Ben Hur

On their final recording, Bitch Magnet moves away from their streamlined noise attack to wallow in a messier, more open-ended sound; their songs stretch out as well, with the opening "Dragon" clocking in at over nine minutes in length. Ben Hur also exhibits a considerable expansion of the group's sonic range -- "Mesentery" is a blast of pure noise power, while the beautiful "Crescent" presages Sooyoung Park's more atmospheric work in his next project, the superior Seam.