This is
Tarantula Hawk's second (and second self-titled) album, following their 2001 debut on
Life Is Abuse. Their label this time out,
Neurot Records, is a fitting match for the band given the presence of other brooding epic-
rock heavyweights such as
Isis and flagship band
Neurosis on the label, although this is the most distinctly "
prog" album on
Neurot up to this point. Loosely comparable to
Larks' Tongues in Aspic/
Red-era
King Crimson, this is sinister, alternately heavy and spaced-out
prog rock with occasional
punk and
metal overtones. The defining instruments are the
orchestral-sounding analog keyboards and samplers (played by all three members at various points) along with
Braden Diotte's ominous fuzz bass. The first four tracks (all of which are untitled) are relatively short, hovering in the 3-7 minute range, while the fifth and final one is an extended half-hour epic, proceeding from a spacey keyboard intro to a slow, funereal guitar riff, then moving through a series of feverish, dramatic ups-and-downs before finally settling into an extended feedback drone. Like the rest of the album, it's ambitious, intense, creepy, and ultimately "
prog" in the best sense of the word. ~ William York
