Mars Volta – De-Loused In The Comatorium
(Universal)

After being repeatedly let down by a number of albums I had been anticipating this year, it’s a relief to finally hear an album that restores my enthusiasm and passion for music. I was starting to think I had become too jaded or too picky to get into any new records lately, but when an album is really great it just doesn’t matter how jaded you are — you stop and take notice.

Expectations were definitely high for this record; rebuilding from the break-up of the overly hyped yet ridiculously talented At The Drive-In can be no easy task, and yet The Mars Volta wasted no time releasing a stellar 3-song teaser EP last year promising that even more brilliance was still to come.

De-loused in the Comatorium proves without a doubt which members of ATDI possessed the highest levels of raw talent and creative genius… although it also proves which members probably have the highest levels of chemical supplements in their bloodstream too. Created as a concept album about a friend who tried to commit suicide and experienced weird visions, the record is all at once haunting, visceral and unpredictable. It threatens at any moment to tumble into chaos and incoherence, but in walking the line between sanity and lunacy it manages to explore a realm that has never been heard before. From one moment to the next, you can never be sure what is about to happen, but each song flows with an otherworldly underlying structure.

The musicians in this band play with amazing precision and instinct. The ecclectic guitar playing of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez moves from frantic math rock riffs to subtle harmonic accents. The drumming of Jon Theodore is tight and crisp, while the keyboard accompaniment and sound experimentation of both Isaiah Ikey Owens and the late Jeremy Ward enhance each song with an eerie atmosphere. Guest bassist Flea of course needs no introduction, and his personal style melds perfectly with the dub elements and rhythmic intensity of the Mars Volta. John Frusciante also plays guitar on a track as well.

The key to this album however, has got to be the vocal presence of Mr. Cedric Bixler. He steers clear of any screaming, and yet the astounding range and power of his voice is showcased here to extremes that make any At The Drive-In recording pale in comparison.

Although there are a number of longer songs with freestyle jam outs (Cicatriz ESP clocks in at over 12 minutes), I was quite pleasantly surprised at how energetic the album is on the whole. There are plenty of relaxed parts in each song, but there are no overly lengthy lulls that would potentially cause a listener to nod off. Personally I was on the edge of my seat for the entire duration, waiting to hear what would happen next.

In hindsight, the album is a logical progression from At The Drive-In but it is much more impressive than anything I could have ever imagined. If you are an At The Drive-In fan I can’t see how you wouldn’t enjoy this album. As much as I enjoy Sparta, this is the true follow up I was waiting for. I’m pretty sure you’ll hear plenty of people calling De-loused In The Comatorium “album of the year” in the coming months. As much as I hate to contribute to the hype machine myself, I’ve got to admit that this is probably my favourite album to come out so far this year. — Sean