Oneida is Rated O

There's epic and then there's epic and then there's Oneida's new album, Rated O. This triple album and second installment of Oneida's much anticipated Thank Your Parents triptych of releases is so sprawling and gargantuan that three records seems barely large enough to contain it. It's large and in charge and is an absolute beast of a record that's the crowning achievement (to date) of one of post/prog rock's greatest bands.

Hovering somewhere between being absolutely ambient, post rock, and pure noise, Rated O is a monster of a record that will challenge your senses. With songs peaking over the twenty minute mark you kind of get the idea that Rated O could probably go on forever and that Oneida wouldn't have a problem with that. Oneida are clearly a band with big ideas, big ambitions, and the desire to play a lot of music. It's simply nuts to think how much music these guys have come up with here and how they're still not done.

Rated O is atmospheric bliss blasted directly from the netherworld and that's why it's so darn enjoyable. From the ridiculously unending prog rock mastery of "Folk Wisdom," to the Black Sabbath-like jam of "Ghost In The Room," Rated O is an out of control juggernaut of guitars, drums, pedals, and a warped sense of imagination. It's an excellent record that will test your willpower and reward you with a life changing experience. Rated Oisn't for everyone. This is well over an hour of instrumental mayhem that is so far away from the definition of pop music that Christina Aguilera would die and that is why it is a constantly amazing record.

If you like songs that stretch toward the outer reaches of the galaxy and last just as long in light years then Rated O will be a religious experience for you. It's awesome stuff that will frazzle your ears and mind. If that weren't enough, remember Rated O is only part two of a planned trilogy, so who knows what in the world this band has planned for the third installment and what's to come. But, if you put this record on now, it might just be finished by the time that record comes out and that sounds like a perfect plan.