I’m still unsure as to whether it’s a suited eagle spanking a naked man or a Mexican holding a sack of some sort. Yet, whatever the backdrop is, not even it can outdo THE MARS VOLTA.
Grandiose in every sense of the word, they bring us a 2 hour set that spans like a musical timeline. From the opening soundtrack from the classic ‘Fist Full of Dollars’ movie, Cedric Bixler, Omar Rodriguez and various other musical wizards wow a sold out Academy with music so out there it’s beyond gone. It doesn’t have the brutal immediacy At the Drive-In once had, but it is a step onward from the post hardcore revolutionaries that threatened to dissolve when ATD imploded.
Whereas the flailing limbs and microphone remain, the onstage aura is on of self-contained control, for this is true genre meshing. Flicks of salsa inhibit the majority of the set with Cedric and percussionists showing just how you move to the Volta’s unique sense of timing, and when he’s not shimmying, he’s a black furball of vocal intensity. Of course it’s by no means easy to listen to, or for that matter to sing to with lyrics incorporating Spanish, but The Mars Volta are what many bands could never be.
As much of a loss as ATD-I were, it would have been unforgivable had they sat back and let themselves become another Sparta and ultimately ATD-I were sacrificed. Remaining unwavering in their own obvious talents, the same pretensions that made ATD-I so relevant have been given the opportunity to flourish in an acid mix of furious punk rock, free style jazz and Latin passion only for it to be performed with progressive abandon. Mind you, they don’t really do subtlety. Well not in a conventional sense anyways, as swallowing the by no means small Academy is no mean feat. It’s a sound that’s vast and devouring and only tempered by jolting drums and Cedric’s wail. Granted, the rhythm’s sometimes a little loose, with Omar on occasions losing the plot of either his own contemporary genius and you can’t really nod your head to it, at least not in a cool way, but for those who didn’t believe ‘De- Loused In The Comatorium' could be aptly followed The Mars Volta have delivered a shot in the arm, and not just to the nay sayers.
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They’ll either leave you spellbound or shell-shocked, but either way they’ll leave an impression.
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