Deloused in the Comatorium

This is really good. This sounds like my middle school years. I remember a lot of people really loving this band, but I honestly never really got super into them. Not sure why. Maybe I just never was able to get it on my iPod? I think what really works with this band and this album is that it kind of builds on this post punk / post hardcore scene that was going on at the time, but then really starts to add elements of a prog and psych with it. Its really closer to System of a Down or Linkin Park than to like a blink-182 or Taking Back Sunday, but somehow this band got looped into this Warped Tour era post punk world. Perhaps its the high pitch emotional vocals or the kind of punk influenced heavy sections? Its really really good though. I love the story telling, the effects, the guitar solos and interesting synths waves. The whole record really builds and crashes and builds again. I think a good double feature would be to pair this with Coheed and Cambria. This is where post hardcore / emo / metalcore was really at its best and most ambitious.

Inertiatic Esp // Eriatarka //

Very good. Technical prog rock/ metal. Vocalist a bit operatic for me

Sensory overload: the album. Actually pretty interesting.

Musically, I really like this project, but I'm not sure if it'll become my favourite nor if it's any special.

yet more interesting music ruined by the most unbearable annoying insufferable singing ever

There were some really good songs on this album. The lyrics are kinda hard to understand but instrumentally I really enjoyed a lot of it. Giving it a 3.5 but gonna round down.

Too much for me. Too loud and jarring.

Thought I would enjoy this but really didn't, found it incredibly overblown with the songs having a lack of variety or spaces to allow the music to breathe, just annoying by the end and the vocals really don't help with that.

Wow, I just cannot get past minute 10.

It's like if Borderline Personality Disorder was an album.

After about 45 minutes of what-the-fuck-is-this, Televators provides a bit of melodic, if grim, respite. I can't say I found most of this the least bit enjoyable, but I appreciate the effort and they definitely have the chops.

as much as I enjoy insane sci-fi prog that makes rush look like the carpenters, I'd take At The Drive-In over it any day. Why Relationship of Command isn't on this list is beyond me. Also, does anyone else think Cedric Bixler-Zavala kinda sounds like Gerard Way or is it just me?

Artificial rock album, sounds still very modern, timeless music.

Listened Before? N Ever wonder what drugs sound like? This is it. Not that it's totally a bad thing but holy hell... this album is all over the place and the lyrics are pure madman ravings. Burnout in musical form. It was fine. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Roulette Dares

One of my first introductions to these guys, not my fav album but close!!

This was difficult to listen to. Felt like some lesser prog rock. Nothing for me.

Interesting concept album, definitely more my kind of high tempo heavy guitar music. I think the main singer's voice takes centre stage here because it is spectacular! There's clearly some very deep lore to this album but it's behind like 20+ page explanation which I'm not really up for. The album just needed more interesting hooks because it certainly feels like nothing quite stands out

Not for me

While there's a lot here that I like, the overly long songs, repetitiveness, and obtuse lyricism keeps me from really liking this album. It's like Muse with extra pretension.

pretty cool

Not sure live albums should be in top album lists.

The afros from at the drive in

Long but fine?

3.3

3.6

Challenging listen but worth sticking with. Perhaps one song too long.

Thoughts before listening: I'm pretty sure I used to own this cd and its something that SHOULD be right up my alley. However, my immediate reaction to seeing this album is that its too weird for its own good. Maybe my opinion will have changed over the years? Review: This is better than I remember it being, and I experienced more of a nostalgic feeling than I expected to. Maybe I listened to this more than I thought I did. I LOVED the leads in this band's previous group, At the Drive-In, so perhaps my disappointment at the time was due to this being less easily digestible than ATDI. However, on today's listen, this is pretty bad ass. It is definitely dense, veers off into some dissonant musical areas, and the scream singing takes some getting used to, but all together this is a great modern prog rock record. I was ready to give this 4-stars, but the more I listen the more I am thinking this is a post-2000s masterpiece. I'm going 5-stars.

Progressive rock concept album. I think it’s a solid album.

Great.

Love thus album

It's early Panic or Fall Out, meets Adam Lambert, with a touch of annoying repetitive noise mixed in

Well this was awesome! I was aware of the band, obviously, and I’ve enjoyed At The Drive-In albums before, but for some stupid reason, never did a deep dive on The Mars Volta. Loved every second of this. Just a perfect mix of indie rock, emo, and prog. Love the production, such layered soundscapes. What a voice! I had it on repeat yesterday and will keep it downloaded to listen over and over.

Seeing this as my album made my day. This one is in constant rotation for me. Absolute sonic prog rock masterpiece.

deadly

Best review section ever. Reading this right at the top... "Expect to find music that is written for the sake of music, that breaks boundaries, that forces the listener to think and experience concepts outside of the easy boundaries of culture and social norms that are forced on us by the media." Saying "fuck off" out loud as I scroll down to the next review, which simply says "Fuck off". Just absolute... *chef's kiss*. Ok I'm going to actually listen to it now... and you know what, it's good! It did, and does stand out from the pack. It's super frenetic. It's doing its own thing. Musically it's really quite accomplished. I'm way more up on this than I thought I would be. There are some genuinely great tracks on here and it's a cohesive whole. Something I would genuinely return to. I've actually seen the Mars Volta live before. I reckon maybe 98% of the audience were middle-aged men. Then maybe 80% of those middle-aged men had middling to impressive beardery going on. Then I'm going to say at least 60% of those impressively bearded middle-aged men spent the whole gig stroking them rhythmically. I make that about 47% of the total audience, which you have to say is pretty impressive. I couldn't get into these guys before, but as a now middle-aged man, I guess I finally fit the mould. I'm not yet ready to fully join their ranks and go full-beard wanker, but I'll salute them from slightly afar with my generic stubble.

Holy hell this kicks so much ass. Banger after banger from start to end, high energy extravaganza with a lot of technical prowess. Hell Yeah .

nem rossz ez, adom a csávó hangját, meg azt is, hogy milyen bizarr az egész. ez azon ritka esetek egyike, amikor tudom, hogy nem az ő hibájuk, hogy mégsem tudom értékelni őket igazán, simán csak nem érzem az ilyen zenét.

i really wanted to like this album. i know that a lot of people are really into this band. however, i am not one of those people. too weird and chaotic for me. and the singer’s voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard.

This is just noises. Gross.

Many years before this challenge, I had an early lesson in keeping an open mind for new music. My friends were all fans of hardcore band, At the Drive-In. Hardcore never did much for me. They were one of dozens of bands who (in my opinion) all sounded pretty much the same. So when they were excitedly talking about a new project called The Mars Volta from the lead singer and guitarist from ATD-I, I would zone out and think of something else. Some how or another, I was finally exposed to their music and immediately blown away. It was definitely not what I was expecting (and it also alienated a few of my hardcore-loving friends). Eventually Cedric Bixler Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez felt similarly about the genre, having grown frustrated with how confined it was. They were ready to move on and incorporate their vast love of music, blending prog rock with Latin music, jazz, blues rock and even some electronic music. The music is anything but derivative though. The Mars Volta took prog rock into new territory with this album. The pace of the album is quite unless anything else I've heard. After a brief intro, giving you only a small build up, you're immediately hit by the panicked and frantic first single "Inertiaric Esp". There are reprieves to give you space to breathe before bringing back into the furious and complex songs heard throughout the album. More than any other album I know, this feels like a true fever dream, which matches the theme of the album. The band's friend, a local artist, had injected rat poison, fallen into a coma, and later committed suicide. The album's main character is inspired by this, and the lyrics take the perspective of someone in a drug induced coma, slipping between panic, fear, and paralyzed calm. This is vivid, complex storytelling, made by musicians who clearly love music. After piquing my interest, I went with some friends to see The Mars Volta live. And then I was completely sold. I've been a fan ever since.

There are bits that are worthwhile but I can’t deal with the up and down tempo and up and down loudness. It feels all over the place for me

So pretentious, and trying so hard to be bigger-than-life, they end up being nothing at all. Miserable experience. There's a billion better prog albums.

Album Name: Deloused in the Comatorium # Artist: The Mars Volta # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Wow i remember when Inertiatic came out. Very good song. Theres a few good tracks on here. Its a very hit and miss album for me though. Not a bad effort. # Top Tunes: Inertiatic / roulette dares / lanterns / televators # Would I listen to it again? Only the singles

Surprisingly good considering the title. Nit bad at all

Pretty good stuff

Nope

Excellent

Had to skip some songs. They were too irritating.

