Deloused in the Comatorium

This album was a trip. Feels like the kind of album you have to listen to the whole thing at a time. I can't imagine picking a favorite from this, you just need to turn it on and let the vibes take you on the ride.

I used to this of this band as one that people just claimed to like in a pretentious way, but now I'm starting to come around. I still haven't really fully warmed to them, but I think the instrumental side is incredible. Absolutely wild performances all over this. The singer's voice is a bit grating at first, but I think it's an acquired taste. Going with an 8/10, but could definitely see this growing on me even more.

-fav songs: Inertiatic Esp, Televators - weird sounds - like the vocals - it’s a good album but I wouldn’t listen to this as as whole again - good prog album and a try to break out of the societal norms OVERALL: 3/5

Liked the energy of this album. A style of music I don’t listen too often, but enjoyed this one. 3/5 Might listen again

No thanks

Prog rock with punky/post-hardcore energy, with some Latin influences and doses of freak-out psychedelia, and it works phenomenally and fucking rules. It’s tightly controlled chaos that feels like it can lose its grip at any moment, but always hangs on. Every member of the band can weave in and out of this frenetic and smooth energy. Angular guitar riffs that make your head spin (with some rad solos), a super tight rhythm section with complex, nimble drumming, and Cedric’s wailing on top of it…it all fits like a glove. This is prog with real energy and it feels authentic , not pretentious or wanky.

One thing that really annoys me (and I mean really annoys me) with modern music is how they sing in a manner under a sludge of sound that I can barely make out any of the words. If I can't hear the lyrics, then what's the f-ing point of the song. So instant relegation to 1 from me. Ps music actually quite decent guitar rock

Poor

Liked the music, lyrics got a little wearing though - trying a bit too hard?

This grew on me, so by the end I wasn't rolling my eyes at every song (or maybe the last 3 tracks were a bit better). It's mostly tedious emo shit. I can imagine at as backing music for some Buffy the Vampire Slayer style ITV fluff. Promoted to 2 stars!

I'd been looking forward to listening to this one, as I thought the artwork looked a bit bonkers. Of course, you should never judge a book by its cover, but this was kind of accurate.

The Mars Volta have created their own world thematically and musically that can rightly summon King Crimson, CAN, and Mahavishnu in the same 4-bar phrase. Extending that over the length of this album is an astonishing technical achievement that does not put the lie to the most prescient criticism of Prog Rock/Metal which is the lack of soul. That said, it does reflect genuine emotion in a dark pool of surrealism that does meander into the nightmarish. Truly a feast for the kind of listener (like myself no doubt) hungry for novelty, complexity, heaviness, and just pure instrumental debauchery. I tried to play thisa in the background on a small mono bluetooth speaker and I regretted that decision very much. You have to pay attention to this and you probably should use headphones if possible. One of the best albums I've heard in a while would give it a "high 4 stars" if that were possible.

Can’t stand the vocals. Good musicianship otherwise, but not my style of rock music at all.

Abgedrehtes Album aus einem mix aus Experiment und Konzept. Es ist kaum möglich an einem Tag das Album zu verstehen. Es sind jedoch auch gute progressive Element und intensive Schlagzeugpassagen enthalten. Es wäre vermessen mehr als 3 Sterne zu vergeben aber noch vermessener weniger zu geben - allein schon wegen des Juwels „Televators“.

The only issue with this album is that now 99% of all other rock music is ruined for you, because it's never as wild and fun and exciting as this album is. Shouldn't be a surprise they started off with a masterpiece as the final At The Drive-In album was one too. Exactly the way rock music was intended to be done.

Never really listened to these guys before. I quite liked the album.

Deloused in the Comatorium - The Mars Volta (2003) Clássico! O disco conta com umas 5 músicas históricas do Mars Volta, e minha opinião é enviesada, já que sou fã da banda. Mas, apesar da minha parcialidade, definitivamente a mistureba sonora que a banda faz é digna de se ouvir ao menos uma vez antes de partir. Melhores músicas: Inertiatic ESP, Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of), Drunkship of Lanterns, Cicatriz ESP, Televators Piores músicas: 4/5

At the Drive-In's prog leanings are given full reign here. I'm sure it's a concept album about something but I have no idea what - I guess what every good prog album should be like. Shrieking vocals, dissonant guitar and some heavy breakdowns. I get it. Now over to wikipedia to see what it's about... Best Tracks: Inertiatic ESP; Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of); Eriatarka

Fav: Inertiatic Esp Least Fav: Son Et Lumiere The chaotic nature of the songs got really boring after a while, way too long and way too similar imo. There’s definitely talent there so it’s not worthy of a 2

Es el hijo que tuvieron Porcupine Tree y My Chemical Romance

7/10. Loved the creativity. Singing style isn't my thing. Not a bad voice just not my style of voice.

Ooh, what a mish-mash of other artists jumped into my mind listening to this. As was, apparently, said at the time - Led Zep, Santana, King Crimson. If you listen out for Flea, you can hear touches of RHCP. But I also heard Muse and Jack White, and even a little-known British band called The Music (mainly in the vocals, that last one). Plus others I couldn't put my finger on. (Told my brother* to listen to it. He notes similarities with The Pretty Things.) What a wonderfully crazy thing this is; unknown to me beforehand, but definitely one to remember. Obviously completely bonkers in terms of the concept and lyrics, but, musically, I loved it! *thank you, 1001 Gen, for allowing me to introduce an album to my 64 yo rock fan brother, who normally knows Everything about music. He says "magnificent".

Title: terrible. Cover art: disturbing. Lyrics: grim. Music: makes up for it.

прог рок это гомосексуальная штука

Been wanting to explore this band further. This is really good. Unconventional, yes. But if you can handle the dissonance and the chaos, it's a rewarding experience. Also, a great live band as well. Wish more of their albums appeared in the book.

I don't how I haven't stumbled upon this album before. I really enjoyed listening to this. It kind of reminded me of the Incubus sound I know (I'm no Incubus expert). Pure 2000s alt-hard rock style. No things in particular to highlight but still very good. (edit) 100-ish albums in, this is the one I didn't know that I keep coming back to. Huge sound. Change from 4 stars to 5.

Interesting. 2nd half is better. 7.5

Very chad 4.5

A somewhat psychedelic like sound, I like, but some of segues in the tracks are weak and fast paced, not allowing for some down time in the album.

Such a staggering debut and setting the tone for how prog rock was going to sound in the new millennium. Every single performance is top notch. I have no idea what the lyrics are about though.

The Mars Volta came crashing in and defined the entire prog scene for decades. The combination of Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López is a creative force to behold.

Really bad

What was that? There are some widely popular songs with lyrics that don't make much sense but sound like they could have some meaning. This is just bat-shit crazy. Nearly the same goes for the music. It seems like someone took some well-written and structured music tracks, put them in a meat grinder, and, et voila, there's an album.

I listened but I won't put myself through that again. Definitely won't be adding this to my playlist. Utter rubbish and undeserving of a place in this list

September 28, 2024 I’ve been hearing the name Cedric Bixler-Zavala in the news for a while; however my only exposure to the Mars Volta has been through a song in Guitar Hero IV. Deciding to dig a little deeper today, pairing this album with Relationship of Command by At the Drive-In, Cedric’s former band, to get a sense of this songwriter. Alright, that was At the Drive-In. Pretty shouty, but also high energy without being completely exhausting. Reminds me of the (newer) band Alexisonfire. Interestingly, the sfx, sudden changes & odd atmospheric passages suggest that there is already some prog pre-Mars Volta. Edit: now for the actual album at hand. Deloused is not that far from the earlier band’s post-hardcore sound, though the vocals are more dynamic. The lyrics are hopelessly obtuse, with any attempt to follow the story met with failure. However, the album really shines in the instrumental passages, where hard riffs meet Santana-esque Latin grooves. The hour (well closer to 2 hours, since I restarted it after getting distracted during the 12-minute “Cicatriz”) was exhausting in a way I usually only get with the heavy metal albums on this list, or experimental ones by Can & Zappa. Yet I can’t help but admire this monstrosity, even though I acknowledge its aggressive moments aren’t generally what I go for.

