Sparta got a deal with Dreamworks in 2001 and released their debut EP Austere in early 2002. They released their debut full-length album Wiretap Scars on August 13, 2002. The album is mostly influenced by their previous work with At the Drive-In, which is a contrast from The Mars Volta, formed by the other two ex-members of ATD-I, which departs entirely from post-hardcore and instead focuses on progressive rock or psychedelic rock. This album is also a lot cleaner and more accessible than At the Drive-In's experimentation.
On May 25, 2003, Ward's cousin Jeremy, the sound manipulator for The Mars Volta, died of a heroin overdose. Hinojos would leave Sparta in 2005 to join TMV as their secondary guitarist and filling in Jeremy Ward's position as sound manipulator. He was replaced by Keeley Davis (Engine Down, Denali).
Sparta's second full-length album Porcelain was released July 13, 2004 and peaked at #60 on the Billboard 200. The first single released from the album was "Breaking the Broken," for which a music video was recorded that received much airplay.
In January 2006, they announced that they had signed a deal with Hollywood Records, which will release their third album Threes on October 24, 2006. The album peaked at #83 on the Billboard 200. It's the first album with guitarist Keeley Davis and its debut single was "Taking Back Control."
In June 2008, Ward stated that Sparta is on hiatus and without a label; he would focus instead on his alternative country band, Sleepercar, which released its debut album West Texas on April 22, 2008. Three years later, on August 3, 2011, Ward stated that Sparta was back in action and would play their first show in November in El Paso. That comeback would be short, as in January 2012, At The Drive-In reunited for a series of shows, splitting up once again at the end of the year. In January 2016, At The Drive-In reunited for the second time. However, days before the tour start in March 2016, it was announced that Ward had been replaced in the band by his former Sparta bandmate Keeley Davis.
Sparta would come back for a second time in 2017, with a line-up consisting of Ward, Miller, Gabriel Gonzalez and Cully Symington (Beach Slang, Cursive). They would release their fourth album, Trust the River, on April 10, 2020 on Dine Alone Records.
There is another band ith the sane name:
2. Sparta was also a NWOBHM band from Mansfield. They formed in 1980, and released two singles, plus participated on a five way split album before they split up. Hades Records released a compilation on vinyl in 2006. This compilation contained all their previously released songs, plus a few more.
Untreatable Disease
Sparta Lyrics
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Untreatable Disease
Broken ties are crashing in
Around me
Home is supposed to be safe
If the future's on the take
Then these plans could hardly
Count as fate
Hope is a mortal enemy
Its got me on my knees
Bound and gagged and
Begging for mercy
Home is never far away
At the bottom of a grave
Left for dead and finally
Found it's place
You were right
Hope is knowing this won't last
That the memories will pass
And the future is all you'll ever have
Home is destroyed by consequence
A means to finally end
Burn it out and let it live again
You were right
You were right to find your own way
Left behind I'll follow someday
Sparta’s “Untreatable Disease” is a haunting meditation on hope turning into a burden and ultimately fading away as home, once a sanctuary, becomes a ruin. The lyrics begin with a metaphorical depiction of hope as “unborn memories” - something that exists only in abstract and can never materialize into reality. The sense of despair deepens as the song progresses, and lead vocalist Jim Ward describes hope as a “mortal enemy” that has rendered him powerless, making him “bound, gagged and begging for mercy”. The motif of home, which is supposed to be a haven, is introduced and transformed into a graveyard that symbolizes the final end of all things. The song presents a bleak outlook on the future, where hope turns into a curse and existence becomes a burden.
Line by Line Meaning
Hope is unborn memories
The anticipation for something good that may or may not happen in the future is a burden.
Untreatable Disease
The feeling of being overwhelmed by emotions that cannot be cured.
Broken ties are crashing in
Failed relationships are falling apart.
Around me
I am surrounded by these issues.
Home is supposed to be safe
A home should provide a sense of security and happiness.
If the future's on the take
If the upcoming events are filled with disappointment and chaos,
Then these plans could hardly
Any plans for the future that are fashioned out of desperation are unlikely to succeed.
Count as fate
Only the realization that the future is destined to happen can be deemed as fate.
You were right
Acknowledging someone else's successful prediction and/or intuition.
Hope is a mortal enemy
Aspirations for the future can be detrimental.
Its got me on my knees
I am brought down by these desires.
Bound and gagged and
Restricted and unable to communicate properly.
Begging for mercy
Pleading for a way out, for some sort of salvation.
Home is never far away
Despite the distance of location, the thought of going back to a place of familiarity is always within reach.
At the bottom of a grave
At the lowest point in life, where everything has been lost.
Left for dead and finally
Disregarded and unappreciated, but eventually
Found its place
Finally reestablishing a sense of worth.
Hope is knowing this won't last
Being aware that the torment will eventually come to an end.
That the memories will pass
Soon enough, even the recollections of the pain will fade away.
And the future is all you'll ever have
The present circumstances will usher in a new and vastly different future.
Home is destroyed by consequence
Actions and choices have led to a broken and devastated home.
A means to finally end
Destroying the past as a method of putting it behind you and beginning anew.
Burn it out and let it live again
Reducing everything to ashes, but allowing for regrowth and renewal.
Left behind I'll follow someday
Despite the distance, I will eventually catch up, but only on my own terms.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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