This album is firing on all cylinders. Vocals, drums, guitar, production value, it's all high quality. It is unique and weird while still being palatable. The story described in the wiki entry didn't really shine through for me. Maybe with more listens. But this album definitely struck me and it will make its way into my regular rotation.

So technical and impressive but so maximalist and everything all the time that not much grabs me... Maybe I'm just too stupid for this

I’ll give this a 5. Really good.

Gear: Fostex TH610 Artwork: 🔦😵🪙 Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: 👁️‍🗨️💊🛌🌪️🔥🌵🌀🎭🕰️💥 Rating: 🪙🪙🪙🪙🪙/5

This record was all the rage when I was in college. Never a huge fan of the vocals for the most part, technically impressive as they are.and a lot of it is kind of noodly but there’s definitely a lot of really cool stuff going on in it. My generation’s Rush. Given its singularity as an album of its form in its time I think it deserves the highest rating.

Reviewing album on only one listen it's difficult, like most prog rock it's dense, vocals/production/music all well done. Unlike some of the prog rock I've had so far this has heavier metal like guitars and even emo vibes. It's certainly an ambitious record, will need to be listened to again a few times to fully appreciate

Listened to most of the album. Didn’t really like it.

cool musik alltså. jäkligt rytmiskt och najs

Much like King Crimson, you either love The Mars Volta, or you don't understand them. I oscillate between the two.

This album is like a damn good movie, the plot has layers and a good concept, it’s executed very well. The lyrics here were very impressive, that lead singer’s vocabulary is very diverse and it impressed me. The production is excellent as well, the guitarist was just as talented in the way he made it work with the vocals. This is definitely an album that needs multiple listens, there is a whole lot to unpack here. Favorite Track: Televators, Roulette Dares, and Inertiatic ESP.

These guys semed to linger in my mind as a band needing to listen to. References in movies and some moderate success in early 2000s but the voice killed me. High pitched howling is what thought but it wasn’t bad. Not the kind of record you will click with on first listen. It was interesting but not something I would go back to on my own.

Oh, this kick ass. This shit kicks so much ass. Like, let's not even beat around the bush here: this is incredible. And, y'know, I was always sure I was gonna like The Mars Volta. I mean, "L'Via L'Viaquez" is one of my favorite songs from GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR, and because of it I'd always had interest in checking out their material. If there was anything that stopped me before now, besides just getting generally distracted... I mean, honestly, I think I had this assumption that they wouldn't be the fun kind of progressive. From the way FRANCES THE MUTE sounded, with its plot and all of the context surrounding it, it sounded maybe a bit too dark and heady to be enjoyable? If this album is anything to go off of, though, that is **absolutely** not the case. Like, if there's any other band I immediately wanna compare this album to, it's Coheed And Cambria — specifically on their first two albums. It strikes me as a very similar kind of progressive hardcore, and the singer even sounds a little like CLaudio... And, heck, their respective plots are just as incomprehensible and not worth trying to understand. I'd say the biggest difference between them is that The Mars Volta takes a lot from jazz and Latin music, whereas Coheed And Cambria would go on to dive deeper and deeper into what I like to call "AMV music." And if I might prefer the latter for how joyously dumb it can get, make no mistake: they're both so damn awesome, it's not even... Goodness. Like, I am really struggling to think of any problem I might have with this. Honestly, I might not have any at all. It's progressive music that goes really damn hard and heavy at times... It's absolutely not for everybody, but for my money, hell, I listened to this thing **twice**, and I rarely allow **any** album that these days until I feel like they **really** deserve it. So, damn, guess it looks like I'm a Mars Volts fan for real now. I suppose I should finally get around to FRANCES THE MUTE now that I know I'm a real sucker for their sound. I mean, hey, if it is as dark and heady as I'm imagining it to be, at least I got this to fall back on, if nothing else. And Coheed And Cambria, too, of course. Have you heard their most-recent album? Such good shit...

Prog for the modern day. 4.5 bumped down to 4.

I’m at a 4.5 that I will bump up to a 5. Realistically, if it weren’t for the instrumental confidence and swagger this album has in spades, I’d be at a 4, just for the storyline here making not a damn inch of sense. However, this album just sounds too fucking good to not bump it up to a 5 – I really, really do love the instrumentals here, and they’re the catalyst for the bump. If you’ve heard the album, you know, and I hope you’ve heard the album if you’re reading this. I do have to harp on the plot for a bit though. I really tried to pay attention to the lyrics, and I had a broad stroke outline of abandoned shipyards, countries at war, some dog-like creatures, an intentional suicide, and a forced amnesic revival, but I couldn’tan’t give you any names or motivations, save for maybe Cerpin Taxt. It is an incredibly weird story, that the album itself only provides some broad strokes for, with a decent chunk of lyrical repetition that on a first pass, truly feels sort of detrimental to the whole thing, creating pockets of repetition that slowly drag each track down, though not enough to ruin anything. Again, the confidence this album displays itself with is what keeps it from falling apart. Upon further research, this album’s plotline is derived from a short story that the band wrote, indeed talking about a man named Cerpin Taxt who attempts suicide by jumping off a bridge, onto open traffic, in the midst of an overdose – everything we hear about in the album itself is apparently set during a comatose state that he’s in following the attempt & the mental state he’s in after surviving the first one. That second jump is the “intentional suicide” inferred during “Televators”, and that’s the one that gets him. “Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt” is just a brain-dead epilogue, perhaps acting as a funeral. There’s a chance I’ve interpreted some of this wrong, but I think I’ve got the general real strokes of the plot here. There’s a lot more (& I mean a LOT more) in the depths of the story, but I don’t really care to read about the societal implications of this man’s comatose civil war between life and death. Now, do I necessarily like the idea of a companion story being needed to understand the plot of an album? Eh, not really, but I’m not sure that it necessarily matters – once again, I have to praise the confidence this album portrays itself with, because everything here is taken at face value, totally performed as if this is all normal, and if you just roll with it, you’ll enjoy it all the same. It does make the lyrical repetition feel less jarring, knowing that there are the remnants of a brain trying to activate itself, so even if it feels awkward from a musical standpoint, it makes more sense with the story. I’ve harped on all of this storyline shit, but what about the actual music itself? Well, that’s where this album gets the easy bump up to a 5 – this is heavy metal with progressive rock sensibilities, & it is fucking eclectic at its highest points on this album. Manic percussion is the underlining piece of the soundscape here, and while the vocals do a great job of gliding on them, the drums just have an overbearing presence that makes them stick out in an already full soundscape, with heavy guitar riffs and synths abound. It does feel like a natural mesh of 60s/70s prog rock stylings with the nu-metal / grunge trends of the 90s, coming together in a way that allows the best aspects of both to shine. There are a few lull spots on some tracks, brought on by those pockets of repetition I mentioned earlier, but they’re quickly overridden by a new vibe coming in just as fast to keep each track moving. The only really extended one is the 3 minutes of ambience on “Cicatriz ESP”, but I still liked that a lot. So, yeah, color me pretty impressed. I do wish more of the story was made clearer within the music itself, & the broad strokes are what’s got this at a 4.5 for me as opposed to a flat 5. Make no mistake, though – this whole thing is interesting enough despite its vagueness, & to even pique the curiosity is a good enough goal here, especially if it leads to discovering the proper story. Musically, it’s a stellar 60 minutes that really does fly by, for the most part. I enjoyed this a lot, and while it’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, I really, really think it’s worth a listen. For me, it’s a very easy bump up to a 5.

Perfect album! The cry of the soul! A Masterpiece! A wounded soul opera.

BANGER! Enough said.

I'd never spent much time listening to Mars Volta before this, and I'm not sure how much time I'll spend in the future, but I'm not opposed to more of them. As with most prog-, weird-, or noise-rock (and I think this hits all 3), it doesn't work all the time. However, it was at least interesting for the vast majority of the album even if it was occasionally grating. I appreciate the originality and composition here. I feel like this style of music takes more effort to really love; maybe someday I'll get there if I go back to them. For now: pretty good. 4.0

This is pretty sick.

Kinda liked it.

Come on man - why you got me listening to this shit?

Good album. Very progressive. Amazing how fast the drums and guitars are.

The American Muse. That sentence will pretty much determine what you get out of this. For me, as it's post-third album Muse, this means not much that's nice to listen to. So two stars. Also, like the Muse albums, goes on forever.