So good……. Bass is amazing and the guitar is so fluid. Vocals are refined burg have an edge and it’s not too over the top for someone like me who doesn’t like the hardcore stuff

This hit hard. A really good mixing of a lot of genres. Done very well. Great production and writing. I could have used a little more lyrics throughout. Not a big instrumental guy. All in all, great listen. 4/5

Wow. This kicks of with an absolutely stunning warm up -> main track and keeps going with brilliance after brillance. Phenomenal album

Linkin Park meets 70s prog rock

Thoroughly enjoyed it but would much rather have ATDI

Not for me

Prog. Gibberish. At least 3.5 stars.

Couldnt really stick it to this one. Pretty good puck rockin sound at times

Fun fact - never really listened to them before.

Another strange opus. I guess these are the types of albums they want us to all hear before we die.

Frenetic and Frantic, this is a great album. TMV are huge live too. Was gonna grant it 4 stars as it is a tiresome work, but the beautiful Televators (a favorite of mine ever since it came out) jumps the full album for the fifth one.

# 322 : I don't love it, I don't hate it. I thought it was very ordinary and Quiet forgettable. I probably won't go back to this.

Liked it more than I thought I would, but a lot of it felt samey

Nothing crazy but might be worth giving it another go

This wasn’t bad but it’s just not a subgenre of rock that I particularly enjoy

Little screamy for me. Reminds me of Coheed and Cambria and tunes of that genre so I like that aspect but wow did this stress me out while working

Didn't enjoy it. I'll chalk it up partly to lack of exposure and partly to lack of preference to this genre

Is it nu-metal or nu-prog or what? Had some moments but overall not my thing. Some jams I guess

This album is a wild ride. It’s like prog rock met punk energy, then added layers of psychedelia. The sound twists and turns, much like early King Crimson, but with more urgency. The vocals are frantic and emotional, pushing boundaries. Guitars spiral out of control, but it all feels intentional. It’s chaos, but with structure underneath.

Complex and exciting

No suena mal, sobre todo como fan de At the Drive-in, tendré que volver a escucharlo ya que de momento solo me he guardado: Eriatarka.

FIZZING with ideas and energy, very dynamic, beautifully executed progressive rock (small p, small r) - rock that is trying to move on, be intense.

Lots going on, couldn’t decide if I hated that or liked it

Sehr wilder Rock 3/5

Top tier prog rock. Love the use of "glitchy" sound effects in instrumental sections.

I think my wife would like it - puts me in mind of emo bands like MCR and alike. Not my bag.

this record had the potential to be really brilliant. i was impressed by the first 4 tracks, and excited to see what direction the rest of the album would go in. however, i thought it began to slow down after “drunkship of lanterns”, with the final few songs all merging into one. for the most part, i really enjoy the sound, and the story the album tells, but i think this record could have gone in a different, and better direction than it did.

After breaking away from one of the more promising bands of the early 2000s, At the Drive-In, Oscar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala gave progressive rock adrenaline and energy boosts in the form of The Mars Volta and their debut album Deloused in the Comatorium. In the course of an hour, we are beholden to a blistering and bewildering blast of bombastic proportions as prog rock becomes reborn anew with a Mexican-American purview. The intensity displayed here is enough to make one's eyes widen and one's heart pump as it soars. The song titles may be incomprehensible but one thing is for certain: the dizzying musicianship sticks with you long after the last note fades.

Говнари визжат под гитарку Фтьу Пошел нахуй 7/10 Я дрочу майонез

This turned out to be an excellent album. I wasn't convinced with songs 1 and 2. The music seemed a bit relentless. I still think some of the drums and vocals could be slightly more restrained in places - but it's actually a fantastic, innovative, subversive-sounding album. Loved it. Some memorable songs and very sweet guitar effects/sounds: Tira Me a Las Aranas and Drunkship of Lanterns. are where it really kicks in. A real grower that takes a firm hold by song 3. Pretty awesome.

a formative record. was the first time i heard prog rock modernized in a way that felt like a continuation of the genre and not a 70s nostalgia trip.

Very interesting. Not what I expected but I enjoyed the freneticness of it. Nice jazzy feeling and prog sound. 10/10 needs relistens for sure. I love the longer song in the middle, reminds me of later Jimi stuff.

It doesn't suffer from the cardinal sin of being boring. This may be too avant garde for me, but there's plenty of more melodic sections I liked. Lots going on and I probably didn't absorb the majority of it, but I'm not up for an immediate relisten either. Best songs: Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of), Eriatarka, Cicatriz Esp.

One of the great modern prog-rock albums. Epitomizes everything right about the genre - bold, innovative with unique themes and captivating storytelling. Phenomenal

Great prog rock, but some tracks make me literally feel like I’m going insane. 4.3 stars

Hell yeah

A revelation!

Interesting, sounds very progressive. Sometimes a bit monotone

Well, I wasn't expecting to like this. Not because I wasn't hopeful! In fact, I'd say The Mars Volta exude everything I'd want out of a rock band in the 2000s if they aren't going for the Strokes sound. It's prog-y, it's hardcore, and the vocals are just androgynous enough to tickle something in my brain that I'm pretty sure I'm subconsciously trying to keep under wraps. It's just... I remember Frances the Mute, their sophomore album, to be so disappointing when I gave it a whirl, so I thought this would be more of the same. However, it doesn't cause me pain; in fact, I'd say I quite liked it! It still wanders too much for my own liking, leading to a lot of droning moments that only make you say "Get a move on," which isn't helped by the group's general lack of variation, but what is there is great, with some great instrumental and vocal performances, and some moments that truly do rock. The whole thing oozes the art of the "weird," and while bands like this, especially from this era, tend to come off as stuffy, this album is just fun enough with the inclusion of some more out there lyrics, time-signatures, and some instruments not often found in a progressive record, and I come away from this pretty pleased. It isn't my favorite in the world, there is something about the production I dislike that I'm sure only Rick Rubin is to blame, but color me shocked because I'm re-invigorated to give this band another try.

Really enjoyed this one! Major angsty vibes, lots of overlap with the MCR crowd.

Sorry, lead singer’s voice makes my ears bleed and always has

4 out of 5. This certainly carries an early 2000's sound but not in a bad way, and I do like albums that tell stories.

Excellent

Well known more recent prog/math Rock album that propelled this band into many ears to bless them with their awesome creativity and talent. It's definitely a notable one for me and I've listened to it many times. Understand it's not for everyone of course.

These guys are very good, no doubt about it. The songs are constantly teetering on the brink of chaos, and it's stunning how well the music is controlled. The lyrics do the same, obscure to the point of inscrutability.. Unfortunately, there are times when even the formidable chops of the band can't keep it together and the whole thing takes a nosedive from genius to mediocre noodling. None of the album is genuinely bad, but some of it is less than stellar.

When this album came out I was having my mind blown by it. They were in heavy rotation for the next couple years.

Pretty wild, very loud but guitar riffs are wild and solos. Lyrics crazy as, really liked

Probably my favourite album. At least in the top 5.

Dit werkt mij dus op de zenuwen. Een jengelstem, valse gitaren en een bak herrie. Het lijkt wel punk, maar dan in het post-grungetijdperk. Hoor ik liever Frans Bauer? Ik twijfel. Af en toe zit er een luisterbaar stukje tussen. Maar Frans zeurt (krijst) wat minder om aandacht.

