Eyebrows were raised, along with excitements when Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala halted At The Drive-In to ‘go progressive’. It’s a decision that has had its twists and turns in the long run, but offered an immediate pay-off when The Mars Volta reared its head around in 2003.
The success of De-Loused In The Comatorium stems from their ability to make the musical seem near-tangible. The furious freak-out of “Inertiatic ESP” with its flailing, wailing chorus is not really a sign of things to come, other than excellence; it is the diamond-studded clean guitar lines outside that hook that are. The album is one to swim in, with psychedelic glaciers crumbling into orgasmic solos on the likes of the crystalline “Eriatarka” and frenzied riffs assembling a shiny sonic temple on “Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt”. Everything seems pretty huge, big beyond explanation and Cedric’s lyrics add an appropriate sense of mystery to it all.
This was where The Mars Volta weren’t beyond Cedric’s dictionary abuse, all that masturbatory. It’s where the use of sound in “Cicatriz ESP” helped build to a shuddering climax rather than just frustrating the listener. It’s where the dynamics were absolutely perfect. Most of all, it’s where Lopez and Zavala’s problems began.
by Michael
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