De-Loused in the Comatorium

The Mars Volta

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 24, 2003)
• Original Release Date: June 24, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Umvd Labels
• ASIN: B00009V7T2
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (533 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,604 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #7 in	Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Post Hardcore
  #18 in	Music > Alternative Rock > Alternative Styles > Rock > Neo-Psychedelia
  #22 in	Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Progressive Metal

Editorial Reviews

From Amazon.co.uk
On De-loused in the Comatorium, the Mars Volta approach rock & roll like it's an ascetic discipline, a calling that comes with lyric sheets as dense and impenetrable as the Kabbalah and a ritual of worship that's dervish-like in its intensity. Formed by vocalist Cedric Bixler and guitarist Omar Rodriguez after the split of their former band--Texan hardcore legends At the Drive-In, who splintered acrimoniously in 2001--the Volta are an unashamedly progressive outfit, dealing in grandiose arrangements that come on like Led Zeppelin fired through Saturn's rings.

You can still hear many of ATDI's hallmarks inside the spasmodic dynamics of "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt" and "Eriatarka"--it's just now they're immeasurably more complex, governed by time signatures responsible only to some alien logic, and cast out on ever more remote waves of mind-bending conceptual fantasy.

Bixler's serrated howl has mellowed somewhat, veering here from tender croon to shrill falsetto. And interestingly, Flea guests here, although you wouldn't know it: his brooding basslines bear nothing of the slap-happy funk he displays in the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. But ironically, the most startling contribution comes from the band's late sound manipulator Jeremy Ward, who passed away after a heroin overdose on the eve of this album's release. His dubby ambient fills unfurl in the valleys between each jagged instrumental peak, lending a truly otherworldly feel to proceedings. A morbid legacy, but thankfully, far from this album's only selling point: De-loused in the Comatorium is the rare prog-rock landmark that prizes punk passion over meandering pretension. -- Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something Truly Original and Good., August 17, 2004

By	Dan - See all my reviews

The Mars Volta are one of those bands that defy categorization. The band features two ex-At the Drive in members as well as Flea contributing bass to some parts (don't know which ones, it doesn't say). Don't expect At the Drive-in, pt. 2 however. This is something pretty different. I don't know ATDI too well(though I own "Vaya" and I like it, so I plan on getting more), but from what I've heard, this doesn't sound a whole lot like them. It's more abstract and progressive, and a little harder to appreciate. I guess the music could loosely be described as progressive-punk-jazz-indie-whatever. It really doesn't matter. It's something really original and good.

"Inertiatic ESP" is the first real song (the first track just being an intro to it), and it starts the album off in a rocking fashion, with Cedric yelling "Now, I'm lost" over some speedy riffs and drumming. Cedric's vocals may be kinda hard to get into, but I loved them the first time I heard them. I dunno. He's kinda wail-y at times, but it's cool. "Roulette Dares (the haunt of)" is one of my favorites on the album, mixing speedier sections with catchy vocals with softer, prettier passages of guitar explorations (and one almost free-jazz-esque part that's really amazing). There's definitely some King Crimson influence in this one. "Cicatrez ESP" is another highlight, a 12 minute long piece with a long synth interlude and lots of cool guitary stuff. "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt" has some of the coolest guitar playing on the album in it's second half; it really must be heard. It's like Crimson-jazz.

This album will probably take a few listens to sink in if you even like it at all, but I give it a high recommendation to those looking for something original and progressive. Don't expect "prog" however...As Cedric said on their website, it's progressive, but has much more of a punk aesthetic to it.

85 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It just plain rocks, May 17, 2004

By	H. Huggins (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just got this CD and have not been able to tear myself away from it. Work and sleep are now merely times I can not listen to "De-Loused."

This album definitely takes some patience and some getting used to, but isn't that true of all your favorite albums? A lot of the songs have some strange bridges and tempo shifts, but then shots of amazing melody that makes the whole song make sense...if that makes any sense. I'm still having a hard time with track 5 (sorry, don't know names). I instantly liked Track 2, still my favorite track. Tracks 3, 6, and 10 are also standouts, although it's really hard to find a bad track on this album. I'm sure eventually I'll even dig Track 5

If you're like me, you're constantly in the market for new music, and are constantly being disappointed...but this is hard rock, prog rock, whatever you want to call it at its very best. It's loud, smart, unique, melodic....just BUY IT.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sonic, organic architecture that draws you deep inside, November 21, 2003

By	Stephen Atkins (St. Petersburg, FL) - See all my reviews

The Mars Volta, as I'm sure you already know, contains 1/2 of ATDI's members. According to Cedric, he left because he felt they had reached somewhat of a musical stalemate and they would keep making "the same album". "De-Loused in the Comatorium" is definitely not that. Although there are numerous comparisons (although somewhat well-founded) to ATDI's work, this music is all around different. There are, however, elements of ATDI's trademark post-hardcore sound, especially on tracks like "Inertiatic Esp" and to an extent in "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt". Not to say that this is a bad thing. "Inertiatic Esp" is one of my favorite tracks.
More prevalent than the former musical elements are the inclusion on a somewhat more psychadelic approach. In areas the music is reminiscent of Led Zepplin and Cedric sounding like Geddy Lee.
But The Mars Volta puts a much more modern twist on it. Combing frenetic sampler beats and distortion as well as almost Doors-esque jazz.

And of course, there is the brilliant, yet often inexplicable, lyrics. Self-admittedly selfish, Cedric lyrics cater to his own sensibilities with an attitude of "If we get it, somebody else will". Knowing that the album is dedicated and based upon the life of Julio Venegas helps to act as a loose guide in decrypting some of the lyrics. Even those that one isn't able to annunciate the meaning of still have their own way of touching you in a very personal way. A way that couldn't have been put better. In these sense the abstract, occasionally disjointed nature of the lyrics acts simultaneously to both generalize and specify a particular emotion or event to the listener.
All-in-all it is a brilliant album. It magneticly pulls the listener throughout the sonic landscapes they have created. And I loved it, every step of the way.