De-Loused in the Comatorium is... fine, I guess. For all the hype it gets, it mostly just sounds like another early 2000s alt-rock album with some extra weirdness thrown in for effect. It’s not bad — there are moments of interesting musicianship and atmosphere — but it didn’t really grab me or leave much of a lasting impression. Definitely not the mind-blowing experience some fans make it out to be. Just kinda meh.

Not for me 1/5

85/100. De-Loused in the Comatorium by The Mars Volta is a great prog rock album filled with psychedelic flair. The songs flow in a dreamy, almost surreal way, making the album feel like it passes by in a flash. With powerful vocals, intense instrumentals, and a constantly shifting soundscape, this record absolutely bangs. A bold and memorable debut.

Good.

Strange but strangely listenable.

I don't know what that was, but it got no love from my brain waves. Byeeeee.

not my bag

I think I've heard the name of the band before. But I didn't know the album or their music until now. I will have to listen to this album again. The first impression is pretty good, but also a bit exhausting. 4/5

It’s definitely an album that needs multiple listens to truly get but it’s drawn me in enough to do that.

## In-Depth Review of *De-Loused in the Comatorium* by The Mars Volta The Mars Volta’s debut album, *De-Loused in the Comatorium*, released in 2003, is a landmark in progressive rock. It blends complex storytelling, intricate musicianship, and innovative production to create a singular listening experience. Below, we explore the album's key aspects—lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence—while weighing its strengths and weaknesses. --- ### **Lyrics and Concept** The album is a concept piece based on a short story by vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and sound manipulator Jeremy Ward. It follows the fictional character Cerpin Taxt, who enters a week-long coma after overdosing on morphine and rat poison. The narrative is inspired by the real-life struggles of Julio Venegas, a close friend of Bixler-Zavala who died by suicide in 1996. The lyrics are cryptic, surreal, and densely packed with imagery, often likened to the works of James Joyce or Lewis Carroll for their abstract wordplay and nonsensical phrases[1][5]. Bixler-Zavala’s vocal delivery imbues these enigmatic lyrics with emotional weight. Lines like "Now I’m lost" (from "Eriatarka") cut through the dense poetry to convey raw despair. While some listeners may find the lyrical opacity alienating, others appreciate its ability to evoke vivid, dreamlike scenes without straightforward explanations[1][4]. **Pros:** - Richly imaginative storytelling. - Emotional depth despite abstract language. - Unique poetic style that rewards close listening. **Cons:** - Lyrics can be impenetrable for casual listeners. - Lack of narrative clarity may alienate some audiences. --- ### **Music** Musically, *De-Loused in the Comatorium* is an ambitious fusion of progressive rock, Latin rhythms, jazz improvisation, and punk energy. Guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López’s frenetic riffs dominate the soundscape, while Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers provides dynamic basslines that add depth and groove. Drummer Jon Theodore anchors the chaos with intricate rhythms that oscillate between tribal beats and explosive bursts of energy[2][5]. The album’s structure is sprawling yet cohesive. Tracks like "Drunkship of Lanterns" showcase Latin-infused percussion alongside dissonant guitar work, while "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt" builds to a climactic finale that feels both chaotic and cathartic. Each song flows seamlessly into the next, creating an immersive experience that demands full attention[2][4]. **Pros:** - Virtuosic performances from all band members. - Innovative blending of genres. - Dynamic compositions that balance chaos with order. **Cons:** - Overwhelming density may deter some listeners. - Lack of traditional song structures can make individual tracks less memorable. --- ### **Production** The album was co-produced by Rick Rubin and Omar Rodríguez-López. Rubin’s polished production contrasts with the band’s raw energy, creating a spacious soundscape where every instrument has room to breathe. This clarity enhances the album’s intricate arrangements, allowing listeners to appreciate its many layers[1][5]. The use of effects and sound manipulation adds to the surreal atmosphere. For example, Ikey Owens’ Mellotron on "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt" provides moments of haunting beauty amidst the chaos. However, some critics argue that the production occasionally veers into excess, amplifying the album’s already overwhelming complexity[2][4]. **Pros:** - Clear and spacious mix highlights each instrument. - Effective use of effects enhances atmosphere. - Rubin’s touch balances polish with rawness. **Cons:** - Production can feel overindulgent at times. - Complexity may overwhelm first-time listeners. --- ### **Themes** Thematically, *De-Loused in the Comatorium* explores existential despair, drug addiction, and suicide through a lens of surrealism. By narrating from Cerpin Taxt’s perspective within his coma-induced dream world, the album delves into psychological torment without moralizing or offering resolution. This unflinching approach makes it a deeply personal tribute to Venegas while resonating universally with themes of loss and inner struggle[1][5]. Unlike many concept albums that offer redemption or closure, *De-Loused* remains dark and unresolved. Its refusal to provide easy answers mirrors the complexity of grief and mental illness[1][2]. **Pros:** - Tackles heavy themes with emotional honesty. - Surrealist approach adds depth to its exploration of grief. - Avoids clichés or oversimplifications. **Cons:** - Unrelenting darkness may be too intense for some listeners. - Abstract narrative limits accessibility. --- ### **Influence** *De-Loused in the Comatorium* revitalized progressive rock for a new generation. Its fusion of genres broke down boundaries between punk, jazz, and prog rock, influencing countless bands across diverse genres. Critics have compared its impact to Pink Floyd’s *The Wall* or King Crimson’s early work[3][5]. Despite its acclaim, the album has also been criticized for its indulgence—its complexity can feel excessive to those unaccustomed to such dense compositions. Nevertheless, it remains a touchstone for experimental music and has garnered a devoted fanbase over two decades[3][5]. **Pros:** - Pioneering fusion of genres inspired future artists. - Elevated prog rock from niche status to broader appeal. - Cult classic status ensures lasting legacy. **Cons:** - Polarizing reception due to its complexity. - Some view it as overly self-indulgent. --- ### **Pros and Cons Summary** | **Aspect** | **Pros** | **Cons** | |---------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | **Lyrics** | Imaginative storytelling; emotional depth; poetic style | Cryptic language; lack of narrative clarity | | **Music** | Virtuosic performances; genre-blending innovation; dynamic compositions | Overwhelming density; unconventional structures | | **Production** | Spacious mix; effective use of effects; balance between polish and rawness | Occasional overindulgence; complexity may deter casual listeners | | **Themes** | Honest exploration of grief; surrealist depth; avoids clichés | Unrelenting darkness; limited accessibility | | **Influence** | Genre-defining impact; inspired future artists; enduring legacy | Polarizing due to indulgence; challenging for mainstream audiences | --- ### **Conclusion** *De-Loused in the Comatorium* is a bold artistic statement that redefined what progressive rock could be in the 21st century. Its intricate musicianship, surreal storytelling, and emotional weight make it a masterpiece for those willing to engage deeply with its complexities. However, its density and abstract nature may alienate casual listeners or those seeking immediate gratification. Ultimately, this album stands as both a tribute to personal loss and an exploration of artistic boundaries—a work as challenging as it is rewarding. Whether you view it as genius or indulgence depends largely on your willingness to embrace its chaos.

Oh, hell yeah, nostalgia tour here we go!

Reckless. Breaking boundaries. Giving no fucks. Taking no prisoners.

Hmmmm. I like prog. Actually, I LOVE prog. But it’s ‘70s prog I love, and really this isn’t something I could get my head around. I feel bad, and may give it another go quite soon because it wasn’t bad, but I can’t say I particularly enjoyed it, either.

Good sound, a little slow sometimes.

No strong feelings about this one. But, 'twas a good listening experience.

No songs hooked me

Prolly won't go back to this, but definitely unique

Weird, but not bad. Fun music, often noiserock.

I liked the punk elements but prog is just not really my thing. If I hadn't read the wikipedia I probably wouldn't have realized that this is supposed to have this running narrative; but bear in mind that I've only listened through it once, and I do suppose this could prove more rewarding upon repeated listening. The thing is, though, that I don't really feel any urge to listen to this again any time soon. I liked the last few songs a little better than the earlier portions of the album, I guess. It's not uninteresting, but in order to uncover more elements that are interesting to me I would have to revisit and I don't really see myself doing so in the near future. So I suppose this about a 2.75 that I'm rounding up to 3.

muse but on more crack ?

I'm a big prog rock fan of all kinds but I just can't get into two bands: Van der Graaf Generator and The Mars Volta. This album is good with lots of talented musicians but I really can't dig this singer who just sounds like an edge lord teenager let loose. I also don't care about some of these messages about exoskeletons and what not. I respect the work but I don't need it. All of this combined they're average at best.

