Sparta came to life in spring 2001 when At the Drive-In went on hiatus.
Austere, the band's first release, followed the next year.
With the bandmembers mixing an intensity similar to their former group alongside emo-like intellect, the Austere EP doesn't live in the shadows of what once was.
The punk scowling of "Mye" finds sharp twitchy guitar work layered over Jim Ward's trembling vocals.
It's the strongest track on the record, while the blurry vision of "Vacant Skies" follows closely behind.
"Cataract" is more experimental with its electronic breakbeats; however, a melancholy emo tone takes over.
The members of Sparta have found their punk-inspired edge without riding the coattails of their previous band.
They've delivered a passionate and decent sound -- a great look at what's yet to come.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MyeSparta | Sparta | Play | 03:32 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 2 | CataractSparta | Sparta | Play | 05:09 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 3 | Vacant Skies | Sparta | Play | 03:32 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 4 | Echodyne Harmonic (De-Mix) | Sparta | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 16 mins | 36 MB | |||||
| 16 mins | 108 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gabriel el Chino Gonzalez | Assistant |
| 2 | Ron Handler | A&R |
| 3 | Mike Major | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 4 | Dave Shirk | Mastering |
| 5 | Sparta | Composer, Engineer, Primary Artist, Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |