The Mars Volta

Anyone doubting the Mars Volta's ability to make progressive rock a volatile and valid art form in 2005 needs to hear this. It's operatic, thematic metal crossed with hardcore, then sprinkled with surreal lyrics and headphone madness. It's like Radiohead, the Flash Gordon soundtrack and Fugazi all rolled in one.

In a big-riff age when punk is pop, in the worst fizzy-drink sense, and most heavy metal is
as wild as a night at home playing Grand Theft Auto, the Mars Volta's second album is an
exhilarating transgression: concussive, nonlinear rhythms; mad-dog guitar algebra;
bloody-nightmare suites sung in bilingual free verse. In short, the beastly spawn of
Radiohead's OK Computer and Rush's 2112. The only word singer-lyricist Cedric... More >