The Mars Volta

The Mars Volta are an American group from El Paso, United States, active since 2001. They are generally associated with progressive rock, and their sound also spans alternative rock, art rock, experimental music, hard rock, neo-psychedelia and post-hardcore. The band forms around the creative partnership of Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, who handle guitar and production, and vocals and lyrics respectively. Both had previously played together in At the Drive-In before forming The Mars Volta.

Formation and early line-up

The band forms after the dissolution of At the Drive-In as Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala look to develop a more experimental approach. Early members include Eva Gardner on bass, Isaiah “Ikey” Owens on keyboards, Jon Theodore on drums and Jeremy Ward on sound manipulation. Later line-ups include Marcel Rodríguez-López on keyboards, synthesizers and percussion, Leo Genovese on piano, keyboards and saxophone, and Linda-Philomène Tsoungui on drums. Other members associated with the group include Blake Fleming, Ralph Jasso, John Frusciante, Juan Alderete, Jason Lader, Paul Hinojos, Adrián Terrazas-González, Deantoni Parks, Thomas Pridgen, Lars Stalfors, David Elitch and Willy Rodriguez Quiñones.

Recordings and releases

The Mars Volta release their debut EP, Tremulant, in 2002. Their first studio album, De-Loused in the Comatorium, appears in 2003 with Flea playing bass after Gardner leaves before recording. The album is produced by Rick Rubin and receives critical acclaim. Frances the Mute follows in 2005, produced by Rodríguez-López, and brings Juan Alderete and Marcel Rodríguez-López in as regular members. It reaches number four on the US Billboard 200 and is certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Amputechture appears in 2006 and is the final album to feature Jon Theodore on drums. In 2008 the band releases The Bedlam in Goliath, a concept album shaped by reported experiences with a talking board. Its single “Wax Simulacra” wins the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2009. The group then releases Octahedron in 2009 and Noctourniquet in 2012. After that album, the band enters a hiatus and later officially disbands in 2013.

Hiatus and return

Rodríguez-López later forms Bosnian Rainbows, while he and Bixler-Zavala also work together again in Antemasque and in further At the Drive-In activity. They reconnect privately in 2019 and begin recording new material. The Mars Volta announce their return in 2022 alongside an art installation titled L'ytome Hodorxí Telesterion. The reunion line-up includes Gardner, Marcel Rodríguez-López and drummer Willy Rodriguez Quiñones, with Leo Genovese, Linda-Philomène Tsoungui and Josh Moreau joining for later live performances.

Later albums

The band releases The Mars Volta in 2022, Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazón in 2023 and Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacio in 2025.