Sparta's second release Porcelain, provides all the evidence necessary to conclude that when At the Drive-In broke up, Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodriguez took all the creativity and originality with them to Mars Volta. I was willing to forgive Sparta (Jim Ward, Tony Hajjar and Paul Hinojos all formerly of At the Drive-In) for the mediocre Wiretap Scars a few years ago and chalk it up to growing pains. I was even willing to look past their extremely lackluster performance when they opened for Weezer a few months later and shrug it off as a band still looking to find their niche. But good Christ! Is this band ever going to show any signs of promise and prove that they accounted for at least a little bit of At the Drive-In's brilliance?

Jim Ward's vocal delivery is still weak, and even weaker here I think than on Wiretap Scars. He sounds like a harder edged Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confessional and the lyrics are just as nausea inducing. On the song "Travel By Bloodline," Ward sings/screams "This photograph, I'll carry to my grave/ I never lost so much as I did that day. I miss you." (gag!) If the lyrics don't have you reaching for the Dramamine, they'll have you reaching for the Tylenol because your brain will be in pain from lyrics such as those found on "Splinters." A song that finds Ward bellowing "A cabin built for families, not for one/ These hills are solitary, lonely rivers run/ Ocean crash duets with cars in canyon pass/ Oh the mountains, majestic force humility." Please. What the hell does that mean? Why is it I can see Ward throwing scraps of paper with sentences on them into a hat and randomly pulling them out one by one and gluing down the ones that happen to rhyme. Because that's what it feels like throughout this album. And what in the name of sweet baby Jesus is up with Paul Hinojos' guitar riffing throughout? EVERY FUCKING SONG has the exact same high pitch guitar squeal. I had to check at least three different times to make sure I hadn't hit repeat on the disc player. When it comes right down to it though, if you're one of those indie kids that buys your punk image from Hot Topic in the mall and you're an absolute emo freak, it doesn't matter at all what I think; you're still going to go right out and buy this album and think it's the greatest thing since sliced AFI. But for the rest of you nerdlingers like me who loved At the Drive-In for their unabashed creativity, do yourself a favor and steer clear of Sparta and jump on the next NASA expedition to Mars Volta.