Heb je hem net wat harder gezet, om een interessant stukje beter te horen, klapt er keihard een gitaar doorheen. Een beetje zoals vroeger de reclame-uitzendingen ook altijd harder leken te zijn als de film. Dus dan zet je hem maar zachter. En dan weer harder en dan weer zachter. Man. Dit is mega-irritant. Als je huid geprikkeld is en en strijkt wat overheen, dan komt dat veel harder binnen dan normaal. Dan heb ik nu ook. Ik ben al geprikkeld door het gepiel met volume. En juist dan volgt een of ander overstuurd geluid vol echo. Wie weet is dat normaal prima. Maar het komt nu veel harder binnen dan normaal. Er schijnt een uur lang een verhaal verteld te worden. Met al die fratsen heb ik daar niets van meegekregen.

Zoals ik al eerder bij Drive Like Yehu vermeldde, vind ik de andere afsplitser van At The Drive In, nl Sparta, fijner om te luisteren. Daar zit lekker veel groove in. The Mars Volta is verdergegaan met experimenteren waar At The Drive In gestopt was. Als ze losgaan met de gitaarpartijen is het echt wel lekker om te luisteren. De gillende zang galmt dan om de gitaren heen, heel tof. Maar zo nu en dan verzanden ze ook in iets teveel moeilijk doen om het moeilijk doen en raken ze de flow een beetje kwijt. Dat de zure broeders dit niet op waarde kunnen schatten, verbaast me niks. Maar ik vind het ook iets teveel van het goede soms. Ik zou ze aanraden om Wiretap Scars van Sparta eens te luisteren. Al blijft dit natuurlijk een ver van hun bed show. Sparta krijgt 5 sterren van me, the Mars Volta een kleine 4.

Man, this is a dense, complex album. I read a bit after listening and understanding its a conceptual album following a story. For that, I'd need to listen with headphones or view the lyrics. But this is good.

Didn't like it at first, but it grew on me.

I‘d like a little less prog in my rock, please.

Still a pretty wild one.

Actually really enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Cool melodies and really enjoyed the lead singer.

After the first twenty seconds I was fully prepared to give this a one. It was like, well here we go this just seems like this is going to be awful but then the lead singer comes in and made me do a complete 180. Don’t think I can give it a 4 but I like a strong 3 just because I don’t think I’ll be listening to these again but I enjoyed it more than expected. Just wish I could actually understand what he was saying

I really did enjoy this album. It is so strange but has a lot of high moments. It was too long though. Even being an hour it felt like it dragged on forever. It had a few of the 10 minute long songs. It would go from some satisfying angsty vocals to noise for 5 minutes. This is definitely the kind of album I like to see on the list though, so unique!

I definitely appreciated this album even though this side of the spectrum on this genre isn’t always for me. Sounds like there has been plenty of influence on later bands as well. It made for great driving music on the way home after a long weekend.

I.... I don't know how to rate this one. It's either 2 or 4 stars. Definitely not a 3. It's anything but average. I found myself enjoying the first half of it, but then had to stop to take care of some things. I really had to work myself up to start it again and was dreading it a bit, but once I started it again, I really enjoyed it. Listening to this album felt like going to the gym. I dreaded everything leading up to it, but once it was over I felt great and thought about going back again.

I was familiar with later work but had not spent time with this. It is complicated and compelling. Will take further listens to really suss out.

I only made it through one listen of this, but I think I liked it a lot! The vocal performance was not my favourite part of this recording, but the guitar work especially was really fantastic and I would definitely put this band on again. I'm excited to check out some more of their work.

This one's tricky - it's so good! But also not the easiest listen. You really don't fire up this album to kick back for the evening and shake off the day's troubles. But it's still a keeper!

Постхардкорный дебютный прог альбом от мастеров замудренной лирики. концептуальный альбом про мужчину лежащего неделю в коме после отравления наркотой. Прог рок в лучшем проявлении с отличным вокалистом( не таким как у screaming trees))))) ). Короче, немножко джаза, африканских ударных инструментов, отличная гитара , барабаны, и вокал. Пятерка. Заслуженные 5 звезд.

A mad prog album of songs and things and I might actually listen to this a lot. At first I thought it was a bit Muse but it’s much more interesting than that.

1.5/5. Not very good. The instrumentals sounds cool at some point, but the singers voice really screams "I'm from the early 2000s and this is rock". It's like hard rock, but gross. I get Linkin Park vibes, which is not great... The length of this album only made it worse.

Gave me a headache :(

I don't know for sure, but this album definitely takes inspiration from the contemporaries at the time, like Muse and Radiohead. I agree with some of the reviews, that while it is progressive, it is not on the "easy to hate" level of progressive. On the contrary: really unique and creative album, with a wide range of influences from different genres (prog, jazz, classic rock?) and refreshingly done contrasts. It's much easier to appreciate their music when you realize the most played rock bands around the time were Evanescence, Linkin Park and that one song from Papa Roach.

Decent stuff. Was totally new to me.

I've only heard *of* them, never their music before. And I'm blown away. Their sound feels like like a lighter, more experimental-rock precursor to the prog-metal sound of bands like TesseracT, Haken, and Leprous. Great songs, and a very nice composition for the album - it was a pleasure listening to, and I'll definitely be listening to more of their stuff.

Mars Volta are a band that for the last two decades I’ve blithely assumed to be terrible without giving them a chance, so I’ll strap myself to the mast and order the cabin boy to press play. …sorry, the waves of raving voice and proficient axe-worked lulled me. Is that a Flea I hear at the low end? This has a lot of dynamics and agitation that bring to mind post-hardcore botherers - Drive Like Jesu, say - but what I hear is not catchy. Cabin boy, listen: I’ve frolicked to enough freak music, free jazz, noise rock to fill a week of hedonistic abstract dance, and let me tell you repetition is not essential for catchiness. Want me to hum the opening to “Clear to Higher Time” by the Blue Humans to you? Wet my lips with rum, Seaman Staines, and bend your ear. Memorable music doesn’t need repetition: there are blasts of random guitar feedback, drum fills, extravagant sweeps of synth and lone yells that I count among my favourite sound moments. I did not find that here.

I have a soft spot for some "post-hardcore" or whatever, essentially because it often sounds like increasingly extravagant variations on "Achilles Last Stand" (a fine idea in my mind). Here is the album that sparked the interest - loud, mysterious and very catchy. Who knows what the fuck "exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed" is supposed to mean, but I like hearing it! Generous 5* to commemorate the last album I purchased solely through fortunate exposure in a record shop (i.e., 21 years ago), and to increase the chance of its spectacular cover art appearing on our summary page. Yeah!

算是能听下去的prog-rock

1.5

Composed with purpose; a frantic, almost chaotic energy created with a sense that something wants to be expressed, wants out. However, the lyrics are frequently drowned out by the instruments accompanying it, making the message hard - and at times frustrating - to discern.

I am going to say it, for me on a personal level this was less enjoyable than Bon Jovi very long, overly complicated songs (in a way that I can hear my music lecturers going "oh but it's great they do 6/4 then 12/8 and the harmony modulates into a fancy mode scale"), which is neat... but it wasn't saying anything from that other than "ooh aren't we clever" - I like prog, but when I am bored at surface level and have to exercise my brain and explore the meta of music making to enjoy it... I start to think I could just listen to something else. - It felt like a very confused pop/punk emo group, and not in a "ooh fun experimental prog-rock crossover" - The crossing between songs works better if all the songs don't end up sounding the same, otherwise it feels like a slog. Please don't hurt me! I was really looking forward to this album because I'd heard so many good things about it. The musicianship is impeccable!

Interesting, but Mars Volta has never quite been my cup of tea.

Pretentiöst dravel.

I vastly prefer old prog rock compared to new. This didn't resonate with me at all and it's not the first time I've tried listening to Mars Volta.

