Rising from the ashes of the universally beloved indie act At the Drive In, The Mars Volta have been one of the most important alternative prog rock bands of the century since their formation in 2001. The Mars Volta dropped their debut record De-Loused In The Comatorium, a landmark album in progressive rock and their undisputed masterpiece. They were also voted Rolling Stone Magazine’s best Prog Rock band of 2008 against the likes of Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree and Mastodon.
With a dedication to creating unique music pulling from a broad spectrum of influences and a Latin flavour, the band features some incredible musicianship including the highly unconventional effects-driven guitar work of Omar Rodriguez Lopez who continues his ongoing “war against the guitar” as he once put it in an interview with Guitar World.
Cedric Bixler Zavala is a multi-lingual master vocalist who uses his ability to speak multiple languages to create interesting vocal hooks that sound amazing in any language but that’s not to say he can’t scream his lungs out with astonishing force and control. L’Via L’Viaquez is a particularly famous example of this as it was also featured on Guitar Hero World Tour back in 2008.
The band has had a multitude of lineup changes since its inception, including the triumphant return of original bassist Eva Gardner (no relation), but Lopez and Rodriguez have been consistently a part of The Mars Volta and maintain themselves as the key components of the band.
The Mars Volta first broke up in 2012 with their first shows since reuniting in 2019 taking place in 2022. Theirs is a long-awaited tour for the ages and not to be missed. Their upcoming UK tour will be their first dates in the UK in over a decade and their first full UK tour since 2008, it could be your only opportunity to see them in modest sized venues in a long time given the state of touring nowadays.
Tickets are available now! Get them while you can, who knows how long they’ll be around for?
