mars volta europe tour

The Mars Volta announce 2023 UK tour: “Playing live is where it’s at for us”

See details of the band's trio of UK shows, as the prog legends tell NME what to expect and why "nostalgia is death"

The Mars Volta have announced details of a 2023 UK tour. Check out dates and ticket details below, alongside an interview with Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López.

• READ MORE: The Mars Volta on going “pop” and those Kanye West rumours

The three UK shows will be to promote their 2022 self-titled comeback record, with their new live set-up as much a part of their rebirth as the album – as they explained to NME.

The Texas-formed band released six studio albums between 2003 and 2012 before splitting due to a falling-out between founding members Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López . In the years that followed, the pair formed new group Antemasque and resurrected their pre-Mars Volta outfit At-the-Drive-In for a new record in 2017 .

The Mars Volta then released their first new single last June with ‘The Mars Volta’ following in September. Following a US headline tour and ahead of a stint supporting the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their upcoming stadium tour , The Mars Volta will return to the UK.

According to Rodríguez-López, The Mars Volta were always going to tour following their reunion. “The idea was, if we’re going to do this, we’re all in on every level,” he told NME . “New music, a new live experience and a new approach to everything; it was definitely all just part of the same package.”

When their long-awaited headline tour kicked off at The Forum In Deep Ellum in Dallas last year, it was the first time The Mars Volta had performed live in over a decade. The set was full of deep-cuts, rarities and new songs . Unlike most reunions, The Mars Volta skipped the celebratory Greatest Hits tour and wanted to return with new music.

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“For me, the death rattle of any band is going out and playing your greatest hits, because you’ve made peace with the fact that people don’t want to hear the new stuff,” said Bixler-Zavala. “That’s just not something we really care about. We have to be super selfish and move forward. If we’re not excited about what we’re doing, then no one gets to hear anything.”

Rodríguez-López continued: “It’s very exciting to have the opportunity to make another record, it’s very exciting that people want to hear new music and it’s very exciting that we can go and play for them.

“There’s this reminder that we can all come together over something that we share in common, which is music. Playing live is really where it’s at for us, because you get to experience it together and it becomes this living, breathing thing.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Mars Volta (@themarsvolta)

After 10 years away, The Mars Volta have returned to a new generation of fans ready to experience their acclaimed live show for the first time. Bixler-Zavala wants it to offer people “church and the playground”.

“Not in the organised religion sense, but in the sense where you’re overcome by the spirit of it and you can’t put your finger on it exactly but you’re moved in some sort of emotional way,” he added.

Rodríguez-López continued: “And togetherness. That’s the playground part. You really are creating something together and there’s this ability to share in the truest sense. You feel part of the universe. That’s what we want for ourselves as well. We don’t want anything for ourselves that we don’t want for everyone else.”

Before the release of ‘The Mars Volta’, the band defiantly said they weren’t afraid of “ losing fans ” with new material but they needn’t have worried. The Mars Volta’s return has been overwhelmingly positive.

“We’re so used to people being haters all the time that it’s hard to decipher when someone’s showing you love, especially in the internet age,” said Bixler-Zavala. “I just assume everyone’s coming after us. It’s strange to me that anyone ever has a positive thing to say about us now. I’m used to being super defensive, because we’ve both encountered that our whole lives.”

He went on: “It’s real easy for people to make fun of the band with the singer with the high voice, the big hair, the girl pants, and all the other stereotypes of what we are – but it turns out a lot of people have been rooting for us.”

That defiance did mean that The Mars Volta weren’t trying to live up to the expectations of others with their new material. “This band has always introduced people to different colours on an easel,”  Bixler-Zavala told NME . “I think that’s very, very, very, very necessary in music. If you get stuck in one era, then you’re going to miss a lot of amazing stuff that is happening right now. And that’s to me what music should be – focused on the present and thinking of the future.

“Nostalgia is death. You shouldn’t worry about whether you can recreate something that you did when you were 20-years-old because then it becomes like a Las Vegas act and that would be really fucking boring. I don’t want to be in a boring band. I want to move forward.”

Speaking of which, how are the band feeling about this new era of The Mars Volta?

“Everything’s always the start of something permanent until it’s not permanent. But if you’re asking if this is a new beginning? Sure. We feel liberated,” said Rodríguez-López.

Bixler-Zavala added: “I don’t think Nick Cave , Iggy Pop or Martin Scorsese ever question when it’s going to be over. They just keep going until life says to them, ‘it’s over’. I’m not trying to compare ourselves to these people, but I definitely think they’re great blueprints for people that are older but are still creating and evolving.”

