DE-LOUSED IN THE COMATORIUM

De-loused in the Comatorium is the album that burst The Mars Volta out into the alternative rock scene. Though the band can be described as a blend between large amounts of alternative rock, jazz, and several genres of prog including avant-garde and psychadelia, they received lots of praise mostly in the alternative realm for their unique sound and many ideas for the album. Although there are plenty of good parts of this album, sometimes the ideas communicated sound immature, though the musicianship of the band is not something to be underestimated.

Possibly the only aspects of De-loused in the Comatorium that hold it back is the standard song structure and the reliance on hooks and melodies. Verses and choruses are repeated in place of sonic exploration (Though "Cicatriz ESP" and "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt" do a decent job of it), and that is what gives the album a more mainstream edge to it. Also, like mainstream music, there are plenty of weird melodies and 'beats' that, as unusual or quirky as they are, are meant to pull in lovers of more mainstream music.

Of course, this album is far from poor quality. The Mars Volta prove their creativity with their unique genre in which they cannot be pigeonholed, which is their greatest strength. Cedric Bixler-Zavala sings in an upper register in a unique tone, though somewhat irritating at times. That's okay, because there is also some quirky guitar work a la Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, which over time reveals a stunning beauty in the seemingly random or thoughtless choice of notes. The drums add tons to the album, with unusual latin-esque or jazzy drumming, and never a note is ill-placed in the percussion section, fitting in perfectly with the already unique sound of the band.

De-loused, although somewhat undeveloped in ideas, shows some great work by The Mars Volta, a clearly talented band. People looking for something new should definetely check this album out.