I grew up with this era of prog-esque post-hardcore, so I have a soft spot for this album and this style of music in general. On a base level, I knew I was still going to love it, and I knew that before pressing play. The latin-inspired rhythms are something I missed as a teen, and they really elevate Deloused in the Comatorium to essential status. Also, Cedric’s vocals and Omar’s guitar work are as amazing as ever, and shine brighter than they do on any At the Drive-In album. This album has it all: heavy, soft, spacey, prog, and pop, all in one. Actually, it’s incredible how many pure hooks there are sprinkled throughout this record, given that it’s both a concept album and a prog rock record. That said, I always preferred AtDI to the Mars Volta, as I found the latter to be a bit too chaotic and disorganized for my taste; after revisiting Deloused, I’d still say the same thing today. A song like “Eriatarka” is amazing, but it has so many parts that are tied together by the thinnest connective tissue possible. Compared to classic prog records, Deloused lacks cohesion, which is almost an ironic critique because simultaneously, it’s biggest strength is that every song flows together into the next one as if this is an album with only one track. There’s a general ✨muchness✨ to this era of post-hardcore that you either love or hate, and the Mars Volta are a big reason for why that is, so as a result, you’re either going to like it and turn a blind eye to it when it maybe borders on overboard, or you’re going to tap out.

And again, I grew up obsessed with this scene, so even when Deloused is a little sprawling and tangled, I still have a blast with this record. Honestly, I’m sad that more of the classics from this era aren’t on the list, particularly Relationship of Command, but that shouldn’t distract from Deloused’s shine. This album is essential and a post-hardcore masterpiece, and still holds up today for its unique genre-bending and sheer display of talent.

Concept album about a week long coma after overdosing a mixture of morphine and rat poison. Disturbing.

Dude. This is unlike anything I've ever heard before. There's so many conflicting things interacting when you listen to De-Loused in the Comatorium by the Mars Volta. It's catchy, yet emotional. The lyrics are somewhat nonsensical at times, and yet the whole album tells a compelling story. Oh yeah, this is a concept album, and a damn good one at that. Imagine the theatrics and conceptual uniqueness of an album like The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance (how is that not on the list?) mixed with the prog rock talents of a band like Rush or Yes. That's this album, and it's amazing. The Rush comparison is also quite fitting in regards to the vocals. They're the kind of vocals that kind of have to grow on you, and I can see why others would be annoyed by them. I for one think they work quite well with the emotional beats of the story. Why don't more people talk about this album and band? Seriously, this is some amazing stuff right here. 5/5.

Somehow never really listened to them. This was really good. I’m giving it a four, but I have a feeling on multiple listens it could rise to a five.

Ideal to be listened to on vinyl w/headphones. Immersive experience.

Didn't grab me at first I think there is something there I will enjoy again.

Yeah the lyrics are total nonsense, but the music and vocal performance is so good do you honestly care?

4.5, reallly good. Wish I knew what he was saying xD

Dont like this kind of singing

Confusing prog and art rock. I can see the appeal for a certain listener but this just wasn't for me.

Very cool concept. But concepts doth butter no crumpets.

That was what that was. 2.4.

I just can't get into Prog Rock. Personal enjoyment 3/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5

"Deloused in the Comatorium" showcases The Mars Volta's undeniable musical talent but fails to deliver a coherent listening experience. The album's ambitious prog-rock experimentations often devolve into chaotic, self-indulgent noodling. While tracks like "Inertiatic ESP" have flashes of brilliance, they're buried under impenetrable lyrics and overly complex arrangements. The result is a technically impressive but ultimately exhausting and inaccessible debut that will likely alienate all but the most devoted prog-rock enthusiasts.

This was the 2nd MV album I heard and I thought it was great. Love the sound

Amazing band a bit toooo experimenal. Their crazy fussion of salsa and progressive rock is very unique taken from the carlos santana playbook and making their own thing. The salsa songs are insanly great but the sound experimental ones are sometimes too long and too paused for my personal liking. Production wise its a great album even thou I dont feel its their best one.

I’m glad I finally listened to this after seeing it around so much in the 2000s. I can appreciate the musical chops on display. I just find this so stressful to listen to most of the time.

An instrumental version of this album would be great. The vocals aren't horrible, but they just don't add anything to the music. Plus I don't think I knew what any of the songs were supposed to be about. I'd say 4 stars without the vocals.

actually really cool! kind of prog with more of a punk lean rather than rock

These guys sound like a mix between Muse, Coheed & Cambria, and Tool. Pretty solid modern prog rock. Interestingly, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers played bass on this record. Another interesting note.... These guy formed from the ashes of hardcore band At The Drive-In. Favourite songs: Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of), Inertiatic Esp, Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt, This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed, Televators Least favourite songs: Cicatriz Esp 3/5

I think there is some potential here, I’m going to give this album and their other discography a listen and form a better opinion. On first listen 3/5

Certainly not to be confused with any traditional approach to popular music. What are those occasionally understood snippets of lyrics? This is a breath of fresh air after a smog of normalcy. And have fun decrypting the song titles while you're smoked out in your dorm room or basement (knowing spanish helps). Proggy approach to wacko. Tool on acid? I like to listen to one or two songs at a time, but a whole album side can be too much. Less can be a good bit more here.

Supposedly what happens in the mind of someone in a drug induced coma. There's a lot of bass and drums happening in that coma dream. Well produced but also off-putting.

Described as prog rock I thought I was going to hate this. But it sounded more like Paramore to me. Never heard of them before and probably willing never play them again - not hateful but eminently forgettable.

I had heard of the mars Volta before, but I don’t recall ever listening to anything by them. Whenever I hear the name of the band, I always think of 30 seconds to Mars and Son Volt, neither of which is this band. I enjoyed this album and would not turn it off if I ever heard it playing again, but don’t plan to listen to it again on purpose, or seek anymore of their stuff out

This is pretty fantastic. I've seen the name of this band but never heard a note before this listen, and it's pretty much right up my alley. I was afraid it might be too predictable '90s alternative when it first opened, but it took all of 90 seconds to dispel that as the album gave way to pretty progressive elements while always holding on to something that resembled mainstream rock. But just barely. I appreciated the ambitious approach to everything — the playing, the entire album's worth of songs, the vocals (I thought it was a woman singing), this is creative and unpredictable. I gave it a second listen, wondering if that might bring me in even closer, but strangely, it was almost the opposite — there's a lot here to digest. It was something like Silversun Pickups meets Tool meets Rush. Wild ride.

I admire the spirit, energy, and musicianship, I just felt it was lacking magic. A lot of exciting things were happening, and almost none of them made an impression. Maybe I need to re-listen, but that's all the time I had.

If genesis, rush, and radiohead all had a baby this is probably what would come out! It's fun, it's different, it's building off of the powerhouses of prog rock before it's time. I enjoyed it

Rock and roll with a thin and flat vocal that didn’t cut it for me.

4.5

How did I not know this existed until now? So happy it's in my life.

Kind of cool to hear a modern progressive band. Many of my first music "loves" were progressive rock bands: Pink Floyd, Queen, Yes, Genesis (and of course Peter Gabriel's solo work), Emerson, Lake and Palmer, King Crimson, Styx, Jethro Tull. I was impressed with the out-of-the-box intensity of the music and vocals. High, high energy. And just when you think you get the tone of the record, Cicatriz Esp comes on and sounds like Santana and a bit of 60s psychedelic rock vibe to boot. I dont think this will be on repeat on my playlist but it is a very intriguing band and intriguing album

I love this album. It's both enjoyable to listen to and super interesting.

Is it pretentious? Yes, yes it is but I still love it!

One of those "I know there's a lot of talent that went into this, but it's not for me" albums.

A lot going on here. Hard to pin down stylistically, it often sounds like it's taking cues from pop but applying overly distorted, fuzzed out guitars. Not sure the fusion really works for me. Makes for a very nu-metal sound and I'm not really into it. The production leaves this feeling sterile and it definitely takes away from the heavier parts. It's the pop-produced style of the vocals that I really just can't get down with. They don't fit the music and more often than not distract me from hearing the more nuanced and intricate work happening there. The long instrumental parts of Cicatriz Esp really hammer home how much better this would be without vocals entirely.