Rodríguez-López added: “Obviously there’s still so much we don’t understand but we do understand so much more now. Sorry to use these therapy terms but like anyone going through life, the more experiences you have, the more tools you have to navigate certain situations.

“That’s the whole point of this band. Art doesn’t really serve you in and of itself if it has no therapeutic value yet, right? If it’s not therapeutic then it’s just entertainment which is cool but for us, music has to heal something.”

The Mars Volta emerged from the ashes of revolutionary punk band At The Drive-In. While Bixler-Zavala might want their new album to be “that friend that you can confide in, where you can say truly vulnerable and uncomfortable things, so that you can grow as a person and so you can get it out and not keep it inside,” there’s still a political slant to everything the band do.

Their video for 2022 single ‘ Graveyard Love ’ shows the devastating impact that American control is having on Rodríguez-López’s birth country of Puerto Rico in an attempt “to shine a light on a struggle most people don’t even know is going on.”

“It makes a whole people feel seen and heard, but also by us doing that, hopefully other people can feel safe to honour their roots, whether they be Persian, Glaswegian or whatever,” said Rodríguez-López. “People should sing about their roots, write about them and dance about them as well. That goes right back to our Latino culture; the idea that to live, is to remember.”

First time around, The Mars Volta toyed with concept albums that toyed with sci-fi, jazz and prog. ‘The Mars Volta’ is their version of a heavy, pop record, as the band continue to defy genre boundaries. Where do they see themselves fitting in the musical landscape of 2023?

“I think it’s cool if it’s that, where you can’t put us into any one particular place,” said Bixler-Zavala. “If we continue that in 2023, that’s really nice because it means we get to play with a lot of different types of artists. We don’t consider ourselves this or that or the other. We just consider ourselves The Mars Volta.”

Tickets for The Mars Volta’s UK tour go on sale Friday (February 24) and will be available here . The Mars Volta will play:

16 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow 17 – O2 Apollo, Manchester 18 – Troxy, London

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The Mars Volta announces June 2023 European Tour

These shows come on the heels of a wildly prolific year for the band. In September of 2022, they released “The Mars Volta”, their seventh studio album and first new music in a decade via Clouds Hill Recordings. It was critically acclaimed and reignited guitarist/composer Omar Rodríguez-López and singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala – finding them at the most mature, most concise, and most focused place they had ever been.

“The Mars Volta” can be streamed and purchased digitally and physically. Digitally, the album is available in Dolby Atmos and spatial audio, and physically on CD and vinyl with Clouds Hill holding an exclusive, kinetic version of the vinyl, which can be ordered here . A special, gold foiled outer sleeve with embossed art is also available on LP, CD and cassette.

They also embarked on a nationwide tour, which had them performing live as The Mars Volta for the first time in ten years. The shows sold out quickly with many cities adding extra nights due to overwhelming demand, which also sold out.

UK and EU pre-sale for the upcoming headline shows with support from Teri Gender Bender on Wednesday Feb 22 at 10am local, general on-sale this Friday Feb 24 at 10am local time here .

European Tour Dates 2023: June 8 – Primavera Sound – Porto, Portugal June 9 – Primavera Sound – Madrid, Spain June 11 – Best Kept Secret – Hilvaranbeek, Netherlands June 14 Antwerp, Belgium – Olt June 21 Warsaw, Poland – Pge Narodowy * June 24 Berlin, Germany – Verti Music Hall June 26 Mannheim, Germany – Mannheim Maimmarktgelände* * (w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iggy Pop)

US Tour Dates 2023: May 09 – Oklahoma City, OK May 10 – Albuquerque, NM May 13 – Tempe, AZ May 14 – El Paso, TX May 16 – San Antonio, TX May 18 – New Orleans, LA May 19 – Houston, TX

Mexican Show 2023: May 24 – Pepsi Center Mexico City, Mexico

Weblinks: www.themarsvoltaofficial.com www.facebook.com/TheMarsVolta

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The Mars Volta Announce Run Of European Tour Dates; Including Shows With Red Hot Chilli Peppers

The Mars Volta have announced a run of show dates in Europe that will take place this June and some shows supporting Red Hot Chili Peppers. These shows come on the heels of a wildly prolific year for the band. In September of 2022, they released ‘The Mars Volta’, their seventh studio album and first new music in […]

The Mars Volta  have announced a run of show dates in Europe that will take place this June and some shows supporting Red Hot Chili Peppers.

