siLLy puPPy Well this is surely one i never saw coming. THE MARS VOLTA is of course one of those millennial prog acts that pretty much introduced prog rock to a new generation with its brash musical mishmash on the band’s lauded double one two punch debut releases “De-Loused In The Comatorium” and “Frances The Mute.” These two albums took me quite a while to warm up to mostly due to Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s abrasive vocal style but once i acclimated to the band’s unique idiosyncrasies i have to admit that those two releases rank high in my favorite album releases of all time now. Along with Omar Rodriguez-López, Bixler-Zavala made an instant smash with their unique punk-infused style of progressive rock but after the second release it was pretty much diminishing returns with “Amputechture” all the way to 2021’s too-abstract-for-its-own-good-and-lost-its way sound of “Noctourniquet.”

Due to creative differences Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-López split ways after collaborating on the one-off Antemasque which revived the post-hardcore style of At The Drive-In which itself would find a second coming. After making a secret truce, the talk of reviving THE MARS VOLTA seemed inevitable as neither was setting the world on fire with solo and other projects. In 2019 the duo began working on what would become this self-titled album which signals a complete reinventing of the band by dropping all progressive rock influences and adopting a more indie pop approach. The album finally hit the scene in September 2022 with a less than thrilled fanbase waiting for the next “Frances The Mute” expressing its dissatisfaction.

Basically a completely different band from anything released before, this version of THE MARS VOLTA also features Marcellus Rodriguez-López, little brother of Omar, on keyboards, Eva Gardner, one of the founding members of the band back on bass, Willy Rodriguez Quiñones on drums and Leo Genovese, a famous Argentine jazz pianist, also joining in on keyboards. Notable for their albums’ long playing times, this eponymous release keeps things on the shorter side just missing the 45 minute mark. Only two tracks are barely longer than four minutes and the overall stylistic shift is to emphasize instantly catchy melodic hooks accented by Caribbean rhythms and percussive styles along with indie rock guitars, bass and modern production techniques.

Honestly this was not something i was hoping for! Although a few albums after “Frances The Mute” are interesting, nothing comes close to the quality of the first two albums and in many ways this is an even loftier deep dive off the cliff of what made this band stand out from its nascency. Inherently there is nothing overtly awful about this album. The short digestible tracks are decently presented with Bixler-Zavala sounding less goofy in comparison. The mixing and production are excellent and fully up to date however what’s mixing from this one is any connection to the soul. Unfortunately the band seems like it’s striving to find commercial success in the context of achieving catchy pop hits on Spotify or something. All those wild unpredictable excursions into King Crimson prog and over the top psychedelic mindful.c.kery seem like a distant past although it’s only been two decades since the band’s debut.

When it comes down to it this just sounds like a completely different band with only Bixler-Zavala’s vocal even remotely bringing any past efforts to mind. This is a fairly inoffensive, even bland set of 14 tracks that never really go anywhere or do anything beyond supporting the lyrical delivery that spends a great deal of time addressing the inconsistencies of the Church of Scientology which Bixler-Zavala’s family had apparently tortured him with. For some sort of anonymous indie pop album, this is pretty decent for a listening experience but the whole thing seems like a mere shadow of the greatness this band once achieved. It’s like Genesis’ self-titled album in comparison to its prog heyday only without the super pop hits. Any way you slice it, a nice warm album but rather forgettable with nothing really to sink your teeth into.

siLLy puPPy It’s fairly well known that THE MARS VOLTA emerged from the ashes of the post-hardcore band At The Drive-In that imploded because of the relentless nature of lead vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’ collective boredom with the status quo of the simplicity of the music they were playing. The two had more ambitious visions and wanted to engage in more experimental approaches. The rift caused the band to fall apart right as they were about to break. Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopez continued with another side project called De Facto which would evolve into what would become known as THE MARS VOLTA. The other members of At The Drive-In went on to form Sparta. This is also the only VOLTA release to feature founding member Eva Gardiner on bass.