Deloused in the Comatorium I had this on repeat this morning and genuinely couldn’t distinguish anything, it just went round and round sounding the same, I had no idea what track was what or if the album had started again. Nothing was memorable in any way. I liked it a bit more listening this afternoon after a break from it, but I still couldn’t really pick out any songs, apart from Cicatriz ESP, which I enjoyed, particularly the last 4 minutes or so. Some of the guitar and organ on Roulette Dares I also liked, as well as the drums and organs on Drunkship of Lanterns. Overall it felt like there are a lot of good moments but not so many great songs. Obviously there is a huge amount of skill and technique on this, some excellent guitar and drumming, but I don’t find the overall result that interesting. I admire the bombast, the over the topness and all the ideas crammed into it, but it feels like it needs more space and subtlety to let it breathe a bit amongst all the chaos. I also don’t find his voice that great, which I think undercuts all the dramatic tension they are trying to build. I also get the concept behind it and it is quite touching, but too often the song titles and lyrics more often fall over that fine line between clever and stupid, the earnestness of it renders it all a bit too daft too frequently. A 2 is too low for the technical skill and overall ambition, so a 3 feels about right. I’m glad I gave it a good go, but it’s unlikely I’ll revisit it. ⭐⭐⭐

Weird rock

Fatiguing at times, but very dynamic and exciting. It seems like there’s intricacy to the instrumentation but something about the volume or the production makes it hard for me to appreciate it all the way. Hard to know my final opinion on this one, I’m somewhere between 3 and 4

*Finally* a band that understands title capitalization rules around prepositions and articles. Fuck! Legendary album, these guys rule.

Not into any of the tracks at all. 1/5

Onpas emo

Amazing

Surprisingly good

It's pretty close to flawless. More consistent than Frances, for me, although Frances has higher highs.

A bit edgy but that cover goes too hard for 3*

Not my usual type of music, but it mixed a lot of themes and sounds that lead it to be very enjoyable. Feels like an album that might benefit from a 2nd listen

Rock progresivo raruno. Ni fu ni fa.

Progressive rockart rockpost-hardcore. Rollo.

Good grief - awful, a lost hour.

This being one of my all-time favourite albums, I’m finding it hard to put my thoughts into words without just rambling praise for it. Essentially, it’s the most radical prog album to be since the 70s (avant-prog notwithstanding, you know I love you). There were other albums to combine alt-rock and prog before this one, but none with this level of energy, inventiveness and embrace of prog absurdity while retaining vitality. This is progressive rock made by hardcore kids, the fusion of the two providing the music with it’s strongest characteristic: combining musical complexity with emotional expression. This carries through all elements of the music. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’ guitar work, while at times sounding completely alien, borrows a lot of harmonic vocabulary from hardcore and particularly emo bands, giving the occasionally incomprehensible chords a clear emotional resonance. Cedric Bixler-Zavala outrageously high vocal register and word-salad lyrics may come off as obtuse prog-excess, but the melodic lines are delivered with complete conviction and earnesty (and considering the often recounted story behind the album, the conviction is very justified) Jon Theodore also puts in one of the best drum performances put to tape, laying down inimitable grooves with pinpoint precision and unbridled power. Every other player contributes massively also; Flea’s groovy bass, “Ikey” Owens’ characteristic keyboards, the laye Jeremy Michael Ward’s soundscapes, Lenny Castro’s percussion to name a few. I’ve already rambled about this album enough however, and I haven’t even gotten to the songs themselves. This album is one of a kind. Far from the band’s only masterpiece, but there is a certain element that cannot be repeated through just similar composition. And that’s what makes this album so great

Förstod mig allt mer på musiken men tycker sångaren+lyricsen suger. Givande ig

Not the easiest one for listening, still a staple

I had never heard of this particular band -- though I have a vague recollection of a band with the same name in Boston back in the late 1980s. I am generally a fan of progressive rock in all forms, and anything with some complexity and musicality is right up my alley. I liked this record and will definitely check more of their stuff out.

This was a very strange album for me that I simply could not get into. Not my choice in music, and while I could appreciate and see the musicianship in effect - definitely not an album that I would listen too again or recommend to others.

Musically very good, lyrically? eh.

Weird, partly wonderful, partly fun, partly irritating with completely bonkers lyrics. Despite the irritating parts 4 stars.

After seeing the album cover, I didn't have high expectations for this album. I shouldn't judge an album by its cover. The lyrics are nonsense and do indeed sound like the ravings of someone who's had too much morphine, which I suppose is the point. They aren't really my style, but if I ignore the words the music is amazing. The fusion of styles makes some great progressive rock, and it's easy to hear the influence this had on later bands.

I remember enjoying this album, but also needing to be in the right mood. that about sums it up.

This album (and Frances the Mute) were huge for me in high school, so it’s a 5 star nostalgia trip. I started listening to The Mars Volta again last year because they went on tour, so this was already in recent rotation. But I think, beyond even nostalgia, this is an excellent piece of music that showcases an interesting point of view and unique creativity. It’s progressive in the best ways, offering interesting exploration while maintaining surprisingly catchy songs. Other people might be turned off by the excess, but I find it fascinating.

Very mixed feelings about this one. I think the frontman is doing an awesome job. He has a great voice and he shows that a lot and even more in the more rocky songs. But the more the band goes in the direction of the psychodelic rock the more I can't understand that direction. Very intriguing, but could be better. 3.5/5.

always thought the mars volta was some kind of emo stuff due to the voice, its not, wow still annoyed by the vocals, otherwise good music

Rush, King Crimson etc, can all fuck off. The Mars Volta is the pinnacle of Prog rock. Deloused in the Comatorium is a masterpiece, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a band that builds to climaxes as big as they do. Drunkship of Laterns, Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt finales are so intense, they can’t be described. So many people will be turned off immediately by this album, I feel bad for them. 9.5/10

Starts strong, kind of peters out. Spotify automatically played The Widow after, which probably did not do this album any favors, but such is life.

For real I don't know how they do this. Proggy, funky, heavy, dynamic. This shit rips. Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt is probably my favorite here.

absolute insanity

A simply wonderful swirl of guitars and noise. I don't normally care for this style of vocals, it's a little too emo-adjacent for my tastes, but it works here.

Tool meets System of a Down meets Santana meets King Crimson meets Bjork. Nice. 3.5

I'm now wide awake. No need for the extra cup of coffee, just listen to this!

I knew nothing about this band. Reading the album name and track listing, I thought it would be, I don't know... smarter?

This band is too much. I get they are good at what they do but this is not for me at all. Very stoked when this was over and I was done listening to it.

i mean it was interesting and well done but i doubt ill listen to it again

Mmmm.

True magic.

De-Loused In The Comatorium would be in my “10 albums you must have listened to in your life” list. It's so unusual to be served progressive rock, Latin music, samba, psychedelic rock, experimental and post-hardcore on one plate that it would have been difficult to imagine such a thing without the existence of this group. I will always remember my very first listen to this record... I had absolutely no understanding of what had just happened, it was out of this world, I didn't know if I liked it or not, but I I had a great desire to return there to elucidate this mystery. The album quickly turned into fascination. Everything had to be resolved: the powerful singing of Cédric Bixler-Zavala, the chaotic guitar of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the surreal texts, the abstract and captivating atmospheres, the crazy, technical and energetic percussions. Everything was happening at all once and it was brilliantly working. De-Loused is an album where the duo of Cedric and Omar gave themselves complete creative freedom. A work that keeps me in a state of violent amazement for a full hour.

Héritier du prog; ressemble à Muse par les rythmes accélérés, l’interprétation théâtrale et urgente, la virtuosité, les thèmes un peu science-fiction. L’album est presque un spectacle en soi

Awesome album! Hard to describe but it’s fucking rocking!

Demonstrative but not impressive. Too emo.

I tried really hard not to enjoy it but I failed because I enjoyed it immensely

Gonna have to re listen to this one a few times. I like it.

Good prog.

Another one I was not expecting to enjoy as much as I did. Probably cause they got kinda jammy so I appreciated their extended songs. Dudes got a voice too.