These shows come on the heels of a wildly prolific year for the band. In September of 2022, they released  ‘The Mars Volta’,  their seventh studio album and first new music in a decade via Clouds Hill Recordings. It was critically acclaimed and reignited guitarist/composer  Omar Rodríguez-López  and  singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala  – finding them at the most mature, most concise, and most focused place they had ever been. ‘The Mars Volta’ can be streamed and purchased digitally and physically. Digitally, the album is available in Dolby Atmos and spatial audio, and physically on CD and vinyl with Clouds Hill holding an exclusive,  kinetic version of the vinyl , which can be ordered here:  www.cloudshillshop.com . A special, gold foiled outer sleeve with embossed art is also available on LP, CD and cassette. 

They also embarked on a nationwide tour, which had them performing live as The Mars Volta for the first time in ten years. The shows sold out quickly with many cities adding extra nights due to overwhelming demand, which also sold out. 

UK and EU pre-sale for the upcoming headline shows with support from  Teri Gender Bender  on Wednesday Feb 22 at 10am local,  general on-sale this Friday Feb 24 at 10am local time via the band’s website –  www.themarsvoltaofficial.com 

T he Mars Volta – Upcoming tour dates:

June 8 – Primavera Sound – Porto, Portugal June 9 – Primavera Sound – Madrid, Spain June 11 – Best Kept Secret – Hilvaranbeek, Netherlands June 14  Antwerp, Belgium – Olt  June 21  Warsaw, Poland – Pge Narodowy * June 24 Berlin, Germany – Verti Music Hall June 26 Mannheim, Germany – Mannheim Maimmarktgelände *

(* with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iggy Pop)

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The Mars Volta

The mars volta live at uber eats music hall.

The Mars Volta are set to bring their "The Mars Volta 2023 Tour" to the Uber Eats Music Hall in Berlin on the 24th of June, 2023.

Tickets are available now.

In 2001 Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Alfredo Rodriguez-Lopez founded the rock band The Mars Volta and debuted with their EP "Tremulant" in 2002. Following their first publication the band played many gigs with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. During their career The Mars Volta released six studio albums and won a Grammy for their song "Wax Simulacra" in 2008 for Best Hard Rock Performance. In 2013 the band split up but came back after nine years in 2022 with their seventh studio album "The Mars Volta".

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The Mars Volta announce summer 2023 UK shows

Before they hit Europe with Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Mars Volta will be playing Glasgow, Manchester and London this June.

Following the release of last year’s long-awaited seventh album, The Mars Volta are continuing their comeback with some newly-announced UK shows.

The duo – guitarist/composer Omar Rodríguez-López and singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala – will stop off at Glasgow’s iconic Barrowlands, the O2 Apollo Manchester and London’s Troxy from June 16 – 18, with tickets going on sale this Friday, February 24 at 10am.

Before that, in May they’re scheduled to appear in Mexico, and immediately before these UK shows The Mars Volta will play Antwerp in Belgium.

And then, shortly after the UK dates, they’ll be off to Europe to support the Red Hot Chili Peppers , as well as playing their own show in Berlin.

Catch The Mars Volta at the following UK shows:

16 Glasgow Barrowlands 17 Manchester O2 Apollo 18 London Troxy

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The Mars Volta Announce UK & European Dates For 2023

Genre-straddling Texan outfit The Mars Volta have announced their first UK tour in over a decade. That brief run will see them playing a trio of dates in June. Some European and Mexican dates have also been booked for the spring/summer as well.

A pre-sale for the band’s Mexico City date at the city’s Pepsi Centre will launch this Thursday, 23 February, while tickets for the UK/European headlining shows will be up this Friday, 24 February at 10:00am local time.

As with the majority of the band’s touring since reuniting, support will come from Teri Gender Bender.

These shows come on the heels of a wildly prolific year for the band. In September of 2022, they released The Mars Volta , their seventh studio album and first new music in a decade. The record was critically acclaimed and reignited guitarist/composer Omar Rodríguez-López and singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala – finding them at the most mature, most concise, and most focused place they had ever been.

Formed by guitarist/composer Omar Rodríguez-López and singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, The Mars Volta rose from the ashes of El Paso punk-rock firebrands At The Drive-In in 2001. On a mission to “honor our roots and honor our dead”, The Mars Volta made music that fused the Latin sounds Rodríguez-López was raised on with the punk and underground noise he and Bixler-Zavala had immersed themselves in for years, and the futuristic visions they were tapping into.

The Mars Volta’s 2023 UK and European dates include:

05/24 Mexico City, MEX – Pepsi Center 06/14 Antwerp, BEL – TBA 06/16 Glasgow, UK – Barrowlands 06/17 Manchester, UK – O2 Apollo 06/18 London, UK – Troxy 06/21 Berlin GER – Verti Music Hall (feat. Red Hot Chili Peppers & Iggy Pop) 06/24 Berlin, GER – TBA 06/26 Mannheim, GER – Maimarktgelande Parkplatz (feat. Red Hot Chili Peppers & Iggy Pop)

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THEPRP News

The Mars Volta Announce New European/UK & Mexican Dates

Texan progressive rock outfit The Mars Volta have announced their first UK tour in over a decade. That brief run will see them playing a trio of dates in June. Some European and Mexican dates have also been booked for the spring/summer as well.