Pretty impressed with this one off the rip. Ineratic ESP shreds. Also, pretty wild that Rick Rubin is listed as a co-producer and that Flea is on bass for this album. Random as hell star power pulls. Ok, so I definitely had to give this a few listens because I felt like it was a lot to absorb after the first one. I'm into this style of prog rock, but I still felt like I couldn't pinpoint who these guys reminded me of. I also couldn't have guessed that this album was a story about "a man who enters a week-long coma after overdosing on a mixture of morphine and rat poison." Just a wild concept, but I'm here for it. There weren't too many down moments for me on this record. Even the weirdness of This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed grew on me. Gotta say, this was a surprisingly great listen and I'll probably go back to this one again. For now, I'll give it a high 4, but it could hit a 5 for me on another day.

I don't expect this one to be popular in a broad sense, but I can absolutely get down with some Mars Volta. This is among their top tier albums (Amputecture being the other that I gravitate towards). Love the inter-track blending across the album that gives it a single take sort of feel. I could see how the at times frantic, bi-polar nature of a lot of this might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm here drinking. Love the handover from Son et Lumiere into Inertiatic Esp. Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of) is one of my favorites on here. Honestly I have no idea what Cedric is saying half of the time, but I love the whiplash transitions between sung sections and racing instrumentals. Don't have much focus to give this review, but this is an album I continually return to. Low 5 for me.

Great album cover. Good energy and unique sounds. At first I was thinking it was just some run of the mill emo/alt rock that was popular around that time, but Cicatriz Esp was a real standout on what sounds they could achieve. This album has some characteristics of a really good album, but there is that whiny/punky sound that I really dislike. I think this is very squarely a 3.5, but I am rounding down just because the last song really emphasized the parts that I don't like about the album. Could be a 4 on the right day.

Mars Volta is a band I have always heard of but never listened too, and damn I wish I didn't wait so long. This scratched my progressive itch so nicely, and was a completely refreshing album to come up on here as being a fast paced intense album. Fun to see that Flea was the bassist on all but 2 songs of this album which is pretty sweet. I could see Mars Volta as being an inspiration to a lot of Umphrey's more heavy rock songs because they sounded very familiar. This was an awesome 5 star surprise and I will have to look into more of them when I have a chance.

This album is fucking weird but also weirdly rocks. I was getting really into Cicatriz ESP. I thought it sounded like some solo John Frusciante and sure enough he's on this album. Also Flea and also the producer for most RHCP albums.

I remember seeing At the Drive In opening for Rage Against the Machine in the late 90's and being blown away. Years later I saw Mars Volta and had the same reaction. They are just amazing live, and this album is a great one.

Rocking. This drummer is crazy good.

I'm a sucker for concept albums and prog rock. Not really a masterpiece but a very solid album.

holy shit

I thought it was quite good. It’s odd, funky and really hard rock-ish stuff, but great!

A massive fan of At the Drive-In, I've tried many times over the years to get into Mars Volta. This record is good. But it doesn't connect with me the way the previous band did.

If you like Radiohead but wish they would pick up the pace a little and maybe throw in some more spastic drumming, then have I got news for you!

Their mix of Pantera and Santana works for me, at least when I might be in the mood for that kind of mix.

They seem talented, but I didn't enjoy this album. Too frantic and seemingly disjointed, even though I know it's all precisely planned.

This is a sonic bombardment, and I mean this in a very very good way. In a word, it's Intense. Liked Songs Added: Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of) Cicatriz Esp

Raucous, cacophanous, disonant - no. Junk.

4.5

Energetic, full of various sounds clashing harmoniously with each other and it never stops sounding very good. Also, holy shit, Cedric Bixler-Zavala is already really close to join the list of my favourite singers ever.

Feels like a band I would’ve liked in high school haha.

So good, loved every song

The worst of both free jazz and emo

Not my cup of tea but it is good prog-type music.

Songs i knew none Songs i liked: I don't really know Maybe it's what has came after this that has ruined this album for me but after listening to this end to end for the first time it's OK. Just ok. Low 3 I think.

Decent. Interesting and complicated, but not quite my thing.

Very interesting stuff, I’d never dug into Mars Volta before. Not sure it’s totally my thing but they are very good at this heavy prog, Rush like sound. I might be persuaded to check out more.

I didn’t know what this was. After reading the description and some reviews, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but was excited to listen. I dug it. I don’t know when or if I’ll ever relisten, but I liked listening today.

One thing I can guarantee you is that the global ranking for this album will be nowhere near as high as it should be. This album is a goddamned masterpiece. The inventiveness, the musicality, the virtuosity of the artists - God. Damned. Master. Piece. I'm aware that this will be a bit, say, esoteric for the general listening public. But this album goes from strength to strength. It's never content to settle on one thing, one rhythm, one beat, one song structure. The entire album is filled with songs that are completely different from one another yet still come together flawlessly as a whole. It's genius. 5 stars.

I should like this. I don't really like the vocalist and I also don't like the band name but that doesn't really matter. Might like it more on follow up listens. Will I listen to again: 80%

There was a time in my life when I loved music of The Mars Volta. Never know why I stopped. This is one of the few creative approach to rock music after 2000s which is smart, funky, but still very likeable. Bedlam in Goliath is a bit better album though.

Omar & Cedric ♥️ At the Drive-in was my favorite though.

Solid.

Classic, nothing like RATM

Possibly a 4, if I listened more.

Very cool. Also very pretentious. Like. I get it!! But still.

mars volta was a name i've heard for a while but i had no idea what their music was like and never looked into it. man i was a little blown away by this one! really fun, aggressive modern prog rock. really great to listen to. at times this album almost sounds like a progged out santana, which is a fucking cool as hell sound. maybe an unfair comparison, but to me this sounds like what i wish muse sounded like. but what makes this album for me is the production. this album sounds fantastic. so bombastic. it feels like it should be chaotic but it is so meticulous. just really cool stuff. i'm glad i listened to this one.

It's fragmented but I had a cabin in the woods and people I haven't seen in years were welcoming me back. Jennifer P and I walked and drove through the snow to get to the cabin and sometimes Ted Danson was with us. Eventually we made it to the cabin and it was full of food that had gone stale. There was a feeling that I had suddenly abandoned it but I was back. Eventually more people from my childhood showed up. The name I remember are David D, Christian D, Lucas and many others whose names I lost through time. A decent amount of time was spent looking for a cat I had left there and a book I had written. It just occurred to me the book I wrote was a rewritten version of the Bible. That's why Ted Danson was there. Jennifer forgave me for something, she said then, I don't remember now. It ended with us all playing football and on the last play instead of hiking the ball I ran with it. Everyone started piling on but I broke free and started running with it. When I noticed no one was chasing me I stopped and they were all just staring at me. Like 50 ghosts from the past all looking at me confused. David walks out from them and says "We go east and you're going South." Then someone else walks me out from the front of the cabin and the whole time we were actually in my backyard. They walk me between my house and there is this naked girl with Diamond shaped tattoos all over her and they tell me no one will forget me because someone drew a map while pointing at the girl now standing in front of a large tree stump. We go in closer and I could see all the childishly drawn tattoos on her and one had a face. I hear construction and see a family working on the house across the street. It looked like it was sitting on a cloud. David and Jennifer whispered in my ear as I stared at the new family

I love the combination of progressive rock and post-hardcore. This is probably the closest album to progressive metal in the entire generator.

This list is showing it's age with this one...sincerely one of the worst album covers I've ever seen. I kinda liked Eriatarka tho

The 2003 album Deloused in the Comatorium is a fascinating sonic journey that, while not introducing radical innovations in progressive rock, reveals a unique and engaging approach that captures the listener's attention. With its complex instrumental passages and Cedric Bixler-Zavala's intense vocal performance, the band manages to create a rich and cinematic listening experience. The tracks feature a fusion of rock, jazz and Latin music elements, giving life to a powerful lyrical narrative that explores themes of life, death and transcendence. While not completely breaking with the traditions of the genre, Deloused in the Comatorium stands out for its ability to evoke deep emotions and creativity, remaining an essential piece for progressive rock enthusiasts.

Interesting...

Horrible

cool instrumentals didn’t like the voice at all sometimes all the changes became a bit too much - might just not be my style didn’t love the mixing

Heard it before. Just not my thing, honestly. It's boring prog to me 2/5

I feel very conflicted by this album. On one hand, the musicianship and technicality is off the charts. On the other, I feel like this album has the same trapping that a lot of post-2000 prog rock/metal falls into: this album is not fun. Obviously this album explores a lot of musical ideas, but they feel surface-level. It's a good album to listen to, but I feel like it doesn't "rock" as much as it should, or could based on a few isolated sections of songs. All in all a good listen, but not an entertaining listen. Top tracks: Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of), Eriatarka, Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt

Didn’t get last song 2

Ehhh....this was wanna be Muse or Rage Against the Machine but they do it worse. Some songs have good parts (Take the Veil) but then it became awful.

