DE-LOUSED IN THE COMATORIUM

4.5 stars. It's been three years since they released this record and the buzz still hasn't subsided. THE MARS VOLTA really struck a cord with many music lovers, combining elements of Punk to Progressive music. To many people though all they struck was a nerve. I think they deserve all the accolades that are directed their way though, as they introduced something different, that is truly progressive and modern. And I think they are a gateway for a lot of people getting into Prog music. The hardest thing for me to get into is the vocals. They can be annoying, like when he holds the note and twists it and turns it and takes it out to dinner. And the guitar can be rather unmelodic but Omar does that on purpose and I like it, he's also a huge Fripp fan. He once said he likes to play the guitar in a way that hurts the ears. It's all about dissonance. We get mellotron on three tracks and Flea from THE RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS plays all the bass parts.

"Son Et Lumiere" is a short intro track where sounds build, lots of atmosphere here. Vocals come in before it ends. It kicks in late and blends into "Inertiatic Esp". Check out the guitar in this one ! I like the sound after 2 minutes as the drums pound and the guitar becomes inventive. Vocals aren't as harsh either. Fripp-like guitar late. "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)" kicks in quickly and stays uptempo and frenzied for the most part although those sections are contrasted with calm passages at times. Angular guitar after 2 1/2 minutes and the drums are relentless. Check out the mellotron, bass and guitar when it settles right down 5 1/2 minutes in. Nice. "Tira Me A Las Aranas" is a short haunting and experimental piece. I like it. "Drunkship Of Lanterns" kicks in right away with drums as vocals and guitar join in. A very intense tune. An all out blitz 5 minutes in with angular guitar.

"Eriatarka" opens with machine gun-like drums before settling down into a psychedelic vibe. The tempo continues to change. A freaky ending. "Cicatriz Esp" is the longest track at 12 1/2 minutes. How amazing does the guitar sound after 2 minutes. A psychedelic calm 6 minutes in that lasts over 3 minutes then the song kicks back in with some great sounding guitar. "This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed" sounds pretty strange to open before the vocals come in. I like when it calms down. Contrasts continue. "Televators" takes a while to get going but that's okay because i love how this sounds. A very cool track. "Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt" is my favourite, it kicks in quickly but check out the majestic mellotron 3 minutes in when it settles. Gulp.Then these Fripp-like guitar melodies come in followed by drums. Amazing sound 5 minutes in. So melodic and beautiful. It kicks in after 7 minutes.

In many ways this is brilliant. So inventive and progressive. So many ideas went into this. I applaud them.