A pre-sale for the Mexico City date will launch this Thursday, February 23rd, while tickets for the UK/European headlining shows will be up this Friday, February 24th at 10:00am local time.

The newly announced dates include:

05/24 Mexico City, MEX – Pepsi Center 06/14 Antwerp, BEL – TBA 06/16 Glasgow, UK – Barrowlands 06/17 Manchester, UK – O2 Apollo 06/18 London, UK – Troxy 06/24 Berlin, GER – TBA

As with the majority of the band’s touring since reuniting, support will come from Teri Gender Bender . The Mars Volta also have the following EU dates booked around that time:

06/21 Berlin, GER – Verti Music Hall (feat. Red Hot Chili Peppers & Iggy Pop ) 06/26 Mannheim, GER – Maimarktgelande Parkplatz (feat. Red Hot Chili Peppers & Iggy Pop )

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The Mars Volta tour dates 2024

The Mars Volta is currently touring across 2 countries and has 2 upcoming concerts.

Their next tour date is at Lake Perris in Perris, after that they'll be at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.

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One of the most devastating moments in rock ‘n roll in the new millennium was the breakup of the critically acclaimed and highly inspirational post-hardcore band, At the Drive-In. The group broke up shortly after they took the music world by storm with their third full-length record “Relationship of Command” upsetting many diehard and new fans.

The group broke up for personal reasons and they split into two camps, each creating their own bands. Jim Ward, Paul Hinojos, and Tony Hajjar went on to form Sparta, a straight forward indie/post hardcore band. While Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriquez-Lopez went on to form Mars Volta a highly eclectic prog rock group.

Bixler-Zavala has always been known for his animated theatrics on stage, constantly bouncing around the entire stage, collapsing into a heap while he pours his falsetto voice into the microphone. Equally as entertaining his guitar wizard Rodriquez-Lopez, whose riffs dominate a Mars Volta concert which often delve into several minutes of captivating solo work.

The Mars Volta are very crafty during their live performances, rather than playing their songs as they were recorded they’ll dive into jam tangents that can easily last up to 10 minutes creating an entirely original composition for their fans. No Mars Volta show is the same, which is quite fitting for a band as unique as them.

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The Mars Volta Announce Upcoming Dates in June

The Mars Volta announced a string of live dates in June, including an appearance at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival – Manchester, TN. See tour dates and info below.

Drummer for Mars Volta, Philo, was featured in the November 2022 Modern Drummer issue. Check it out:

From a recent press release:

FEBRUARY 13, 2024 – The Mars Volta have announced an upcoming string of live dates taking place this June with support from special guest Teri Gender Bender. Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 16 at 10AM local time.

The band is confirmed to perform a set at this year’s Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, taking place June 14 in Manchester, TN. Tickets are on sale now:  www.bonnaroo.com

The Mars Volta continue to support their most recent albums ‘The Mars Volta’ and ‘Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazón’. The dates announced today are cities the band have yet to perform in since their return to performing together.

The Mars Volta – Upcoming Tour Dates

Tickets on sale Friday, February 16 at  www.themarsvoltaofficial.com/live

June 6 – Val Air Ballroom – Des Moines, IA

June 8 – The Sylvee – Madison, WI

June 9 – Egyptian Room at Old National Centre – Indianapolis, IN

June 10 – The Admiral Theatre – Omaha, NE

June 12 – Kemba Live! – Columbus, OH

June 14 – Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival – Manchester, TN

Formed by guitarist/composer Omar Rodríguez-López and singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, The Mars Volta rose from the ashes of El Paso punk-rock firebrands At The Drive-In in 2001. On a mission to “honor our roots and honor our dead”, The Mars Volta made music that fused the Latin sounds Rodríguez-López was raised on with the punk and underground noise he and Bixler-Zavala had immersed themselves in for years, and the futuristic visions they were tapping into. The albums that followed were one-of-a-kind masterpieces, their songs of breath-taking complexity also possessing powerful emotional immediacy. After the group fell silent, a legion of devotees kept up an insistent drum-beat for their return.

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THE MARS VOLTA Announces June 2024 Tour

THE MARS VOLTA has announced an upcoming string of live dates taking place this June with support from special guest TERI GENDER BENDER . Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 16 at 10 a.m. local time.

The band is confirmed to perform a set at this year's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival , taking place June 14 in Manchester, Tennessee.