What genre is this? It sounds like herky-jerky dramacore. Flipping back and forth between staccato hammering riffs and spacey tones with lots of drama wailing. Apparently this album is about a guy in a coma? I can't really pick up the poetry and don't like the songs enough to look up the lyrics so I have no idea what he's on about. Basing an album on a guy in a coma sounds like a totally awful idea. What's to say? He's in a fucking coma. I think this is a great example of the prog-mess that can be made when people overthink things. The music has it's moments but the vocals are a little hard to take and the songwriting doesn't really draw me in. I think I would have liked this album more if it were about soup.

Here’s another singer whose voice exists in that super annoying, whiny upper range. There is nothing pleasant about it. Nails on chalkboard. Musically it’s a bit frantic and lost, like an intense anxiety attack. I will never listen to this again.

Didn’t really like this. They sound like a lot of other bands in this genre/era. I thought this could be interesting based on the concept, but it was really just dark and kind of annoying.

Such a weird but fantastically loud and rockin album. This definitely deserves to be on this list - this band challenges my ears and brain every time I listen to them. I get to see this band live for the first time in a few weeks.

This is extraordinary. The conception, performances, recording, and production are all mind-blowing. It is, however, like an auditory depiction of a schizophrenic episode; which is an experience I can't say I particularly enjoy. But really impressive.

I have no idea what was going on lyrically, but I enjoyed it. Not what I was expecting but in a good way.

Quite enjoyed this. I’m not sure if that’s because it’s good or because I was just in a bad mood and this suited that.

Been meaning to listen to more of The Mars Volta for a long time, but never got round to it. This was great, will definitely listen to more now.

Firstly, this nearly deafened me when I put it on because I didn't check the volume of the van speakers. I would describe this as music from Jupiter in the year 3452. I then read the Wiki page, and it's meant to be a story about a man in an overdose coma, which explains a lot. I don't think I'm going to go back to this at any point

This both did nothing for me and also annoyed me. I don’t know what it is about this style of singing but it just gets on my tits.

Yeah. Nah. This might have worked in 1972. But by 2003 this is like writing a 50s rock song today. Might be good. But won’t be essential. Some good playing. And not completely stupid. 2.

2000s prog. I'm not a fan. But this a marginally better than most prog, because it's a bit less obsessed with clever clogs musicianship, and has a certain willingness to rock. But why this needless complexity? It's pretentious and meaningless. Sometimes I think that white boys just don't understand what rock and roll is... Some thoughts: - Lots of echoes of Robert Fripp in the guitar parts, but it never quite reaches his level of inventiveness. - The inclusion of latin percussion does not make it Santana-like. Not a lot of groove to this record. - I like the noisy sound design, which give it a rough and atmospheric edge than I find lacking in much prog (which tends towards clean production to show off the chops). - Good vocals, but don't get me started on the meaningless lyrics -- they are just atrocious. I enjoyed it well enough while listening, although it is a little wearying, and I don't feel the need to listen again. Hal might like it, though. The Fripp-like guitar work is interesting, but, honestly, aren't there plenty of King Crimson albums that I would much prefer to listen to? Yes. Yes, there are (but no Yes records, please)

особенно нечего слушать

loved listening to this on headphones while riding in the car when I was a teen

3.3 Interesting concept. I wonder if after a few more listens it would resonate better, but whatever 'it' is, it hasn't fully stuck yet. Starts off strongly but gets a bit lost in the middle. Will revisit one day soon, but initial thoughts slightly positive, like a worse version of Tool (don't think I've seen them appear yet, surely they have to be on here)

This was a really cool album, definitely one to focus on and hear the connections and artistry throughout. A bit more rock and pop production (but definitely not pop), and some really cool experience throughout. I might come back to this one down the road.

Saw the word 'prog' in the album description, and was prepared to hate this, but actually enjoyed it. (70s prog is still balls though)

3.0 - Ok

4/5

I skipped a buncha songs toward the end. The first few i remember kinda enjoying, but I dont think the album is for me on the whole. 1 star.

Straight rock, long songs, actually pleasantly surprised

not for me idk

5/5

Really enjoyed this. It's energetic, varied and goes hard. Am I following the story through the cryptic lyrics? Not really, but it's still a great album with lots to enjoy.

One of the best prog rock albums of the modern era. Although it doesn't really sound like prog rock, sounds more like an amalgamation of rock genre up to that point. The vocals are incredible, but sometimes over the top. There's a lot of great riffs in here and a lot of powerful moments that I really like. The album does have its more sprawling and spaced out moments but they are never long enough to ruin the flow of the album. Great album if a little harsh because of its length and loudness.

pretty good

WTF is this?! Frantic guitars, weird vocals, just things thrown in there for "depth". Also, super long songs that suck. 1/5

Loved at the drive in and love the mars volta :) brilliant stuff

No likey very much Emo vocals putting me right off

Hadn’t heard them before - quite liked it in a modern prog way

I suspect this album will be quite divisive. For me, not my cup of tea.

Album 674 of 1001 The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium (2003) Rating : 3 / 5 I'm not the biggest progressive rock fan but this one had its moments. Parts of it were quite enjoyable while others just seemed to go on and on. If you're a prog rock fan, this is probably one you should check out.

Really cool sound. Parts were sort of indie, while some guitar/bass parts sounded more metal. Interesting mix of genres. Would’ve enjoyed more if the songs were shorter. 3/5

I think I listened to it. But I forget. 1/5

Musically intense but hard to feel its direction.

Music is well-produced, somewhat complex. Much better than the last two albums. Would listen again.

Non è malvagio, ma neanche indimenticabile: 3.5

Weird that I just happened to have already been listening to this album a lot recently. It sounds like Led Zeppelin + Muse but on acid and I’m so here for it. Insanely technical instrumentation, powerful vocals and the some of the most surreal lyrics I’ve ever heard. Not only does it have all of the above qualities, but also some really catchy and accessible songwriting which is seriously impressive.

Probably need to relisten. Didnt do it for me the first time over

8.5 First couple of songs in, I was not sold. What is this? What's with that guy's voice. High as Geddy Lee and perhaps as pleasant (not very). But as this album wore on the more I was swept away. A fascinating, singular, quiltwork of influences which I do not dare to attempt to list. Post hardcore, Santana and latin, psych, prog rock, and things I'm missing. The vocals, though a lot at first, grew on me, and the singer has amazing control of his instrument and his clarion powerful singing sticks in your ears days after. After you are pummeled by relentless whipsaw changes for minutes (and minutes) on end, a song will slip into spacey meandering psychedelia for a bit before screaming back to tight as fuck transitions. This album is wildly, insanely ambitious. I will need to listed to this one several times over to fully metabolize. And I'm looking forward to it.

Amazing to see the Mars Volta in this list. The band is certainly the definition of an acquired taste, but if one can learn to enjoy/tolerate Cedric's vocals and appreciate Omars intricate musicality then you'll really see each one of their works as a masterpiece. Deloused is often touted as the fan favorite, though I personally prefer most of the later releases of the band (if you liked this album DEFINITELY listen to at least "Frances the Mute" and "The Bedlam in Goliath", especially if you're a fan of funk music). That being said, the ideas presented on this album are foundational the the band, and I wouldn't change a thing. The only thing that pulls this back a bit from a solid five is that is doesn't go far enough - but definitely still rounds up. (Especially when all the competitors on this list are either The Byrd's, Neil Young, or unknown UK groups) 4.5/5 -> 5/5

Het blijft toch bijzonder hoe zulke dynamische muziek als prog rock toch op alle vlakken de plank misslaat. Het matcht niet, en het gaat nooit matchen ben ik bang. 5/10

De stem van the Mars Volta doet af en toe denken aan de emo-pareltjes die mijn tienerjaren kleurde. En dat geeft toch een klein beetje vreugde. Al het progressieve gepriegel eromheen is helemaal niks. Te complex, continu afwisselend en vaak veels te hard. Grijpt me niet, wel aanleiding om weer eens een nostalgisch emo-lijstje aan te sluiten op deze zaterdag avond! 5/10 Highlights Roulette Dares

It is great to finally get some more prog rock on this list. I had never heard this band before, and they are extremely technical players with fast riffs and beats. However, many of the tunes are too “out there” for me to truly enjoy. I would have preferred more harmonies and traditional tempo changes.

