The Mars Volta are continual contenders for the mantle of most experimental high-profile metal group, along with System of a Down, an artist they've toured with but who usually sell 20 times more records. Mars Volta aren't as popular, not because their riffs are less memorable or innovative but because their cycle of musical buildup and release, although similarly jarring, can last at least 20 minutes instead of System's two. (It's the difference between having a background in acid rock and having one in hrash.) While the early reports on third album Amputechture commented that the duo of Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez had learned a few lessons about silence and forsaken the concept album, don't believe it. The album is little different than their two previous atom bombs, De-Loused in the Comatorium and Frances the Mute -- tense and anxious, continually pushing the boundaries of extreme production, with long periods of dynamics that rise ever higher, followed by an explosion of release (usually screaming hard rock with storms of atonal brass and horns). The album opens with "Vicarious Atonement," five minutes of spectral effects and piercing guitar that gets a boost at the beginning of the next track, "Tetragrammaton," and then blooms into full riffing glory after a few more minutes (and they're still nowhere near the end of the 16-minute track). John Frusciante, eccentric genius from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, returns on guitar, but Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopez exert so much control over the sound of Mars Volta that Frusciante makes virtually no individual impression on this record, although most of the guitar work is his. (Granted, his presence leaves Rodriguez-Lopez open for more intricate work on production.) The Mars Volta are one of the most intriguing bands in ock, but their huge musical power is often deflected by Bixler-Zavala's conceptual themes (which are difficult to follow, but also, perversely, impossible to ignore) and blitzkrieg dynamics that are either dialed down to one or up to ten (but rarely in-between).
Well, I know a lot of people have already written reviews on this but I feel the need to put in my two cents. It's been a few months since this album came out. . . At first, I automatically said "This is not nearly as good as De-loused or Frances". The other day in school I wanted to listen to something and decided to check it out some more (I had only listened to it about 3 or 4 times). I list...
More >
Well, I've held off for a while. I thought that like _Frances the Mute_ it would sink in and seem amazing to me, but alas, _Amputechture_, the latest offering from **The Mars Volta** does not deliver. I'm not going to go into a long technical review of it, but the biggest problem with it that I seem to have is that it lacks a foundation. Both _Deloused_ and _Frances_ had stories behind them,...
More >
Wow, the new Itunes is really blowin my fuckin mind right now. My music looks like cd's, holy shit. Gapless Playback, double holy shit. The New Mars Volta, TRIPLE HOLY SHIT.
More >
CEDRIC BIXLER-ZAVALA...I mean, if that ain't a Hall of Fame name, tell me what is. The Mars Volta's next absurdly-named opus, containing a bunch of long, ridiculously-titled ethno-prog epix, will land next week like an exploding, protoplasmic interstellar spider-comet. The first transmission, "Viscera Eyes," is on their MySpace page...http://www.myspace.com/themarsvolta...and it kinda rules, su...
More >
I REALLY like this site. I've probably already said that enough, but hot damn it's a nifty site. Thanks to Dren for correcting my Rune error earlier. And giving me some good links to check out the Zune haha. Anyway, I've been replacing the frustration of pondering Alan Watts writings with music and thinking about music. Today I was thinking about how my musical taste has shifted. 5 years ago it...
More >
Well...so far I haven't heard any heavy "instrumental masturbation" but it does seem a bit...well artsy-fartsy. I'm on the second track, which is 17 minutes long almost. I hate when they do that.Guitars are nice. Yay for John Frusciante. No Flea on this album though.
More >
Nope, I didn't really like Amputechture all that much.Why? It doesn't feel like the other TMV albums. I love the story-telling aspect of their albums, and DitC did this so perfectly. FtM wasn't as well done, but it was a story nonetheless. This one is like "Is this a story?" or just a really pretentious prog band making really pretentious music?I use the word "pretentious" to describe this ...
More >
Yeah, Its not out just yet, so not everyone will be putting in their 2 cents, but I had to post my own review, If for no other reason, because most reviews I've read thus far have been SO off the mark.*The Mars Volta - Amputechture (Universal)*Just as jammy, if not moreso than its predecessor (The widely loved and despised *Frances The Mute*) *Amputechture* is already forcing knee-jerk reaction...
More >
Well, I know a lot of people have already written reviews on this but I feel the need to put in my two cents. It's been a few months since this album came out. . . At first, I automatically said "This is not nearly as good as De-loused or Frances". The other day in school I wanted to listen to something and decided to check it out some more (I had only listened to it about 3 or 4 times). I list...
More >
I personally feel as though The Mars Volta are one of the most innovative and imaginative bands out there today. Mixing and melding genres with their esoteric, ambient, and complex soundscapes, the band has managed to push the musical envelope on each of their albums, all in distinctly different ways. I came across this interview with them about their new studio set, "Amputechture" due out Sep...
More >
So thoughts on the new album. A great album in my opinion.
More >
Well, I've held off for a while. I thought that like _Frances the Mute_ it would sink in and seem amazing to me, but alas, _Amputechture_, the latest offering from **The Mars Volta** does not deliver. I'm not going to go into a long technical review of it, but the biggest problem with it that I seem to have is that it lacks a foundation. Both _Deloused_ and _Frances_ had stories behind them,...
More >
In a few minutes, I'm being picked up from work - don't tell my boss i'm leaving work early for a rock concert - to head down to Santa Cruz with some homebread and check out the Mars Volta's tour opener at the Catalyst. I've got butterflies and sweaty palms. here's to hoping that the new/old drummer will make me not miss Jon Theodore, here's to wondering how they are gonna pull off (but i know ...
More >
to all three or so of you who were waiting to see what happened last night at the mars volta's tour opener at the intimate (800 capacity) catalyst club in santa cruz, ca - my apologies for taking so long to post about it.so, as the title of the post may reveal, the performance was pretty fucking brilliant. i mean, i could sit here and write slightly variegated superlatives to describe the show,...
More >
Being that I'm rather unscrupulous, I've managed to get my hands on the new Mars Volta CD, due out August 22nd.On par with everything else released from the Bixler/Rodriguez-Lopez duo, it's amazing.
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Vicarious Atonement |
|
|
| 2 Tetragrammaton |
|
|
| 3 Vermicide |
|
|
| 4 Meccamputechture |
|
|
| 5 Asilos Magdalena |
|
|
| 6 Viscera Eyes |
|
|
| 7 Day of the Baphomets |
|
|
| 8 El Ciervo Vulnerado |
|
|
Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Amputechture")
