10 Perfect Progressive Rock Albums With No Bad Songs
4. De-Loused In The Comatorium - The Mars Volta (2003)
With the help of music production genius Rick Rubin, Omar Rodríguez-López (the bands mastermind) managed to pull together one of the most accomplished prog-rock records of the 21st Century. The band's first record got things off to a troubled and harrowing start, however. Marked by the death of a band member and with the departure of the original bass player, the band were fighting an up hill battle. Not to mention they all had a penchant for heavy drug use. They recruited Red Hot Chili Peppers bass player Flea to help fill the holes.
With that said, it's not surprising the albums lyrics revolve around stories of drug abuse, near death experiences and the trappings of addiction. Known for his erratic onstage persona, Cedric Bixler-Zavala manages to covey his eccentricities on this record, with screaming vocals reminiscent of Robert Plant in the early Zeppelin days.
As is usual for the Volta, López takes the lead musically on this album, writing and composing the majority of the music himself. Driven by a mixture of classic rock and Latin style drum, Lopez's guitar explodes all over the track listing. There's a tender beauty at times and a frenzied intensity at others. This album might have its softer moments, but you should nevertheless, expect to leave the experience with your ears ringing.