Definitivamente no es mi estilo de música

Maybe my old man colors are showing, but for the most part, this sounded like a bunch of noise to me. 2 stars is being generous.

very unique rock sound, want to listen some more.

Perfect

I'm apparently much more tolerant of weird music if the lead singer has a melodic voice

Interesting

I can hear the musicianship in this. The lyrics are just too much for me, and there feels like there's very little room for that musicianship to breathe in most tracks Playlist adds - Televators, Inertiatic Esp

hooooooly shit

Can someone translate the lyrics for me?

I like the Mars Volta a lot. But the sound production is horrible. ‘Sonically, it’s just horrendous,” Maynard James Keenan said of the 2003 Mars Volta LP. “It like it hurts your ears. It’s compressed to shit. The energy on the album, and the way that they’re all playing together, his voice is just so incredible, and the playing, of course. But it’s because they’re so punk rock, and they wanted to record it all together in one fucking room. It just hurts your brain, ’cause it’s just it’s so compressed, so you can’t listen to more than one and a half songs. It starts to really wear on you.” But even with that, the songs shine through a great deal. Flea's work is not overly Flea-like, but he is one of the few I felt that could handle the complex nature of the material, It has a number of tracks that the kid and I listen to in the car. Good stuff. Top tracks: Inertiatic Esp," "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)," "Drunkship of Lanterns"

I only know The Mars Volta because The Widow from their sophomore release was a reasonable radio hit. For a prog rock band, I guess that one wasn't too long to keep it from radio airplay. I always liked that song but never went looking for more. I didn't really know they were prog rock. But this album is solid. I put these guys in a similar camp as other new emo prog rock like Coheed and Cambria. I think the emo comes from their vocals (high, tenor) but also some of their lyrical subject matter and themes. Not that I'm slagging it; I quite like both bands, or what I know of them. Besides Cedric Bixler-Zavala's great vocals, Omar Rodríguez-López and Jon Theodore are pretty damn good guitarists and drummers, respectively. There's a lot of complexity and layers to what they do, as you would expect for prog rock, and they're all good at it. Just listen to Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt and how it changes halfway through the song - prog style but the sharp change in playing styles (a few different ones) from that point forward is pretty cool. Favorite tracks were Inertiatic ESP, Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of), Eriatarka, and Televators. Drunkship of Lanterns, perhaps their most revered song is just outside that top list for me - first 4 minutes is decent, but the last 3 minutes of guitar work is awesome. Cicatriz ESP is another just outside the top - love the first half, second half decent but maybe could have shortened it a bit (like 8min). Overall, this is an album that makes me want to go listen to more of The Mars Volta.

I'm a prog fan, so you'd think I'd like this more. I've tried to get into them before, but they're just TOO MUCH. Every song is frenetic and over the top, and the lyrics are a little over the top too. Then there's the vocals: I don't mind high and/or unusual singing (just enjoyed the Dead Kennedys with Jello Biafra's insane singing, and I love Rush and Yes) but I've never been a fan of the Mars Volta's vocals - too over the top (I keep coming back to that phrase). It also didn't help that I disliked the metallic effect on the vocals in This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed (and really disliked the bonus track Ambuletz, which I started skipping on relistens). There were a lot of moments I liked, but it was just TOO MUCH and I don't see myself actively revisiting. Favorite tracks: Inertiatic ESP, Eriatarka, Televators, Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt (the instrumental part midway through really caught my attention on every listen).

So happy to discover this. It's giving early emo prog lmao, it's like the sound world of being 16 but sooo much more heaped on top because you're a sophisticated adult now (basically the singer sounds like the Hoosiers guy crossed with Jared Leto, and the instrumentals could be from the fucking fever you can't sweat out). Hard save to the library. This is something I'd literally never heard of but apparently have been waiting for all this time, kind of feels like it was personally made for me and has just been biding its time until I found it. Compelling all the way through, couldn't get enough

The last track is a lot like MCR IMO this is good stuff 4/5

3.3 2x

I miss at the drive in but this is the next best thing. I love it.

Fett album! Minner om en blanding av Leprous og Coheed and Cambria til tider. Vet at det er et konseptalbum og har ikke satt meg så mye inn i hva som foregår på den fronten, men det flyter. Er så mange vendinger og variasjon i dynamikken i tillegg. Beste sanger: Inertiatic Esp, Cicatriz Esp (oi de har nesten like navn) og Televators

Artig å ha dette så kort tid etter Tommy av The Who, for det er ganske forskjellige historiefortellinger i konseptalbum. Der The Who forteller en veldig forståelig historie rett fram, er dette albumet ganske pretensiøst og uforståelig for min del. Det lille jeg får med meg av tekstene høres ganske teit ut. Musikalsk er det mye kult da! Det er vanvittig mye forskjellig som skjer. Liker særlig godt innslagene av frenetiske, litt latinske rytmer, som på Drunkship of Lanterns.

Didn’t understand one song title

Always heard about this one but never got around to it. Very cool to hear that Flea played bass on the majority of it, and Storm Thorgerson did the album art. Music was like if Muse was actually experimental

Proggy and rocky, ooooo the drums slap me silly

I've been getting a lot of prog lately, and it is kinda starting to wear on me. This one was pretty good though. Solid album!

Not really my thing but I see the talent and skill behind it.

not my usual style of rock, but it’s really good

Un gran descubrimiento, esta lista necesita más rock progresivo. Una pasada musicalmente, una mezcla compleja de estilos, incluyendo influencias latinas, que merece ser escuchada con atención. Sobre todo, la percusión es una maravilla. Aunque le tengo que restar puntuación por la voz, súper abrasiva, y por desviarse un poco más de lo que me gustaría hacia el nu-metal. En definitiva, una especie de Muse más progresivo, aunque sin llegar al nivel de Tool. 3.5

Amazing drumming, but I find the lead singer's voice grating, especially considering that this is an hour-long album.

A bit experimental but good

This is an interesting album. It's a little hard to classify into a genre, but prog rock feels best. There's a lot going on and I just know there are lots of details that I have missed in one listen. I liked it enough to hear again, but not sure I am necessarily ready to do it right away.

3.5

I've no idea what the lyrics are on about, lost the plot for that almost immediately & couldn't be arsed to look for it but large sections of the melodies are pleasant enough though 3 stars might be a tad generous. I doubt either that I'll ever listen to it again or feel that I'll reach my grave with a fulfillment I'd have lacked without hearing it but from the vantage point of being within 40 of the finishing tape I can most certainly state that the list has a good 200 albums worth of rap, hip hop, thrash, rooooooaaaar & formulaic 'American rock' shite that's far worse.

Background music. Forgot it was on

Ci sta.

Finalmente un album da 5 che posso comunque non ascoltare perché l'ho già sentito

E non l’ho neanche finito

I love this band so much, these first two albums especially of course. Just otherworldly tbh, don’t know much else that sounds quite like this with this much bravura

Love the way this sounds. So big and weird

i do not know this band i have no idea who they are but they scare me

Yean, it's alright. Again, the tracks being on the longer side really affected my attention. It was okay enough but I'm not entirely sure how someone who has 300.000 listeners got an album here. Just meh.

On the verge on being unlistenable. You really have to put a lot of effort to connect to this.

Je me sens un peu trahi par l’aura extérieur de l’album. La géniale bizarrerie du cover et les tops commentaires me promettait de grandes choses de nature prog. Pourtant, le contenu de l’album est plus proche d’une collaboration Thom York X Dragonforce que du prochain King Crimson, mettons.

Very unique rock sound. Mars Volta really made a name for themselves and brought new energy to the genre.

Nice drumming, but many songs felt repetitive.

Unexpectedly enjoyed this one. While a few songs were too long and/or uninteresting, the drumming and guitar kept me hooked for most of the album.

I love this— great headphone music, love the dynamism and the drums. The vocals were fun and I never got bored. Many a times listening to these albums I have to skip to stay sane, this wasn’t one of those times.

I really don't know what to make of these guys. Prog meets metal meets alt. Sometimes I was into it, other times not so much. Certainly something different than most albums on my shelf. Hard to think of the occasion when I think to myself "I really need to listen to this album right now."

i've had the mars volta recommended to me by a friend in the past and i really liked their music based on those few listens in the past. revisiting this album and listening to it in full, top to bottom, was such a fun and energizing experience. the way all the songs flow with one another is done in such an excellent way, a full story is told and i can listen through it all with little to no effort. the instrumental compositions leave me speechless... and the vocal performances are incredible. really really glad i came back to listen to TMV, i will definitely be revisiting to this album and their other ones more in the future.

