a second full-length, produced by Mike Major.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 19
  2. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. There's just no getting around how much stronger Sparta are than so many of their peers.
  2. If you've been moved by Sparta before... you're going to have the same reaction once the roiling "Guns Of Memorial Park" opens this album. [Jul 2004, p.127]
  3. For every standout track on the record there is another song where Sparta takes a step back to assess the situation and falters a little bit.
  4. 60
    A couple of great amped-up stormers... and a lot of nearly identical songs. [Jun/Jul 2004, p.145]

See all 19 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 2 out of 10
  1. benlol
    10
    Awesome Album, people give them such bad reviews for odd reasons, either their songs are too basic for people or too eccentric, grow up.
  2. RobertA
    8
    enjoyable music. this cd is a tiny bit better then their first cd. marz volta and sparta keep releasing good music. at the drive in's relationship of demand is still my favorite cd out of these guys. cool to see how 2 different bands formed from 1 big band. it just gives me more music to listen to. although at the drive in rocked, sparta and the marz volta are getting far in and out of their music. 2 different styles coming from one massive style equals= style that increases to get better, but this time, 2 different styles. Porcelain is up in the air, more then wiretap scars was in the telephone wires. Expand
  3. RambeztD
    7
    C'mon guys, lets be serious here. I've been a fan since before Wiretap came out (since summer '02), but I can't wrap myself around this as much as Deloused in the Comatorium. Don't let your bias influence the rating you give this album. While not horrible, this album is only OK. Songs 1, 2, 3, and 5 are the only songs I can stomach after a full listen of the album. Wiretap Scars was far better, and the Mars Volta's EP and DitC are both far better than Wiretap. Expand
  4. MichaelS
    3
    A really pathetic showing. If you though "Wiretap Scars" was unbelievabley univentive and aenemic for two members of the greatest hardcore band of all time, wait till you hear this. The first 8 songs could have as well been one with the amount of "new" material in them. Then they start imitating Mars Volta? If you are going to do your own thing, at least stick to it. But they copy Mars Volta riffs and sounds either blantantly or subversively and have several songs that drown on for 6+ minutes for no reason. Unbelievably useless album. They even copy one of their own riffs from a song from their previous album, water it down, and use it as the main riff for a song in the latter half of the album. New rock music is in a sad, sad state if this is the best the former boys of At the Drive In can do. (I am not being overly critical or snide, this album really is a 3). Expand

See all 10 User Reviews