THE MARS VOLTA continues to support its most recent albums, "The Mars Volta" and "Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazón" . The dates announced today are cities the band have yet to perform in since their return to performing together.

The upcoming film "Omar And Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird" was recently announced to have its North American premiere at the upcoming SXSW Festival . The film shows the iconic duo’s journey from the hardcore scene in El Paso, Texas, to rock and roll acclaim; from growing up as minorities to their rise to success; from struggles with loss, and addiction to their blazing comeback. A depiction of love, death, and inspiration — with a soundtrack that has defined a generation. It was directed by Nicolas Jack Davies and produced by Clouds Hill Films in association with Pulse Films .

Tour dates:

June 06 - Val Air Ballroom - Des Moines, IA June 08 - The Sylvee - Madison, WI June 09 - Egyptian Room at Old National Centre - Indianapolis, IN June 10 - The Admiral Theatre - Omaha, NE June 12 - Kemba Live! - Columbus, OH June 14 - Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival - Manchester, TN

Formed by guitarist/composer Omar Rodríguez-López and singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala , THE MARS VOLTA rose from the ashes of El Paso punk-rock firebrands AT THE DRIVE-IN in 2001. On a mission to "honor our roots and honor our dead", THE MARS VOLTA made music that fused the Latin sounds Rodríguez-López was raised on with the punk and underground noise he and Bixler-Zavala had immersed themselves in for years, and the futuristic visions they were tapping into. The albums that followed were one-of-a-kind masterpieces, their songs of breath-taking complexity also possessing powerful emotional immediacy. After the group fell silent, a legion of devotees kept up an insistent drum-beat for their return.

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Thoughts Words Action

The Mars Volta Announce Run Of European Tour Dates; Including Shows With Red Hot Chilli Peppers

The Mars Volta  have announced a run of show dates in Europe that will take place this June and some shows supporting Red Hot Chili Peppers.

These shows come on the heels of a wildly prolific year for the band. In September of 2022, they released  ‘The Mars Volta’,  their seventh studio album and first new music in a decade via Clouds Hill Recordings. It was critically acclaimed and reignited guitarist/composer  Omar Rodríguez-López  and  singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala  – finding them at the most mature, most concise, and most focused place they had ever been. ‘The Mars Volta’ can be streamed and purchased digitally and physically. Digitally, the album is available in Dolby Atmos and spatial audio, and physically on CD and vinyl with Clouds Hill holding an exclusive,  kinetic version of the vinyl , which can be ordered here:  www.cloudshillshop.com . A special, gold foiled outer sleeve with embossed art is also available on LP, CD and cassette. 

They also embarked on a nationwide tour, which had them performing live as The Mars Volta for the first time in ten years. The shows sold out quickly with many cities adding extra nights due to overwhelming demand, which also sold out. 

UK and EU pre-sale for the upcoming headline shows with support from  Teri Gender Bender  on Wednesday Feb 22 at 10am local,  general on-sale this Friday Feb 24 at 10am local time via the band’s website –  www.themarsvoltaofficial.com 

T he Mars Volta – Upcoming tour dates:

June 8 – Primavera Sound – Porto, Portugal June 9 – Primavera Sound – Madrid, Spain June 11 – Best Kept Secret – Hilvaranbeek, Netherlands June 14  Antwerp, Belgium – Olt  June 21  Warsaw, Poland – Pge Narodowy * June 24 Berlin, Germany – Verti Music Hall June 26 Mannheim, Germany – Mannheim Maimmarktgelände *

(* with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iggy Pop)

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THE MARS VOLTA Announce US Tour Dates

In addition to dates with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Iggy Pop in Europe.

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“Don’t you pretend that I’m not alive” were the first words whispered by the Mars Volta vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s during the group’s reunion stop in New York City on Sept. 29. The tour, in support of a new self-titled record that marks the end of a decade-long hiatus for the Texas rockers, is a reminder not only that the group itself is back but keenly aware of their legacy as a taut, adventurous live act ready to blend genres at a breakneck pace.

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In fact, half of the show’s setlist was devoted to that signature album, yet fan favorites felt reinvigorated thanks to bold arrangements which unveiled new textures. While bandleaders Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopez had an undeniable chemistry which gave the songs color as they would improvise new runs and fills, the rest of the musicians — bassist Josh Moreau, keyboard player and percussionist Marcel Rodriguez-López, keyboard player Leo Genovese and drummer Linda-Philomène Tsoungui — kept the groove-heavy base steady.

