After the well received mini-album Austere and the world tour that followed, Sparta have managed to create the perfect build up to their first full length album Wiretap Scars. This, combined with the fact that three of the band members formed the core of At The Drive-In, raised the expectations quite a bit.

And they live up to the expectations easily. The songs are well written and diverse. Reminiscent of Fugazi during their Repeater period and yet acknowledging the fact that it’s not 1990 anymore. But there are some eighties influences as well. Especially Jim Ward’s clean vocals remind of both The Cure and, strangely enough, Fischer-Z every now and then.

He sings a little insecure from time to time. In “Sans Cosm” this actually improves the song. It makes the quieter verse even more vulnerable and enlarges the contrast with the powerful choruses.

Three songs from the Austere EP have been rerecorded. “Mye”, “Cataract” and “Echodyne Harmonic”. The first lost a little power but the other two improved more than enough to make that up. A compelling album of a consistent high quality that should earn them a following in- and outside the international emo-scene.