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De-Loused in the Comatorium

The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium Audio CD

A fair review of the The Mars Volta "De-Loused in the Comatorium" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Mars Volta reviews here, or go back to the The Mars Volta tabs.

Band: The Mars Volta
Title: De-Loused in the Comatorium
Rating:

Release Date: 2003-06-24
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Son et Lumiere 2: Inertiatic ESP 3: Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of) 4: Tira Me a las Ara�as 5: Drunkship of Lanterns 6: Eriatarka 7: Cicatriz ESP 8: This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed 9: Televators 10: Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt

one of the best albums of all time!
Anybody that truly listens to a lot of music like me knows that these songs are some of the best ever! The amazingly talented musicianship of everybody, flea on bass & trumpet, some of the best guitar plating out there, one of the best vocalists out there with some of the most unique lyrics ever in music, and the haunting true story of the death of their friend. the people who don't get this album simply haven't yet opened their minds to the beauty of things surreal, psychedelic, abstract, and bizarre. . . it all adds up to one of the greatest albums of all time.

it has its moments, but it's not a classic by any means
BUT, for a touch of alternative rock that's a bit above average as far as creativity goes, I guess De-Lousied in the Comatorium is a better choice than something like Stone Temple Pilots or other alternative rock bands that try to be creative but ultimately fail. No, this kind of progressive rock music can't compete with the classic progressive rock giants such as Yes, Rush, King Crimson, and Genesis.

I think the one thing that bothers me the most about the music the Mars Volta are trying to make here are the vocals. While they do grow on me a little bit over time, and they're definitely better than most current vocal melodies out there from current bands, let's not kid ourselves- this stuff can't compete with the classic 70's progressive rock bands. You don't feel much in the way of beauty or spiritual adventure when the vocals are screaming through the speakers. You don't feel any kind of serious emotional approach from the band members either. Not when everything sounds forced.

I just want to make it clear in case anyone out there has an urge to hear some REAL prog rock bands that the Mars Volta is *not* the best example of sophisticated rock music. You'd want to start with the classic bands first, and THEN decide where you stand with a band like the Mars Volta.

There *are* parts of the album where the vocals feel a bit on the annoying side because of a deliberate attempt to implement noisy ideas into their music. To me, noise is nothing more than a distraction, but it's not a *really* big deal in this particular case since the noisy moments are few and far between. But we can't ignore the fact that they DO pop up from time to time.

Another problem is that the way the songs are structured feel a little clumsy, like the Mars Volta are throwing instrumental variety into their music for the sole purpose of making their songs go in another direction to carry on with the sophisticated prog rock theme, but not thinking their ideas through very carefully, so yeah, some clumsy singing moments and an overall slightly obnoxious guitar sound can definitely be heard in a song such as "Roulette Dares".

There ARE some neat guitar tricks that impress me though. I wish these moments would have lasted longer, and would have been focused on more clearly and carefully, but for modern music that's trying to be artsy, I guess this will have to be about as impressive as it will ever get for now on.

Worth a few listens, but for serious music fans who are looking for something similar and much much better, I HIGHLY recommend Henry Cow, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, King Crimson and Yes.
.

Compellingly coiled calibrations
. 4 1/2

Hopefully TMV's dynamic duo go back to their debut once in a while to humble themselves musically, because this progressive rock, complete-ATDI-demise-justification entrance still stands in the running as one of the decade's most powerful blast-offs, striking a balance between ambitious and refined Volta has strayed further away from in vain since, in my estimation.

A Glimpse Into Greatness to Come
This album was my introduction to their truly original and brilliant music. There aren't too many bands that truly get me as charged up as The Mars Volta. There are too many influences to count, and as you listen to different albums you will notice that each one is a truly different piece of art. You will think to yourself "Hmm, what genre would this fit in". I still don't know how to classify it so good luck.

If you appreciate music that isn't the usual instant gratification we have all become so accustomed to, you will find this band to be an inspiring and challenging excursion. One tip: Never, ever ever try to listen to a single Mars Volta song in order to sample their music. Their albums are complete works, think of them as a single song. They are also notorious for hiding the truly infectious hooks within the punctuated psychedelia. If you happen to smoke green stuff, have a listen after indulging. Whatever you do, make sure to listen to at least one entire album before making any judgements. I absolutely hated it the first time I listened, but came back and gave it another chance, and suddenly it all made sense. .

De-Loused in the Comatorium
You can tell by the name of the album, the cover of the album, and even the name of the band that they are in no way ordinary. There is absolutely nothing normal about The Mars Volta. When I first heard this album I didn't understand it at all. None of the words they were saying made any sense to me and I thought they were just throwing around big words for fun. But after some research, I learned that the lyrics are telling the story of Cerpin Taxt, who tries to kill himself by overdosing on a mixture of morphine and rat poison. The attempt lands him in a week long coma during which he experiences visions of humanity and his own psyche. Upon waking, he is dissatisfied with the real world and jumps to his death. The story is said to be based on the death of artist Julio Venegas, who was a friend of the band. Despite it being one of the creepiest things I've ever heard, it's also beautiful in a way, especially the song "Televators. " At this point in the album, Cerpin has taken his own life. Overall, it's pretty hard to get into, as most of the songs are around 7 minutes long (or 12 in the case of "Cicatriz ESP"). But the untamed guitars on songs like "This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed" and "Drunkship of Lanterns" will keep the listener on edge.

You can see a complete list of all The Mars Volta discography, or go back to the The Mars Volta tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.