The Mars Volta

The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band formed in 2001 by guitarist and producer Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the core duo who have driven the band throughout its entire existence. Both had previously been central members of the acclaimed post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, and when that band dissolved they chose to push their sound in a far more experimental and ambitious direction - drawing from progressive rock, jazz fusion, Latin music, psychedelia, and free improvisation into something wholly unique. The band's reputation was built first on their ferocious and unpredictable live shows before their debut album De-Loused in the Comatorium arrived in 2003, produced by Rick Rubin with Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass. A concept album based on the death of an El Paso artist, it established the band's template of sprawling, intensely complex compositions wrapped around dark narrative themes. Frances the Mute (2005) debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold in the US. Amputechture (2006), The Bedlam in Goliath (2008) - a concept record supposedly cursed by a Ouija board purchased in Jerusalem - and Octahedron (2009) followed in quick succession. The Bedlam in Goliath's single Wax Simulacra won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2009. After Noctourniquet in 2012 the band entered hiatus and officially disbanded in 2013 following a falling out between the two principals. Rodriguez-Lopez and Bixler-Zavala reconciled and reunited the band in 2022, releasing a self-titled album and returning to touring after a decade away.