I'm sending this review to an Austin newspaper:
My first impression of "Amputecture" was that The Mars Volta had completely lost it and that they were yet another band whose potential stretched thin after 2 albums, but after a few intense headphone listens I was finally grabbed by what they are doing here, in a very intense way. This is by far their most challenging album, with fewer hooks and far more dense layering/experimentation, Fripp-ish guitar work and unconvential vocal harmonies than ever before. All kinds of strange instruments and odd electronic noises jump out at completely-random-yet-somehow-completely appropriate-moments. This album certainly doesn't contain anything resembling a radio hit, but it has some of the best things they've ever written: the hauntingly minimalistic "Vermicide" and the unsettingly straightforward free jazz/funk exploration of "Viscera Eyes" (seriously, I can't get enough of this song). The frequent acrobatic rhythm shifts of the first album have been replaced by slow-building passages where eerie chord progressions are buried under layers of unconvential melody and instrumentation. The end result is a more "vibey" and consistent sound that is ultimately more rewarding to the patient listener than their earlier work. Highly recommended.
O, yes indeeeed. Mastodon are one of the few bands that worth the hype that the press has given them so far, hammer rated their latest with a 10 
