DE-LOUSED IN THE COMATORIUM

THE MARS VOLTA is quite an amazing band, and they show off their talent for creating unconventional masterpieces well with their debut album, DE-LOUSED IN THE COMATORIUM. This album is a nice blend of musically brilliant compositions and also high quality climaxes in songs. Each more or less plays like a very very dark musical nightmare.

SON ET LUMIERE/INTERTIATIC ESP: This first track begins in a soft, almost hazy interlude of repeated "sirens" spiraling on the keyboard and Cedric lightly singing through a vocal distorter before all of the sudden a huge clash of guitars breaks through in abrupt fashion and this repeats until we end up at the wonderful moment that is Cedric yelling the memorable chorus: "Now I'm Lost". It's a wonderful moment and the first of many to come. I really love this song because it builds very well and continues to layer up until the 7/4 section near the end. Then it breaks down into a segue that leads into the next track. SONG SCORE: 10/10

ROULETTE DARES (THE HAUNT OF): This song begins with another spiraled keyboard effect until once again it apexes around a theme that recurs during the verse until it mellows out for another wonderful chorus: "Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed". However little sense it might seem to make to those uneducated on teh story of DE-LOUSED, it is still delivered with a nice clarity that makes the line extremely memorable. SONG SCORE: 9/10

TIRA ME LAS ARAÑAS/DRUNKSHIP OF LANTERS: The former is occupied of an odd, latino sounding guitar riff accompanied by odd backround effects until all of the sudden, the wall of dissonance DRUNKSHIP explodes in you face. I love this song for many reasons, it's insanely percussive, has amazing vocals throughout, it's frentic in pace and very well structered around dissonant chords that seem to work in an odd way--in other words, it's strange to the ears in a pleasing way. The song never gives up the frentic pace and eventually breaks down into a double-time tempo until it fades away into effects that lead it into ERIATARKA... SONG SCORE: 10/10

ERIATARKA: The way this song begins tends to remind me of the early CONCERTINA, in that it begins with some huge chords and then breaks down into a slow 6/8 verse before changing to 4/4 for the heavy and memorable chorus ("Dress the tapeworm as pets!"). The song continues to move in this structure until the bridge ("Lash of one thousand eyebrows clicking, counting the toll") occurs, keeping with the moderate 4/4 tempo that the chorus was structured by. This song also cascalades down into a fury of low effects that lead us to the centerpiece of teh album... SONG SCORE: 10/10

CICATRIZ ESP: This song begins with a heavily distorted cry of "Do you recall its name?" before we are carried through the wave of sound with a driving and difficult drum repitition that drives us to the amazing chorus: "I've defected". Wow, that line gives me chills everytime...Then the breakdown section occurs which is mostly odd guitar noises until all of the sudden it's brought into the forray and we're brought back to the verse and chorus which lead us to the end of the 12:30 track. SONG SCORE: 9/10

THIS APPARATUS MUST BE UNEARTHED: This is THE wall of dissonance on the album. Even the vocal notes are given an effect to make them seem dissonant. I rather like this song, but out of all of the songs on the album, this is the one that had to grow on me the most. It has odd singing in the chorus by Cedric that at first I didn't enjoy, but now I love. This song is another nice, upbeat (even though the tempo is slow) track on teh album. SONG SCORE: 10/10

TELEVATORS: This is the euqivalent to the "rock balled" of the album in my opinion. While this song is nothign special musically, it is certainly moving which makes it musical in its own rights. It starts off mellow and ends mellow, the only percussion being a few cymbals and bongos that join later in the song. This song describes teh death by suicide of teh main character. SONG SCORE: 9/10

TAKE THE VEIL CERPIN TAXT: The last song on teh album contains a huge climax near the end, a nice chorus ("You take the veil!") and and a bass solo by Flea. It is another small epic of sorts that it moves in different clauses and unfolds at the end with the wonderful climax that ends the US version of the album. I really enjoy listening to this song and it's tough to describe in mere words. Seek out this album and listen to it all of the way through...but wait! There's more... SONG SCORE: 10/10

AMBULETZ: This song is, in my opinion, a vital part of the album, describing the afterlife of the character Cerpin Taxt. It starts out with a chilling intro that leads into an even more chilling song. Thi song will give you the absolute creeps, and I think it fits the somber mood of the album greatl.y It would do you well to seek out the UK version of this album so that this is included in the end. It sums up the frantic album nicely in my opinion. SONG SCORE: 9/10

FINAL THOUGHTS AND THE STORY OF DE-LOUSED: The story of DE-LOUSED follws a character by the name of Cerpin Taxt. This character is, at the bottom of things a misunderstood artist. He attempts suicide by shooting rat poison up his veins and enters a comatose state where he is put on trial by a cult he's invented in his mind. The titles INTERTIATIC ESP and CICATRIZ ESP correalate with his entering sleep and exiting sleep (thus ESP could mean: enter sleep paralysis, exit sleep paralysis or something to that effect). Cerpin was to be leader of the cult/association but he failed at taking his life, the ultimate sacrifice. So they put him through trials that become the fodder of the songs following INTERIATIC ESP up until THIS APPARATUS MUST BE UNEARTHED. When he finally wakes up from the coma, instead of changing and becoming a saved-soul, he decides to carry through with the suicide. TELEVATORS describes his death, TAKE THE VEIL, his last thoughts, and AMBULETZ, his failure in the afterlife. It is a very sad story in some aspects, and a very nice concept (get the official DE-LOUSED STORYBOOK at www.thecomatorium.com...look in "Shrouded in Veils -> De-loused in the Comatorium).

Overall every song on this album is amazing in its own aspects and it is very deserving of the honor it's been recieving. I reccomend you go buy it with this warning: Caeat Emptor...this is the second hardest album to like ever in my opinion, the first being the next album FRANCES THE MUTE, give it time and let it grow and then you will appreciate the awesome art that THE MARS VOLTA creates.