Super annoying. No.

The lore… woah.

Not good, not for me. Sounds like Muse but proggier

Good album. Few bits a bit too abstract for me but enjoyed it 3.4

Deserves another listen

Not my music but I can respect the style

So great

This is some of the best vocal work I've heard on a prog rock record. Stunning use of tone and pitch, and it pairs perfectly with the orchestral style of the instrumentation. It's really something special when you can make a rock band sound like a full orchestra. Favorites were tracks 2, 5, 6 and 9

These lyrics are mostly nonsense. This album was really great. I had heard of the band, but never listened. Favorite songs were songs 2, 3, 6, and 8.

Progressive rockart rockpost-hardcore. Rollo.

Refreshingly different and a good listen. Very similar to a lot of the post -hardcore I listened to back in the day.

This is the greatest album of all time for theory guys who were just smarter than you and knew what classified as good music. If you don’t like this, you’re probably just not smart enough. And that’s okay. There’s always Kelly Clarkson for you. But you know what…this kind of fuckin rocks. I never really could get into these types of guys back when they were blowing up, but I’m thinking missed out a bit.

Kind of like a good, strong shot of espresso—it’s invigorating, it’s robust, and it’s best consumed in small doses.

Fuck is up with that VOICE?

I was not expecting that type of percussion in progressive rock. It's kinda groovy. I thought some sections were a bit long and some messy, but overall it was interesting.

Awful. Their mums must be so ashamed.

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I think At The Drive In was better. Relationship was an amazing album and I feel they stepped down a notch with The Mars Volta, losing a bit of edge. That said this is an amazing album that pushes you in ways that you don't expect.

I listened to this CD so much in my Walkman that it stopped working. I have no objective way to rate this. 4.5/5

Wow. Never heard of this lot before. The most interesting album so far. Will have to listen to this a fair bit to get to grips with it.

Okay... I'll start by the saying the instrumentation is pretty good. Drumming is good, guitar is good. Bass seems functional as far as I can tell. The main flaw of the this album are the god awful lyrics. I'm not much of a lyrics person myself, I normally ignore them to focus on the melody but my god these are bad. If there's some kind of deeper meaning it's too deep for me, sorry. This sounds like nonsense and looks like nonsense when written down. Unfortunately, the terrible lyrics aren't supported at all by the repetitive and boring melody writing. Whereas potentially weak lyrics from a band such as Oasis are passable, with the catchy and enjoyable melodies, these just fall flat. I truly don't understand the reviews calling this the greatest prog rock/metal of the modern age and/or the 2000s. Go and listen to Porcupine Tree's In Absentia (2002) or Deadwing (2005) or Tool's Lateralus (2001), or The Pineapple Thief's Your Wilderness (2016). Some of my favourites which are miles and miles better than this. Yeah. 2/5

Love everything except the voice. Little too emo and nasally for me to give it a 5.

Hyvin lähellä ettei jäänyt yhteen tähteen.

I didn't like this much when it came out, but it's grown on me honestly. Over the top frenetic prog emo, it's love or hate for sure, but... I think it deserves the 4.

All the cool kids loved The Mars Volta. Either I’m old or all the cool kids were wrong. This just sounded loud.

Mid.

This is a potentially phenomenal album that’s brought down by bad vocals. The music is like nothing else ever to exist, and the singing sounds like any of a thousand mediocre emo bands from that era. Still four stars because the music is that good.

The music is pretty good, but it feels...overbearing? There are some points where it feels like I'm getting sensory overload just from listening, and that gets to be a little much over the course of an hour or so

Just an absolutely insane album. The drumming is insane, the vocals are insane, the guitar shredding... also insane. Prog music for Fugazi fans

I've never considered myself to be a particularly "over the top" person, but rather a restrictive person who's more content with flying under the radar. So I find it strange that one of my favorite albums ever is probably one of the most "over the top" albums I've ever heard. I mean everything about this The Mars Volta debut is bombastic and overblown; be that the vocals, lyrics, production, length, and even the album's title itself. The advent of The Mars Volta was preceded by the break-up of the incredible El Paso post-hardcore group At the Drive-In, of which the two core members of The Mars Volta, Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, were a part of. I mean the afro-guys more than stuck out in that band, most evident in the live recordings you can find scattered all across the internet. On one side you've got Omar who's more concerned with hitting his spaghetti leg moves than he is with hitting the right notes. On the other you've got Cedric, forgetting lyrics and jumping off speakers. Must've been hell to play with these guys but holy shit was it fun to watch. While some might hate this, it drew me in and was a gold standard I set for stage presence. It was a relentless live energy only rivaled by previous hardcore and post-hardcore groups like Fugazi. I say this because the two afro guys would go on to match that exact energy on this massive cinematic debut. I say cinematic because the band has talked at length about how they were more inspired by the movies they would watch rather than the music they would listen to. Maybe that's why their music sounds so unique. They had the fundamentals down from their previous band, but rather than carry over the noisier hardcore noises of ATDI, they moved in a more progressive direction. With Rick Rubin assisting (alongside Omar) on production, the mix is allowed to thrive and flourish with every instrument occupying a space here, allowing a perfect blend with no one instrument overpowering the others. Jon Theodore's drumming is incredible all across this thing, with machine gun rapid-fire passages and fills to match Omar's many incredible riffs, like on the closing minutes of "Drunkship of Lanterns". Isaiah "Ikey" Owens does the incredible keyboard work here, comprising mostly of organs that add so much to every single song. With an incredible backing set of players, this album was always set up to be something genuinely great, almost pristine, and easily digestible for prog fans generally. At least that's what I would say if it weren't for the biggest, likely negative for many, factor here and that's vocalist and lyricist Cedric. I mean on the surface, the guy lands somewhere between an emo vocalist and a pop-punk vocalist with lyrics that are almost laughably cryptic at times. And I love everything about it. The guy's range in the studio is undoubtedly amazing. It's what makes this band and this album so special to me. The first full track "Inertiatic Esp" absolutely demands the attention of the listener when it first starts, whether it yields a prominently negative reaction or one that's similar to mine which is pure joy, it forces a strong reaction. It's a litmus test for the rest of this album and I attribute that to Cedric's lead vocals. I've talked a lot abstractly because I genuinely just love every second of this album and can't think of the best way to describe the music here. The full opening track is the band's most notable because of its catchy and memorable chorus, but also its staccato drum and guitar. It also goes the distance in terms of length and goes through a couple of facets and phases. Cedric's vocals truly shine on the following "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)" with some truly incredible moments (like on the bridge). It also has one of the hardest grooves in the opening seconds. "Cicatriz Esp" certainly still has Cedric shining in the beginning, but this is undoubtedly Omar's track with incredible guitar layers in the song's long instrumental mid-section. It plateaus into pure ambiance for a little bit before being bought back for an explosive finale. I say Omar because he handles the guitar and bass directly on this album, but he is also credited with being the musical genius behind and composer of all these tracks. "Televators" is a slower ballad-type track, sounding almost like something that appears on their next album, and is an incredible breather before the band brings it back for a grand finale on "Take The Veil Cerpin Text". This closer has one of the most winner choruses that showcases Cedric's poppier tendencies. Even with saying all that, it's hard to capture how the music sounds in words. It's unlike any other prog album and certainly is one of the most idiosyncratic releases within the genre. I've neglected to talk about the lyrics here. I find it hard as hell to remember the lyrics to this thing because of Cedric's affinity for the thesaurus. The lyrics are super cryptic and take some looking into. It's a staple in their discography and an acquired taste. This album, just like their follow-up, is highly conceptual. It's based on a short story written by Cedric relating to an overdose sending a man into a coma. After the man wakes up, he takes his own life. The entire story is inspired by the life of Cedric's late friend, Julio Venegas. This is all accompanied by strange and surreal imagery and writing like the doctor with dog hands on "Eritarka". Televators is likely the most obvious eulogy to their late friend, even painting the image of his final moments through the protagonist Cerpin. Honestly, there's a lot to dig into here and whether you take the time to match the lyrics with Cedric's story or not shouldn't matter too much. I don't blame anyone for wanting to just enjoy this album on the surface level but its conceptual nature is always interesting to dive into on subsequent listens. If there's one word I hate that is so commonly used to describe music it's "pretentious". It's such a dismissive word with an ugly connotation attached to it. It's a way of describing something you don't get or don't want to bother getting while simultaneously bringing down the people who do get it. People may listen to this thing and laugh at just how over the top it is and I'd honestly laugh along. But I hold this album so near and dear to me, it's one of the biggest staples in my life, and these songs and this band will always have a place in my heart. The Mars Volta is a band that understands how "over the top" their sound is and they use it to their advantage. If this is what being pretentious sounds like then I guess I'm a sucker for pretentious music because this thing is just perfect.

chefs kiss

Ok

I was not familiar with this album or the band but I really liked it! Lots of echoes from favorites past, but blended in a way that makes the music fresh. I like Cedric's voice a lot. And the band is skilled and tight, allowing them to achieve a lot of different sounds.

