June 24, 2003 by A.S. Van Dorston

It’s a relief that something good finally came of the At The Drive-In breakup. While the majority of the band went on to form the utterly uninspiring Sparta, the two key creative forces, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler Zavala, have produced the missing part that left At the Drive-In feeling incomplete – unhinged, ambitious imagination. Unconcerned with archaic rules of verse-chorus-verse, riff, riff, hook, hook, The Mars Volta have bravely leaped into untested waters, exposing themselves to savage accusations of musical pretension and ridiculous, incoherent lyrics.

While it’s true that only through press releases could we know that the album is about a friend who suffered from a coma and later committed suicide, it’s obviously not meant to take any sort of a narrative form. Deloused In The Comatorium imagines what kind of nightmare/dreamscapes might have occurred in his mind. Coherent narrative here would be completely inappropriate. Bixler’s surreal and sometimes nonsensical lyrics have roots in both William S. Burrough’s cut-up methods introduced with Naked Lunch, and Captain Beefheart’s dada poetry. And they sound just great. When Bixler sings lines like “exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed” with such passion and intensity on “Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)”, who can argue? He really stretches his vocals here, making it nearly unrecognizable next to his more restrained performances in At the Drive-In. When his high-register howls bring to mind Jon Anderson (Yes), Geddy Lee (in early Rush) and even Dennis DeYoung (Styx), there’s some cause for concern.

Yet he pulls it off, thanks largely to the brilliant arrangements of Rodriguez-Lopez. Melding post-punk with prog rock, this is no mere aping of overblown Yes, pompous Emerson Lake & Palmer or dull Pink Floyd. I’m talking about the crazed, prickly rantings of Van Der Graaf Generator (whose Peter Hammill was given props on a radio show by Johnny Rotten), the proto-math rock calculus of King Crimson and the fiery post-Miles Davis Bitches Brew work of John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra. The 12:29 centerpiece, “Cicatriz ESP” showcases all of these influences, from brittle-edged rhythms Fugazi would be proud of, along with propulsive Latin rhythms that recall Santana in his lean-mean, space-rocking days (see 1974’s Lotus). The late James Ward provides mind-bending, sometimes woozy sound manipulation, while Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) contributes to an astounding rhythm section chock full of stops, starts and changes.

With surprises and twists every minute, it’s hard to choose highlights. “Inertiatic ESP,” “Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of),” “Drunkship Of Lanterns” and “Eriatarka” all move from strength to strength with savage guitars, spaced-out bridges, and compelling vocal melodies. They even achieve almost gentle, lyrical beauty with the relatively subdued “Televators.” “Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt” ends with another high note, featuring a fascinating dub-electronica interlude, the final dramatic chords leaving you exhausted, realizing you’ve made it through a truly harrowing, epic musical experience. Knowing you’ll be hearing new layers and details a hundred listens down the road, you press play again…

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