Home > audiofiles

CD review: Sparta
By Cassie Hood
hoodc@mscd.edu

Sparta Threes (Hollywood Records, 2006)

It’s said that fine wine grows better with age, and sometimes, whiny bands get better as time goes by. Sparta’s third full-length release, Threes, shows they have left their crybaby years behind in favor of greater refinement.

In Wiretap Scars, released in 2002, Sparta had a raw, scream-filled sound, but by the time their sophomore album Porcelain came out in 2004, they had realized that less hair-raising wailing meant a wider fan base. Slowly the band gained momentum, touring extensively with each CD, stopping only to record. However, the nonstop touring got to guitarist Paul Hinojos, and after hurting his back and causing their Porcelain Tour to end early, he left the band.

Sparta hit the studio in limbo and without a guitarist. Keeley Davis, formerly of Denali and Engine Down, soon filled the empty seat, bringing new life and new sound to the band.

The biggest difference can be heard on “Taking Back Control.” Jim Ward’s voice isn’t as coarse and strained as usual; instead, it’s full-throated and commanding. The drums and wah-wah guitars frantically mesh together. Davis relies heavily on his whammy bar, giving the song a funky edge. In the background are classic early Sparta screams, but they are muffled and tense, giving the track a chaotic, desperate feeling. The song possesses an interesting dichotomy, because the lyrics are about reclaiming control of life, but the music creates a feeling of losing one’s grip.

“Unstitch Your Mouth” slows the tempo to a crawl. The main stars in this track are Davis and Ward. A soft, barely audible drumbeat is the song’s heartbeat, increasing in volume as the song intensifies, but never rising above the guitar. Shadowed by melancholy piano notes, Ward’s vocals drip with sadness, sounding as if he’s on the verge of tears as his high-pitched voice breaks and cracks.

As the longest track on the album, “The Most Vicious Crime” is more annoying than anything, and Threes would have benefited from its omission. Ward’s vocals rise and fall in pitch over and over, which quickly becomes grating. The guitars are mesmerizing but too repetitive for the six minutes of disappointment. It seems Sparta chose this auditory crime as space filler.

The album regains its momentum right away, though, with the lo-fi “False Start.” The drums break the sedated state left by “The Most Vicious Crime” and drive one’s heart rate up to a quick jog. Ward’s vocals have an almost country twang as he yelps and cries. This song personifies the Porcelain-era sound, and it’s refreshing to hear that Sparta hasn’t altogether abandoned their old ways.

Included with the CD is a short DVD entitled Eme Nakia, which chronicles the life of a young Lebanese boy forced from his homeland. Soon after arriving in America, his mother Eme dies, leaving his family in pieces. His father abandons the boy and his older siblings. Ward wrote the score for the movie, and drummer Tony Hajjar and bassist Matt Miller appear. All the music is performed by Sparta.

A journey through pain and desperation, deceit and fear, Threes shows that Sparta has ripened and found its sound.