The band was so locked in that even slight new songs like “Blacklight Shine” fit comfortably. Yet the indelible moments belonged to the mix of Bixler-Zavala’s wail, Rodriguez-Lopez’s shredding, the rhythm section’s structure and a bed of noise that evoked Pink Floyd’s “Echoes” at its most yearning. In a performance filled with this much life, it was clear that the Mars Volta’s roaring live show has returned fully intact.

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"Easier on the ears if you're a King Crimson fan than a Kiss fan": The Mars Volta confound the ears on frenetic debut De-Loused In The Comatorium

From the ashes of post-hardcore punks at the drive-in something stirred, and it was proggy.

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Son Et Lumière Inertiatic ESP Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of) Tira Me A Las Arañas Drunkship Of Lanterns Eriatarka Cicatriz ESP This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed Televators Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt

At the dawn of the new millennium,  At The Drive-In  were one of the most exciting bands on the planet. Their 2000 masterpiece  Relationship of Command  had brought post-hardcore, art punk, cryptic lyrical flights of fancy and utterly chaotic live shows to a rock scene that had become bloated with childishly wacky pop-punk and dunderheaded nu metal. 

But it wasn't to be. A mere 14 months after  Relationship of Command’s  release and just as it looked like alternative music had their new figureheads, they split up. Physically exhausted, bored of the music industry game and sick of the sight of each other,  At the Drive-In  were gone. 

Unexpectedly, two-fifths of At the Drive-In would come back with something even more subversive and unusual than the band they had become known for, and The Mars Volta 's De-Loused In The Comatorium still sounds as forward-thinking, as unique and as unpredictable as it did in 2003.

It received 9/10 in  NME,  whilst  Uncut  said "Imagine a jam session between King Crimson, Fugazi and '70s Miles. Now imagine it working. That's the Mars Volta" in their 4-star review. It also gained a full 5Ks from  Kerrang!  who claimed The Mars Volta had "seized their moment to change the face of rock and roll... whether they’re successful or not is irrelevant; it’s the taking part that counts."

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Other albums released in June 2003

• You Gotta Go There to Come Back – Stereophonics
• In the Pursuit of Leisure - Sugar Ray
• My Private Nation - Train
• Shootenanny! - Eels
• Trouble No More - John Mellencamp
• The Phantom Agony - Epica
• St. Anger - Metallica
• Hail to the Thief - Radiohead
• Universal Hall - The Waterboys
• Blackout - Dropkick Murphys
• Everything Must Go - Steely Dan
• Welcome Interstate Managers - Fountains of Wayne
• The Vertigo of Bliss - Biffy Clyro
• Arachnophobiac - Michael Schenker Group
• Decoration Day - Drive-By Truckers
• Ghost of a Rose - Blackmore's Night
• Happy Songs for Happy People - Mogwai
• Unhallowed - The Black Dahlia Murder
• Welcome to Blue Island - Enuff Z'nuff

What they said...

"Beware:  Deloused In The Comatorium  is unashamedly prog. Some of the songs go on for millennia. Interwoven with instrumental tangents that try every possible combination of sounds, india-rubber guitar strings are tangled with flickering, fibre-optic strands of electronica. It's complex, but organic and it's enthralled with a definite sense of joyous emotion." ( Drowned In Sound )

"In the ’70s, people used to put Pink Floyd on headphones, crank the volume and go Oh, wow.' With the Mars Volta, the reaction is more along the lines of 'Goddamn!' Their Rick Rubin–produced debut roars like Led Zeppelin, churns like King Crimson and throbs like early Santana – sometimes all in the same song." ( Blender )

"Even a  semi -monastic hour (and 51 seconds) of listening reveals a satisfyingly twisted universe within these Texas oddballs' first full-length suite,  De-Loused in the Comatorium . Emerging from the vitriolic ashes of Bixler-Zavala and virtuoso guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López's art-punk project At the Drive-In, the group manically aligns triumphant metal, psychedelic rock and Latin jazz." ( Rolling Stone )

What you said...

Gino Sigismondi: In 2003, before literally every album ever recorded was instantly available to stream, you had a take a chance on buying the CD unheard and then see if you like it. Like I expect most of us here, I mostly found about new music from magazine reviews! 

Back then, I was an avid reader of the now-defunct Blender . I appreciated their short, often humorous, and mostly accurate takes on new releases, and their short description of De-Loused in the Comatorium as a punk-influenced cross between Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Santana was all the encouragement I needed. 

At The Drive-In was an unknown quantity to me at the time, so I entered into this with no expectations, and found myself blown away. So this is what happens when emo-punk kids discover their dad's Rush albums! (See also: Coheed and Cambria). It contained all the elements the Blender review promised, the guitar-shredding pomposity of Zep, the psychedelic spaciness of Floyd, while the Santana comparison mostly came by way of the unabashed nods to the Hispanic-American musical heritage (something they lead into even more heavily on follow-up Frances the Mute) . 