Before the full-length debut “De-Loused In The Comatorium” in 2003, this El Paso, TX based band which has seen numerous lineup changes released a single EP in 2002 titled THE TREMULANT, which has the dictionary definition as a device on an organ by which the wind stream is made to fluctuate in intensity producing a tremolo effect but in reality, the title actually refers to a concept story of “De-Loused In The Comatorium” referring to TREMULANTS which are creatures that dwell inside the mind of the main character Cerpin Taxt. Likewise this reference also portends the title of the first official album that would emerge with a different cast of musicians, a better production job and was the album to put THE MARS VOLTA on the map as a wild and energetic new talent. But the word TREMULANT does seem to suggest the band’s musical approach as well even literally.

THE TREMULANT EP effectively serves as the bridge between the post-hardcore sounds of At The Drive-In and the newly created more experimental progressive rock THE MARS VOLTA sound that would be perfected on the following two albums. This short just shy of 20 minute EP contains only three tracks but like the best punk infused albums that display ample quantities of energetic passionate angst as well as pent up frustration, manages to pack in an album’s worth of ideas in a condensed version. Many of the traits that would become THE MARS VOLTA classic sound have debuted here as well, those being the punk inspired guitar riffs mixed with abstract and surreal bouts of psychedelia along with progressive complexities and experimental weirdness.

“Cut That City” begins with a rather head scratching minute and a half of gurgling noise and an irregular heart beat type percussive drive before finally bursting into the more familiar guitar driven riffage and frenetic oddly timed drumming patterns the band has become known for although at this point the band was still detoxing from its post-hardcore days and delivers faster tempos than the full-length albums. Likewise Bixler-Zavala’s vocals, while always sounding a little goofy, really come off as left field on this one as his all over the map style is even more unhinged than on future releases.

“Concertina” is more of a classic VOLTA track of the future with a nice mix of Rodriguez-Lopez’ jittery guitar arpeggios dancing along in clean echoey fashion with Bixler-Zavala delivering his goofy yelp to keep the melodic flow going while the bass and drums provide a slightly off-kilter rhythm section. While only rumored, this track is supposedly a stab at former At The Drive-In member Ben Rodriguez who is claimed to have not been very nice to be polite and is perhaps a release of tension regarding the conflicts that led to the band’s untimely demise. This track also displays some of those killer idiosyncratic guitar licks that sound unlike any other. Rodriguez-Lopez at this point had developed a very unique stylistic approach that mixes Latin music with heavy rock and some jazzy touches to boot.

“Eunuch Provocateur” is the meatiest track on board and also the longest just shy of the nine minute mark and also prognosticates the classic VOLTA sound on “De-Loused” with an incessant post-hardcore drive mixed up with progressive time signatures and psychedelic sound effects whizzing by. The track also is the most experimental and creative with not only unexpected twists and turns and deviations but also some stellar backwards vocals that are really saying nothing more than lyrics from children’s songs like “Itsy Bitsy Spider” as well as “did mommy or daddy ever have to spank you?”

For a short little sucker this one really packs a punch and although not as well produced or well composed as “De-Loused” or “Frances The Mute,” this one is a nice little slice of rawness that reminds the fans just where the band emerged from and the perfect little transition statement that the band was free to unshackle the chains and take the music to new levels that were unthinkable in At The Drive-In. Except for the annoying one and a half minutes of nonsensical gurgly noise that unfortunately begins this EP, this is actually a really good collection of three tracks that shows THE MARS VOLTA already having their full powers in tact. While the production is a little rough around the edges by the later standards, this one was remastered and released digitally with two bonus tracks, but personally i prefer this straight forward, no nonsense unique little slice of renegade post-hardcore that just wanted to get a little weird.

siLLy puPPy In the world of progressive punk = pronk, perhaps nobody pulled it off better and more dramatically than THE MARS VOLTA. Sure the Cardiacs may have popularized the unthinkable fusional possibilities but at the heart of their sound was a zolo art pop approach that took catchy infectious melodies and nerded them out big time. THE MARS VOLTA on the other hand went for the prog jugular with highbrow concept albums and sprawling soundscapes that mixed post-hardcore, psychedelic rock, progressive electronica and even Latin jazz. The band seemed to have come from nowhere with its lauded debut DE-LOUSED IN THE COMATORIUM which despite almost no promotion still managed to make the top spot on favorite lists when it arrived in 2003 from its sheer boldness to take prog and punk to incredible new heights.