Tedious, self-indulgent wankfest. Far too long. Dislike. A lot.

Heard this record before it was released and saw The Mars Volta perform it start to finish at The Electric Ballroom shortly after. From the opening gunshot drum fills which have to be among my favourite starts to any album to the end it is the concept album that I enjoy. It's oblique and challenging and not paint what you see. I have no idea how many times I've listened to this over the years and I find more layers. The vocals are acrobatic and the time signatures and textures are enveloping. Weirdly have never felt anything close from any of their other albums. Even Frances The Mute I don't think I could name a track. But this...

Vocals are disturbingly like "Fall Out Boy".

The Good: It’s a candy bar reference… no? The Bad: or are we referring to a planet turning? The Ugly: Turns out that part of the name was inspired by Fellini… Truth be told, I was actually excited when this band popped up! Not because I am a fan, but more because I have heard of them, but never listened to their music, and that is what I hoped to experience with this journey: listening to music I’d probably never listen to otherwise… So, my thoughts? Nah, not my cup of tea. It has some good things, but mostly, IMHO, bad things as it seems that modern “prog rock” just needs to try too much to be different, and by doing so fails, in my book. So, thanks to the 1001 app for making me listen to this, and boo to the 1001 app for making me listen to this...

4,5 stars. I always had problems with the vocals. But the music is banging

Aikasemmin en pystynyt kestämään laulajan ääntä, mutta tässä se ei ollut niin paha. Kappaleet on kyllä hyviä, mutta vähän liian all over the place. Pysyi ainakin mielenkiintoisena. Parhaat: Inertiatic Esp, Cicatriz Esp, Televators

Holy shit. I’ve always known of The Mars Volta, but I never actually sat down and listened to them. I am so happy that I did. This feels very different from literally everything else we’ve listened to so far from this list, and this might be the most excited I’ve been after listening to an album to review it. I almost want to consider this album post-hardcore, but it has so many really cool aspects that works so well together. The guitar is frantic and evil and dissonant, but it somehow fits the theme of the album just perfectly. The bass is incredibly funky, and upon learning that the best bassist in the world, Flea, performed on this album, it makes a lot of sense. The vocals are almost as frantic as the lead guitar, but there’s something really beautiful and familiar about them, almost vaguely Coheed and Cambria-esque. I’m a big fan of Cedric’s vocals. There’s a really cool blend of jazzy Latin rhythms peppered into this record too, the brightness of that really keeps the album from being too dreary. From a songwriting perspective this album is almost a master class on concept albums. The story told throughout is as fantastical as it is dark. It’s certainly an excellent reminder to avoid mixing morphine and rat poison, if nothing else. I’m really excited to sit down and listen to this album again, I feel like it deeply deserves multiple attentive play-throughs. This is a very easy 5*.

There is... so much going on in this album. I'm really not sure what to say about it. It's certainly not boring, which is a plus. It's theatrical and over the top and complex and I think the overall effect is pretty successful, but it's just not for me. I actually listened to it twice and I'm still not sure what to make of it. ??? / 10

this was an experience, great story and really chaotic

Reichlich experimentell. Interessant.

So you’ve seen Heavy Metal? You’ve seen Interstella 5555? Get ready for…Consider Phlebas: The Rock opera! This was pretty good, but a whole album means I struggle with it, get into it and then end up waiting for it to finish.

Deeply weird experimental art rock /almost metal - this sounds like it would be right up my alley, and some tracks were, but a lot of it I found really grating. Also those tracks could have easily been half the length without losing anything. Not for the "not for me" pile.

No. 304/1001 Son et Lumiere 3/5 Inertiatic Esp 4/5 Roulette Dares 4/5 Tira Me a Las Aranas 3/5 Drunkship of Lanterns 2/5 Eriatarka is 4/5 Cicatriz Esp 3/5 This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed 3/5 Televators 4/5 Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt 3/5 (2x) Average: 3,27 Surprisingly good listen.

En oo ennen tajunnut, että Mars Volta kuulostaa Lapkolta?! Tykkään Lapkosta enemmän, ne osasivat pitää biisit lyhyempinä. Tässä on annettu liikaa studioaikaa kitaristeille. Taustat on ihan älyttömän täyteen ahdettua massaa, vyöryefekti on hyvä ensin mutta läkähdyttää pidemmän päälle. Eriatarkan kertsin melodia tietty vetää aina.

Kuin opettelisi Pokemon-korttien aikuisille täysin käsittämättömiä sääntöjä. Hetken mielenkiinto lopahtaa kokonaisuuden arbiträäriin teknisyyteen. 1,5

First impression: the album cover is amazing! The figure in the background is perfection. As far as the music, I don't know what they are talking about, but I love it!

This album was a beautiful fever dream. I have little idea what it was. High octane. Bizarre. Took me aback consistently. I don’t know how replayable this album is, but it was a cool first listen. Standouts: Everything but Tira Me a Las Aranas and Drunkship of Lanturns.

Orkesterin toisen levyn biisi oli entudeestaan tuttu ja sitä fiilistellyt useasti. Muistelisin joskus levyn julkaisun aikoihin myös varettaneeni näiltä jotain musaa, mutta siihen aikaan musan piti olla raskaampaa ja nopeampaa ollakseen hyvää. Toivottavasti tämä oli vihdoin tämän haasteen viimeinen levy, koska lopetus olisi upea. Aivan mahtava levy ja rullailin kolme kertaa läpi ja tulen varmasti perehtymään orkesterin tuotoksiin nyt paremmin. Yksi parhaista "uusista" löydöistä tässä via dolorosassa.

Ansaitusti omalla tyylillä listoilla. Mielenkiintonen ja laadukas paketti

"прог рок", е райт. эмо как есть! набарабанили, накричали, где музыка?

not for me

Appreciate the concept and chances taken with this album, makes listening much more interesting and fun. Favorite track was ‘Roulette Dares’. 3/5 wasn’t my favorite but still enjoyable

Lyder udemærket, men synes den teaser rigtigt meget uden rigtigt at gå hårdt nok ind

citat fra daniel 'Det går fra Paramore til tstm til blast beats'

Hold KÆFT DET BANGER

Incredibly beautiful, but overly long, and at times dreadfully boring. I can understand why this is on the list, but it was somewhat of a slog to get through.

I've been reccomendrd this countless times and I'm so happy I finally gav4 it a listen. Unreal and definitely a lot more to unpack on future listens

Some interesting sounds and atmospherics floating around on the edges of this, but the songs, the band and the voice are all quite tedious. Trying-too-hard rockist machinations. If they made an ambient album, I might give that a whirl, but this left me cold.

Space cadet shit. There's a lot going off here, and not much of it is any good. I was surprised to read that Rick Rubin was involved. This could easily be mid 80's glam metal. I'd only give it one star if that was the case.

3.5 stars. Fast-paced heavy prog rock. Mixing makes the vocals a bit distorted/muted. Interesting and experimental with ups and downs. Standouts are "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)" and "The Apparatus Must Be Unearthed".

a bit monotonous

Wow! I'd never heard of The Mars Volta and wasn't expecting that 🤘🏻 I was getting My Chemical Romance vibes from this, good stuff! 5 ⭐️

Mars Volta I had this album in college but hadn’t listened to it much in years. I like the experimental vibe and really cool to hear a band with such a unique original sound like psychedelic- prog- hardcore. Cool contrast between feeling weird -loose -noodley and super tight. Also cool contrast between dissonances and the harmonies and some cool melodies paired with super weird abstract lyrics. The high vocals and the busy rock drums and aggressive bass remind me of Rush. Love the drums and frantic rock n roll energy on here it definitely gets me pumped up. Also so cool to hear Flea in a different context! I’ll have to check out their other albums. Great album but I could imagine a version that’s not. Cool transitions and textures it all kind of feels like the same song but in a good continuity way. There is so much going on and it all works but it almost doesn’t. 5

Super interesting songs and arrangements. The energy is crazy and singer has a cool voice. Never checked them out before but definitely into it and would listen again. Pretty intense and frantic but i never lost interest

Absolutely loved this. The right amount of noise

Sucked

All-timer

Wow never heard of these! I do love a bit of prog rock so I’ll be giving listen another listen or two when I have a bit more time to appreciate it.

fucking sucks ass

Already in my favorites

Great

More incomprehensible noise. Some good guitar work in there, but not enough to help this album. Songs are way too long. Many of them have some good parts, but its mixed into a lot of bad. This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed was going pretty good, and then the very ending they decide to just throw their drums down the stairs or something. Best song: This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed

I guess My Chemical Romance would be the best comparison, though this album never hits the highs of the best of MCR.