Perhaps most surprising is Flea's bass playing - there's nary a pop nor slap to be found, grounding their meandering jams in tasteful, melodic playing. The Mars Volta would never top this, as each subsequent album shifted the balance towards longer, even more meandering "songs" beset by lengthy sound effects-laden interludes and vertigo-inducing syncopations. 

In hindsight, this direction should've been obvious. I've saw them live on this tour, opening for A Perfect Circle, where across a 45-minute set they played a grand total of two songs from De-Loused - mostly bloated with pointless jams. Which is too bad, given the wealth of strong songs here, Drunkship Of Lanterns and the melodic Televators being specific highlights. 9/10 only because the song titles make absolutely no sense. What the hell is a "Cerpin Taxt" anyway? Supposedly a concept album about a close friend who died of a drug overdose, but I'm not sure how anyone would glean that from the word salad of lyrics.

John Davidson : I got this at the time and for the briefest of moments it kinda clicked, but I haven't listened to it since. 

Vibe-wise they have more in common with Muse or Wolfmother than they do with the likes of Dream Theater (Prog metal) or Big Big Train (modern trad prog). It's a challenging listen but unlike Tool or Mastodon, they never seem to find a melody or a dark propulsive rhythm at the heart of their compositions. The result is a more Jazzy and discordant experience than I normally enjoy. It has its moments – as on Inertiatic ESP – but overall I find the vocals too much of a distraction to fully enjoy the music.

Jeff Perry: A very good album. Drunkship Of Lanterns was named the 91st best guitar song of all time by Rolling Stone , and Guitar World named it the 55th best guitar album of all time. Tells you how highly regarded it is. For me, 8.5/10. Mostly great, with some fill that brings the score down a bit.

Denys Denysevych: Frances The Mute or Amputechture are way better.

Matt Roy : Great album. Every track is incredible.

Ben Kiehl : This album rules. One of my favourites.

Mickel Knight : 10/10. Epic. Complex but still with some serious grooves and atmosphere.

Greg Schwepe : I must have rewritten my review for The Mars Volta’s Deloused in the Comatorium in my head 3-4 times while listening to it for the very first time. Kept wavering back and forth on it as each song was completed. I felt like I needed a flower and would pull off the petals one by one; “I like this, I like it not, I like this, I like it not…”

I had never listened to The Mars Volta before and really didn’t know which handy little musical genre box they had been placed in. But found out right away; “Oh…proggy, jazzy, experimental, atmospheric stuff…got it! Let’s listen!”

And so began the push/pull of the album. There were sections of songs I really liked; the frenetic stop/start sections with thrashing guitar. Then the sections that got me wavering; the meandering instrumental sections with little to keep my attention. But as I listened, I was getting the vibe of a few other bands I liked, but nothing was coming to mind. Then one hit me; some of Deloused… sounded a bit like Adrian Belew-era King Crimson ( Discipline, Beat ). Guessing the drummer had listened to a little Bill Bruford somewhere along the line.

And the theme continued; like that part, really don’t care for that part. So, at that point I was about 50/50 with my overall take on the album. And there are “out there” bands that I really like that The Mars Volta can compare to, but just not enough.

Then the comparison I was looking for hit me. My impression of The Mars Volta was like what I ran into with my first experience with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Kept reading about how Birds Of Fire was a monumental album for many artists, so I figured I’d check it out. John McLaughlin and other high, high calibre musicians, what’s not to like, right? And I ran into the same thing; “OK, kinda like that…that’s kinda weird…” And that’s how Deloused … left me. Kind of on the fence.

The songs and sections of this album I liked, I really liked. The other sections, well, my attention span got real short. 6 out of 10 on this one for me. Now, where’s that flower for that final petal pick…

Philip Qvist: Well, this is a new one to me, and although I have heard of The Mars Volta I don't think I have bothered to listen to any of their songs - until now, that is.

And my verdict of De-Loused In The Comatorium ? Very interesting, and that is both a positive and a negative statement. There is nothing wrong with the musicianship of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and co but the lyrics of Cedric Bixler-Zavala were pretty much incoherent, while his singing also became jarring after a while.

The album started off okay, but by the end I was wishing for it to finish. This is clearly a record that needs quite a few spins before you can do a proper review of it - but I doubt it will grow on me even after that. I have little doubt that many people will like it but, sadly, I'm not one of them. No high marks from me this week.

Charlie Allison : Great album!

Adam McCann : Not for me, never got the hype around it. 21 years on I still don't get it. There's plenty of better 'prog' around from 21 years ago, this isn't it sadly.