Riding the wave of the 90s prog revival that flourished, El Paso, TX based THE MARS VOLTA arose from the ashes of the up and coming post-hardcore band At The Drive-In, which was at the verge of crossing over into the mainstream but the bored duo of vocalist and lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala along with guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López grew tired of their bandmates unwillingness to experiment and instead opted to go it alone. THE MARS VOLTA spent the next 13 years releasing one mind-altering experimental album after another beginning with what many consider their best, the abstractly titled DE-LOUSED IN THE COMATORIUM. While this duo’s former bandmates would form the post-hardcore Sparta and dwell in the world of generic uninventiveness, Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López were hell bent for leather to craft some of the most bizarre constructs of psychedelic post-hardcore enveloped in the reverie of classic 70s prog extremities.

This is one of those albums that has just as bizarre of a story behind it as the music presented. While the song titles, lyrics and overall themes are just as abstract and surreal as the album cover art, the album’s concept revolves around the tale of Cerpin Taxt, a man who enters a week-long coma after overdosing on a mixture of morphine and rat poison and is indirectly dedicated to the death of Bixler-Zavala’s friend Julio Venegas who was an El Paso artist. Ironically the album coincided with the death of another close friend and collaborator Jeremy Michael Ward who was a founding member of THE MARS VOLTA as the sound manipulator that gave the band that extra edge over the competition much in the vein of other production rich artists like Porcupine Tree and Riverside. Ward was found dead after a heroin overdose which was the moment when the due of Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López took a cold hard look at their own drug habits and went cold turkey. The duo henceforth put its energy into crafting material for THE MARS VOLTA which apparently paid off.

While Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López would be the only two consistent members and main creative contributors to THE MARS VOLTA, this debut showcases what was truly a band effort with Jon Theodore on drums, Isaiah Owens on keyboards, a guest appearance of Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass and is the only album to feature the now deceased Jeremy Michael Ward who produced the myriad effects and sound manipulations. The album also found extra help from Lenny Castro providing the Latin jazz percussion, John Frusicante also of the Red Hot Chili Peppers contributing additional guitar parts and synthesizers and acoustic bass parts from Justin Meldal-Johnson. The album also attracted a ridiculous amount of producers mixing and mastering personal as well as the legendary Rick Rubin joining Rodríguez-López in the producer’s seat. In other words, there was a LOT of effort put into this densely packed hour’s run of fine-crafted musical output and the efforts were quite triumphant in their delivery.

Although the simplified formula of THE MARS VOLTA is to juxtapose brash post-hardcore guitar riffs, bantering bass grooves and a tumultuous percussive drive that sat equidistantly between metal and punk, the band excelled at filling the connective tissue of transitions with extremely psychedelic and surreal electronic motifs that completely broke free from Earth’s gravitational pull and took a trip into the spaced out world of artists such as Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. While sonically oft tied to the post-hardcore of At The Drive-In, the lay out of the composiitons was much more akin to the heavyweights of 1970s progressive rock thus earning THE MARS VOLTA as one of the best newer prog bands to usher in the 21st century for its innovative approach that actually suited the oft abused term “progressive.” Add to that the emo bellowing wails of Bixler-Zavala’s vocal style and you’re in for one unique musical experience.

While the above mentioned formula straddles the album’s hour long run, the 12 minute plus “Cicatriz E.S.P.” takes things even further as the opening proggy post-hardcore beginning morphs into one of the most surreal electronic free floats into the astral plane outside of that famous deleted scene from Avatar. This truly is one of the most unique albums of the 21st century that runs the gamut from highly pyroclastic displays of post-hardcore orotundity to the saucerful of secrets escape from reality that takes a ride on the astral side and craft some of the trippiest electronic sequences since the early Krautrock and progressive electronic scenes of decades prior. THE MARS VOLTA was by no means an easy band for me to get into. Bixler-Zavala’s vocal style is very much an acquired taste and although the music has always resonated especially in the complex compositional approach, the vocals took me a lot longer to jive with but after the proper acclimation i find they actually serve the music quite well and keep it in the world of totally unique and idiosyncratic. True that DE-LOUSED IN THE COMATORIUM may seem weird for the sake of weirdness but after considerable attention paid to the details, i can only glean a inexplicable admiration for the amount of detail to every single second of this album’s run. In other words, this is a utterly brilliant!