Better than expected

Wikipedia claims this is progressive rock, but I know emo when I hear it. Couldn't bear to finish it.

Needs a dictionary to keep up with, but my jumpins what an astoundingly good album.

Hmmm… I don’t know about this. It’s like a lot of stuff I don’t like. Very dramatic and loud. Reminds me of Rush and Yes. And I don’t like them either. The instrumental was alright. Clearly there is talent here. But this record is not essential and I hope I never have to hear any of this ever again. Too far up its own ass to be anything but boring.

There's a lot going on here. The music itself is dense but very enjoyable. An easy 4 on its own. The vocals, on the other hand, were shrill to the point of distraction and annoyance at points. Would love to listen to a fully instrumental version of this.

If you’re a fan of well conceived song intros, you’ll love this album….especially tracks 1 and 9. Rubin is one of my favorite producers. He knows how to catch magic as my artist son would say. This is their best and last (as the death of a founder, Ward, occurred a month prior to release) collaborative effort.

No good. I'd give zero stars if I could.

Mér finnst Mars Volta mjög skemmtilegt band þegar ég heyri í þeim í útvarpinu og mig langar alltaf að hlusta á meira og ég set þá einhverja fína plötu frá þeim í gang og eftir nokkur lög er ég kominn með alveg upp í kok og nenni ekki að hlusta lengur. Svo seinna heyri ég í þeim í útvarpinu aftur og endurtek söguna og læri aldrei af mistökunum. Sagan endurtók sig með þessa plötu.

Vibed really hard. Fav songs cicatriz esp, inertiatic esp, roulette dares

3.5 Clearly a bunch of bands I grew up listening to took influence from these guys, so I don't know how I've never heard of them before. Throughly enjoyed this album even if lyrically is a bit nonsensical. But prog rock/emo is my vibe so I'm bias.

Quite fun early emo vibes

Meh, all sort of blends into one, not a single banger on it.

Album Nr. 54 Dieser Rock-Stil sagt mir nicht ganz zu.

Not very listenable

Zum Abtanzen wahrscheinlich nett. Mir aber viel zu eintöniger Gesang - immer um 3-4 Tonlagen herum. Gähn!

This is a hot mess.

Fuck my opinion just listen, it will move you.

noise rokkia. mutta proge-elementeillä, jolloin äänivallia ei kokoajain vaan osattu rytmitellä että ei sulaudu aivoihin ääni. ja kun ryminöidään niin ääni on tilava, tietää mitä tapahtuu.. rynkkyrummut kuuluu silti jokainen pamautus ilman että digitaalisoitu ääni... respect... ainoa paska asia on vokaalit. pliis pliis näytä yksi merkki että ei ole artifiaali intelligence äänilaboratoriossa kikkailtu äääni vittu ei yhtään yhtään kiinnostavaa hetkeä laulajamalla.. silti, täysin uutta musiikkia meikälle ja erinomainen albumi, vaikka pretentious ass titteli, mitä vittua tarkoittaa EN HALUA TIETÄÄ... VARMASTI TARKOITTAA JOTAIN MUTTA EN HALUA TIETÄÄ EI OLLUT POINTTI KYSYMYKSESSÄ ETTÄ VASTAA ITSE KYSYMYKSEEN... isoja sanoja käyttää perkele roulette dares

a little too emo honestly

Das hat mit Musik nichts zu tun.

Prog rock, but even worse than the mainstream stuff.

I really enjoy this album, but it might as well be in a foreign language. 😵‍💫

I'm not in the mood for metal and rock after the last album. I've seen this album cover, but never listened to the songs somehow, weirdd, I do like it tho, it's unique. SHIT ON IT, I did a review of the first, second and third song and they are not here anymore, I'm a day late so I couldn't save it, ughh. First song, was an interlude, great transition, nothing else happened, it was nice to hear it tho, some parts in it, otherwise nothing special. Second song, I said he has a raspy voice, but not sure if I even know what that means. He sometimes sounds like a woman not in a bad way. I liked the instrumentals, gave it 7.1, not impressed I am. Third song, it was slamming guitar and then it got slow, which was nice since it's rare. Then the beat drop was amazinggg. Otherwise it's quite same niceness. The chaotic singing is expected. Just realised this is 7 minutes, didn't even notice, since it is going smoothly. The slow part came backk. Lyrics are ending soon, and I expect an instrumental outro. Ooh the beat drop was again good. It switched from being slow to metal-ly and now it's jazzy slow, and that was the rest of the song. Solid 7/10, it's nice just not special. 4th song, it's an interlude, getting loudd it was chill before and one of the best build up transition I've heard for a while. 5th song, starting off with a beat drop from the last song continuation. I hear operatic voice of him, quite fun. Wow again 7 minutes. I don't know why this is here tbh. I'm not bored, just not impressed either. The instrumental fusion is great, but his voice is not the vibe at all, toooo basic, only when he sings in an opera way is his voice different, but not perfect. I'm not satisfied with this. I repeat that the guitar playing especially is great, just it doesn't sound different from what I've heard before. Mm I say 6.8/10. 6th song, loud start and slow continuation, not complaining. The slow part was really good, I got into the vibes, then after a short instrumental break his usual screaming-singing began and it became bland. After that it's break again, and I love the guitar here, also it's slow. I'm not gonna write, it was overly very good 7.9/10 seems valid. 7th song, 12 minutes?! What has he got to say this much. Last song had another better vibe into it. I'm not catching anything here. Oh, it fully stopped, and fast beat(helicopter like) is getting closer, it happened and guitars and his vocals came in. It was loud, but it's chill now, not much lyrics. It's getting weird now, not even a guitar playing. The loudness came back, not the best they have done. Lyrics are only at the very end, and it's much fast paced too. Overall I didn't like the fact that it was this long, not Pink Floyd, which I can stand in that matter. So sadly it's a 6/10. 8th song, it had a big intro, less loud than when lyrics came in, which is screamy. Guitars make different sounds in ears(left is louder). It was as relaxing as a rock could be, and now it's slow lyrically too, but it feels progressive, aaand yes it got fuller. The lyrics are catchy. What a weird ending, giving Björk. I'd say 7.8/10. 9th song, bird sounds. Unexpectedly slow, intro is also long, he joins in softly. This will get punky soon I think. It's still slow, I'm impressed. It's giving arcade fire with the instruments. There was one shirt part of him almost screaming, however, the guitar remained just a slight louder. Again weird outro, I'm giving this, one of the most uninteresting songs here, so 5.9/10. 10th song, screaming and classic rock vibes. Fun, nothing fully amazing, It could have been interesting if it stand out from the album. Well I'm not amazed it was way too overused, the style and the sounds. I needed more. Anyways I rate it 3 stars and that's because I like the genre and this albums also had some unique stuff in it, which I liked.

