The Mars Volta

How many times can an instrumental freak-out suddenly protruding from a wall of noisy solos and unorthodox time signatures catch you off guard? Guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala perfected the art in their previous band, At The Drive-In, but have taken it to stratospheric new prog-rock heights with their current group, The Mars Volta. Since forming in 2001, the six-piece outfit has earned its share of criticism for effectively pulling off the same stunt on all its albums, dressed up in the guise of unpronounceable song titles and lyrics with vivid imagery. On its fifth album, Octahedron, TMV is starting to take some more chances, leaning more heavily on silence; nonetheless, it should still be thrilling live. 

Updated 09/02/2009