Dale Munday : Grab your headphones, the only way to listen to this audacious debut from the Mars Volta. When this was released I had only just got into At The Drive-In's Relationship Of Command album. A classic. So this was something of a surprise, but after a few listens, not too far removed.

Under the pretext of being a prog concept album (Yeah, ok). Typical of a lot of concept albums, not a clue what the story purports to be about. Who cares? It must have taken a lot of time and narcotics to put this together, but the performances are exquisite, with special props to the drumming of Jon Theodore, both frenetic and very nuanced with a great range of playing styles.

I guess this will be easier on the ears if you are a King Crimson fan as opposed to maybe a Kiss fan. It's all subjective after all.

Nearly forgot to mention the amazing, enigmatic Storm Thorgeson sleeve.

Headphones will make it more rewarding or painful.

Mike Canoe: Given that a lot of modern prog that I dip my ears into sounds similar to De-Loused In The Comatorium , it's hard to deny the influence of the Mars Volta. I think that when this came out in 2003, I had enough obtuse art rock in my life. It's also worth remembering that this album came out in the days when you still had to buy a physical product for more money than a month of unlimited streaming.

Would I buy it now? I don't know but I do enjoy listening to it. The odd time signatures and stop-start dynamics are more palatable to me now than twenty years ago. Cedric Bixler-Zavala's voice translates an urgency and intensity that resonates, even if I only catch a fourth of the lyrics, much less what the greater concept of the album is supposed to be.

I have a soft spot for the Mars Volta (and the band they sprang from, At The Drive-In) because we share El Paso, Texas roots - even though I lived there when there were still actual drive-ins and both Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López were yet to be born. De-Loused In The Comatorium makes me think they're a band worth catching up with.

Final score: 6.88 (54 votes cast, total score 372)

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THE MARS VOLTA Announce 2023 Headlining Tour Dates

The Mars Volta have announced a run of headline show dates that will take place this May and include performances at Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta, Welcome To Rockville Festival in Daytona, FL and a show supporting Red Hot Chili Peppers in San Diego, CA.

These shows come on the heels a wildly prolific year for the band. In September of 2022, they released ‘The Mars Volta’, their seventh studio album and first new music in a decade via Clouds Hill Recordings. It was critically acclaimed and reignited guitarist/composer Omar Rodríguez-López and singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala – finding them at the most mature, most concise, and most focused place they had ever been. ‘The Mars Volta’ can be streamed and purchased digitally and physically. Digitally, the album is available in Dolby Atmos and spatial audio, and physically on CD and vinyl with Clouds Hill holding an exclusive, kinetic version of the vinyl, which can be ordered here: www.cloudshillshop.com . A special, gold foiled outer sleeve with embossed art is also available on LP, CD and cassette.

They also embarked on a nationwide tour, which had them performing live as The Mars Volta for the first time in ten years. The shows sold out quickly with many cities adding extra nights due to overwhelming demand, which also sold out.

Tickets for the upcoming headline shows with support from Teri Gender Bender will go on sale at 10AM local time on February 3 via the band’s website – www.themarsvoltaofficial.com

The Mars Volta – Tour Dates: May 6 – Shaky Knees Festival – Atlanta, GA May 9 – The Criterion – Oklahoma City, OK May 10 – Revel – Albuquerque, NM May 12 – Snapdragon Stadium – San Diego, CA w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers, Thundercat May 13 – Marquee Theatre – Tempe, AZ May 14 – Abraham Chavez Theatre – El Paso, TX May 16 – Tech Port Center & Arena – San Antonio, TX May 18 – Orpheum Theatre – New Orleans, LA May 19 – 713 Music Hall – Houston, TX May 21 – Welcome To Rockville Festival – Daytona Beach, FL

ABOUT THE MARS VOLTA Formed by guitarist/composer Omar Rodríguez-López and singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, The Mars Volta rose from the ashes of El Paso punk-rock firebrands At The Drive-In in 2001. On a mission to “honor our roots and honor our dead”, The Mars Volta made music that fused the Latin sounds Rodríguez-López was raised on with the punk and underground noise he and Bixler-Zavala had immersed themselves in for years, and the futuristic visions they were tapping into. The albums that followed were one-of-a-kind masterpieces, their songs of breath-taking complexity also possessing powerful emotional immediacy. After the group fell silent, a legion of devotees (including Kanye West) kept up an insistent drum-beat for their return.

Follow The Mars Volta on social media: Instagram:  @themarsvolta Twitter:  @themarsvolta Facebook:  www.facebook.com/TheMarsVolta YouTube:  https://bit.ly/3MOZRuH Spotify:  https://spoti.fi/3tAMmrX

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