Fine...but likely won't listen to this one again.

Meh

So emo

gave me a headach

A very complex and impressive prog-rock revival. It’s incredibly pretentious in a way I find simultaneously charming and alienating, and really great when it hits - with some really strong hooks over tight syncopated stabs or cool Latin grooves - but there’s too many gaps for abstract noodling that the really gripping sections end up being few and far between

Annoyingly dissonant, incessantly odd for the sake of oddity. Supposedly they're is a story to this. I think the UFOs battled the robots and absolutely nobody won.

I like prog rock and this sounded ok apart from occasional bursts of cacophony, but the concept behind the album is tiresome. I wouldn’t turn it off if someone put it on, but I wouldn’t spend the effort to concentrate on it as advised in the Wikipedia article. A high 2 or low 3.

In my mind: just noise.

1. lumiere - 1 2. inenertiatic - 3 3. roulette - 3 4. aranaz - 1 5. lanternz - 1.5 6. eritarka - 1.5 7. cicatriz - 2 8. apparatuz - 1.5 9. televatorz - 3 10. cerpin - 1.5

Very weird

This album seemed terrible to me. Like Pink Floyd on steroids. Everything was unnecessarily showy, the lyrics were self important and bookish. Like Prog rock with only polish.

I really liked this. Can't follow the lyrics at all, but the frenetic drumming, spaced-out guitar and funky bass make for a fantastic, if way out-there sound. Was a fan of At The Drive-In before I came to this and didn't know about the connection until I heard this and looked them up. And then I found out that it's Flea on bass - playing harder than on any RHCP album, maybe since Freaky Styley. Echoes of Tool in the sound as well. 4/5 - nearly a 5, but a little too crazy to get the final star, even though I know I'll come back to this

Don't even remember what this sounds like

Kinda cool. Kind of metal(core?)-ish with the clean vocal and dirty instrumentation switch off

First listen. Quite good.

Shortly after this record came out, my then-girlfriend remarked that Cedric Bixler Zavala sounded like Nancy Wilson from Heart when he sings in the upper register. It’s been 20 years and I can’t un-hear the comparison. I like this record a lot, always have. It balances their experimental tendencies with well written songs in a way that their later records do not. After this record, their records gradually became more and more oblique, focusing on nerdy time signatures, jarring blasts of noise and labyrinthine song structures. This record is really great, an impressive debut. Is it a 5 star record? I don’t know. I’ll make up my mind in a few hours. But before I go, I need to offer an apology to you, readers of the site, for comments I made in my X-Ray Spex review. In it, I mocked users who complained about punk albums being “repetitive” with “songs that sound the same”, saying “maybe one day, you’ll find the prog-punk masterpiece you’re looking for.” Well, in my attempt to stick it to you, the existence of this record seems to have escaped me… This is, in fact, the prog-punk masterpiece you are looking for.

Another no thanks album. Not my vibe.

I'm pretty sure I listened to this album before, but I don't remember anything about it or why I would have sought it out. But maybe I'm wrong, and I've never listened to it before. Either way, I know very little about The Mars Volta, other than they're my fellow Texans and their music is prog rock. I don't really have many expectations for this album, but I know it will be different from what I usually listen to, so I'm interested to jump in. This album was fine. It's not the sort of music that I'd seek out, but I thought it was pretty good from an objective standpoint. I really didn't care much for the first few songs, but at "Drunkship of Lanterns," I thought it got much better. The guitar playing and effects and sound manipulation made this album really unique, and I felt like the second half of the album used those techniques in a much more interesting way than the first half of the album. The hard rock-influenced sound of the album was really good, and the band did a great job of putting their own unique stamp on the genre. The biggest turn off to me was the vocals; I really can't stand that whiny quality to the lead singer's voice, and the album worked best when there were other aspects to focus my attention on. I was also a bit turned off by the length of the songs, especially on the earlier part of the album. I'd be inclined to check this out again some day to see if it managed to grow on me, but I also wouldn't be terribly sad if I never got around to it. I think this album reminds me of the parts of Muse and Coheed and Cambria that I don't like, and that's why I'm a little underwhelmed by it.

What a great album art this is. This album was actually really cool. I'd hear their more popular songs, but never a whole album from start to finish. I'll give this one 4 stars.

It was really good, need to be in a 1990’s alt rock kind of mood

Think Tool. Think Nine Inch Nails. Think (of course) At the Drive In. Think Tool again. Yeah you're pretty darn close. Some standouts but it's not quite my scene.

Already one of my favorite albums of all time. Proggy, metally, experimental greatness!

Found this quite dull. But it take take me about 20 years to get into the band they spawned from so maybe one to relisten to in the 2040s

Wow! This is really something. Prog-rock with a metal influence and emo-style vocals. There’s even some Pink Floyd guitar noodling and some extended jams that are basically jazz-rock fusion. All in all, it’s not totally my thing but there’s no denying that it’s impressive and well made. I can’t believe this album only had 10 tracks. I feel like I just listened to 16 or more. I don’t mean that in a bad way though. This is epic stuff with multi-part songs and experimental intros and outros. Much respect 🙏

I am so thankful for this sound / band / album and a lot of that is because it was a little thread of a connection that I had with my wife back when we were 16 and 17 years old and still in the flirting stages. This was "her" band, and I was just into them enough to want to hear more, and what followed was so many cute little headphone sharing moments, awkward but amazing accidental knee to knee touches while sitting on the high school bus, you know- all the stereotypical young romance movie scenes. It's probably the most nostalgia-bound record for me for the ages of 16-18. The odd yet grounded drum entrance on "Son et Lumiere" is the perfect introduction for what you are about to get with the rest of the record. My wife and I listened to this album a month or two ago and we still proudly remembered all of the seemingly random drum hits. Then "Inertiatic Esp" crashes into you and for me, this song paints the following scene: I'm 17 and going to a carnival with my then new girlfriend (now wife), and a handful of friends and the energy levels are through the roof. There's young person sexual tension- will we get to depart our group and leave at the end of the night together? Will that lead to a long walk back home and more discussions and learning about eachother's likes and dislikes? Would we maybe even kiss? There's also another kind of tension- this is a carnival in the town over and boys have been getting into fights at these and a guy I knew actually got punched with brass knuckles recently at one. I'm one of the taller guys in the group (but maybe 150lbs soaking wet) so I catch a lot of eyes from other boys my age who are just as on guard as I am. We're all taking guesses as to whether someone came to the carnival to jump someone or if they came to play games, eat cotton candy, and then leave to go party elsewhere away from the threat of violence. The song spins and spins and it's filled with pockets of excitement that build and explode, and build and explode over and over. I can hardly hear what Cedric is even singing about but I'm jamming on the cycles of tension and release. It's a perfect parallel of that night. "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)" is so beautifully dynamic and yet constructed so well to be really cohesive. Everything sounds both a little crazy and a little normal. "Drunkship Of Lanters" highlights their Latin flair really well. I love the groove. For some reason, when I was in high school and going on school trips (I was in the band and they loved trips), I would always listen to "This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed" on the bus. I don't know why I gravitated towards that song in particular for this repeated occasion; maybe I was an at-the-time huge distance away from my girlfriend and missing her so I thought to throw on one of her favorite bands tracks and then it became a thing. I would loop it over and over as the miles of road went past out of the bus window. "Televators" might be my favorite TMV song. It's so dramatic and the lyrics feels like they are a new made up language at times. What a great record. I'm so happy for it's inclusion on this list and I wish more people knew about this band because these songs are exactly what I want in some experimental proggy rock band. I want energy and dynamics and FRESH ideas and I want to be excited. Too often it's bands of frankly a bunch of nerdy dudes sitting around and trying so hard to expand musical vocabularies while getting farther and farther away from simply good music. The Mars Volta care about listen-ability. These songs are for YOU the listener, not for THEM the artists. Great album cover too. 5/5!

Listening to this while anxious wasn’t super fun but good record nonetheless.

I just listened to this a little while ago. I'm a big fan of at the drive in, and am just getting into the mars volta. I will always be obsessed with cedric's voice

surprised at how into this I was. first half better than second imo

Did not enjoy this sound experience.