I always associate The Mars Volta with the standard emocore movement from the 2000s (I like it), but when I listened to this album, I saw that they are in a high opposite direction. Of course, they have something from emo, but they are much more complex than that.

This 1001 album project is extremely rock-heavy, and this album is coming up at a time when I just can’t take anymore. It’s too noisy for me. Maybe I’ll revisit another time.

This is why I had never quite clicked with At The Drive-In. It's just so goddamn stressful. Music like toddlers on a candy overdose. ...is what I thought initially, listening to this in between walking home after bringing my kid to school, the morning coffee, internet and organising the day / part of which was a quiet train ride of Deloused in the Comatorium's length: Nothing to do but watch a winter landscape zip by. With headphones. Time, thus, turns out, marvellously spent. It's still nervous as fuck music, with little respite even in its calmer parts, but in there is a really great album.

Not bad but I would never listen to this again.

Likes: Intertiatic Esp, Drunkship of Lantern Would I Listen Again: probably no

I'm not sure that I totally get it, but I think I like it. I could see listening to this one again.

I really tried listening to this but just couldn't make myself do it. Got about three songs in before crying uncle. I love 70's prog rock but not this. I'm sure it has some great musicianship but not being able to tolerate it has taken away a star

For me this works as background music. It isn't something I would put on when I was wanting a real musical vibe though. There is no circumstance in my life where this fits the mood of I want to pay attention to the music. Lots of cool sounds though. Soft 3.

Rant Time: I have tried to get into this band four or five times now, since they have overlap with bands I like. When the intro started I was starting to get into it, "maybe I was being to harsh on them before", and then the vocals came in and reminded me why I can't stand this band. This dude has one of the most annoying voices in rock (and I like Billy Corgan). I have no idea what it is about this guy in particular, there is no other band that ruins songs as much as this guy for me. Why are his vocals like 20db louder than the instruments, its like a jump scare every time he starts hitting the high notes. The instrumentals are really good, which is a shame. Having his voice isolated to the right headphone in Drunkship of lanterns is giving me a headache. You shouldn't be allowed to make your songs this long if your voice is this annoying. Why is everything mixed so loud? Reflecting on the album after finishing, there isn't much that stands out. It seems like every song uses the same vocal melodies and quiet/loud/quiet structure. It gets quiet guitars go clean, the dude whispers, drums go onto the toms, then the distortion comes back and this guy tries to hit the most annoying notes possible. If you asked me to sing anything from this album I would just riff around in my upper register. instrumentals: 3.5/5 (a little repetitive but they have talent) vocals: -5/5 ( >:( ) This album made me feel physically ill and I hate the stupid gold head on the album cover

I actually kinda liked this for the most part. Liked, not loved. Thought the instrumentals and vocals on most were pretty energetic and talented, though there were some tracks on the back half of the album that I did not like. “Its matter was fecal in origin” is a cringe line. 3 stars.

Not for me

Awesome!

- really interesting base and drum lines. Elements from salsa, ska, punk, and classic rock. Features guitar licks one second reminiscent of pink floyd, and then suddenly ramones/ rage against the machine esque rips. - Some parts of the album are a little thrashy which combined with the singers sometimes harsh / pitchy vocals can make difficult for me to listen to (though this is likely intentional, and definitely furthers some themes of the album). This is not a negative, just a comment specific to my taste.

Meh.

I dig the music and the lyrics, but I really don’t like this guy’s voice

Sonorités et compositions intéressantes, à écouter plus en détail.

At times this album is reminiscent of At The Drive-In and occasional flashes of Santanaesque guitar although clearly more prog rock than the full frontal assault of the former. This is only the second listening, having completely dismissed it first time around and it has grown on me. I think there is more to explore with The Mars Volta.

Dynamic and interesting album. Repeated listens are rewarded. Not exactly sure what they are singing about all of the time!

Organized chaos, I loved it

Not my thing, and yes prog, but at least a more modern take on prog that has elements of stuff I want; it's loud, it's impassioned, it's creative, the drumming is excellent and deserves calling out for that, but I've really no idea what's going on most of the time and it doesn't make me care enough to want to find out. I see in a lot of the reviews that people say it takes a lot of listens to really get it, and that's cool if that's for you, but I'm not interested in that. It didn't make me want to turn it off at any point but that's quite a low bar, I'm giving it a 2 but it's a more tolerable 2 than a lot of things we've had.

I almost really liked this after the first track - it's got strong hints of early Muse (which is a good thing),  but the guy's voice really hacks me off, and there's too much emphasis on the vocal for me to ignore that. Add to that the fact that it just doesn't do much differently across the hour, and with no standout songs it probably drops to a 2.

Not the best but ok. Don’t need to listen to it again.

Prog rock pas mal en vrai

Too experimental for my tastes

A bit Muse-like in places. Nothing special.

Meh

Sounds cool

One of the few albums that can place me back in time to where I was when I first heard it; in college, listening to it on campus with my first mp3 player. I think it's in my top 10 or 20 favorite albums but do find these days I have to be in the mood for it. I've liked most of their later albums, but love the frenetic raw energy of De-Loused... Inertiatic, Cicatriz, the closing track.

Too noisy and changeable for my taste

In a nutshell: Messy. Bloated. Frantic. Confusing. You’ll either love it or despise it. It’s supposed to be a concept album but I don’t understand the brief. The bass and drums are amazing (the galloping beat, swoon!). Can hear the Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa and Aphex Twin influences; perhaps early My Chemical Romance or early Muse (Absolution was recorded at the same time as De-Loused and released in the same year). I’d say this is an influential album, just not for me. Overall: 5/10

Taking classic prog into the new millennium. Dense, cerebral, mesmerizing.

I listened to the whole album, so I can’t give it one star. I won’t revisit this one.

it's interesting

Not my kind of music but I can appreciate it for what it is.

Great songs. Close to At The Drive-In

I listened to this about 2 weeks ago and don't really remember too much about it tbh.. 4/10

Interesting. 2/5

Not my style.

meh

Prog rock. Some really cool parts, overshadowed by just being way too prog rock-y for my tastes. Not my kind of vocals. Meh.

I feel like I've listened to this a long time ago. The musicianship is top notch and I probably would've liked this a lot when I was younger. It's a little too busy for me now, but it's still solid.

Almost enjoyable. Talented musicians. Hated the lead guitar tone. Needed to let songs breath more often instead of cramming 100 notes in a measure

I don't even remember listening to this now but I believe I didn't like it 🤷‍♀️

It was fine, not my favorite

I quite enjoyed this. Have always heard good things about them and this album. I'll definitely be checking out more from them.

I saw The Mars Volta on the tour for this album at Move Festival 2003. I was there for Manic Street Preachers and Super Furry Animals and it was my first exposure to the Flaming Lips - what a line up! I didn't 'get' TMV at the time and thought they just sounded like a big messy noise, so I wasn't expecting to like this album. What a surprise it is then, that I think this is great. I can see how it wouldn't be enjoyable live to the untrained ear as there is such a lot going on, but on record you can hear all the parts. Whilst modern prog rock shouldn't be my thing, this is a really enjoyable 60 minutes of interesting, complex, loud, and surprisingly accessible music. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Inertiatic Esp Date listened: 02/01/24

Great surprise

They coax out some very cool sounds (esp from guitars) and grabby hooks but then too many reverses and generally too much going on (including whoopy and screamy vocals and general overindeixing on speed and volume). Woulda been a great band in the mid- or late ‘70s, when this would have sounded more impressive, leaner than arena rock flab and we weren’t all exhausted by prog-y tropes and stylings and we were more comfortable with excess in conception and approach. Indeed, one much prefers the noodlier and more expansive bits (the quieter side of prog-y, say), brief though they are, over the nu-metal extremity.

Good rock/metal album w/heavy drums and good guitars. Vocals seem a bit muddy but overall it's very potent rock. Reminds me of Zepelin a bit w/some eatly Pink Floyd 3