Mars Volta expand

[dJEd]

i'm not sure what the deal is with this but their website has this on the front page:

THE MARS VOLTA GROUP:

OMAR A. RODRIGUEZ-LOPEZ

CEDRIC BIXLER-ZAVALA

JUAN ALDERETE DE LA PENA

JON THEODORE

ISAIAH IKEY OWENS

ADRIAN TERRAZAS GONZALEZ

PABLO HINOJOS-GONZALEZ

MARCEL RODRIGUEZ-LOPEZ

HENRY TREJO

AMERY AMOL SMITH

JESSE ISAACS

JERRY RICCARDI

JOE PAUL SLABY

DAN HADLEY

SHAUN SEBASTIAN

KEITH MITCHELL

JONATHAN DEBAUN

GREG NELSON

STEVE TAYLOR

LALO MEDINA

PAUL DRAKE

something is afoot, and its huge.

Del is very excited.

[Esau]

They cancelled their euro tour this summer due to Omar having adominal pains but were suppose to go on tour as guests on System Of A Down this fall,which I imagine is in conjunction with SOAD's new album coming out in november.So far no dates seem to be set.

[SaggyBalls]

I still find it hard to believe they opened for SOAD on their tour.

I was totally confused as to why SOAD had such huge critical acclaim in guitar magazines with such pussed out tone and licks.

Boo-Yeah to the Mars Volta. They're one of the best bands going. can't wait to see them next time around.

[Esau]

Well,I dont know if they have opened for SOAD previously but their website says they are to open for them this fall.I don't really care for either band,both seem a bit tiresome & repetitive.

[AD]

I think that tour is already over.. SOAD and Mars Volta played Toronto about a month ago...

SOAD is good... Mars Volta is supremely better

AD

[Esau]

Well I see I'm definatley out of the loop,missed that completley.Explains the lack of tour dates.

Thanks AD

[AD]

I wasn't sure just a moment ago, but yeah, Toronto was Sept 1, and the west coast swing was the last week of September

Good little mini-review of the mars volta in winnipeg

Before SOAD, The Mars Volta tore through a one-hour set featuring only four songs of absurdist avant-garde prog-metal and cerebral psychedelia.

The Texas group performed as an eight-piece, including three percussionists and two keyboardists, but the main focus was on vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, formerly of emo-heroes At the Drive In. They may have ditched the sound of their former band, but it's nice to see they kept their famous afros.

Bixler-Zavala was a madman on stage howling in English and Spanish while convulsing like the bastard child of Iggy Pop. Rodriguez-Lopez stood beside him at centre stage tearing through solos and thrashing his guitar above a roaring wall of drums, horns and effects.

Each song was its own sprawling mini-epic, starting slowly and building to a cacophonous climax before calming down to a dull roar and rising again. For a similar effect smash a brick into your head, relax with a therapeutic massage then beat yourself stupid.

AD

Edited October 18, 2005 by Guest

[SaggyBalls]

'winnipeg sun' is a tool that has no idea what great new music is.

i presume 'winnipeg sun' loved SOAD.

i bet i could beat him in an arm wrestle.

[Guest Low Roller]

Listening to Frances the Mute right now on iD1g1t... Kicking ass all over the place.

[AdamH]

I love this band. Especially Deloused in the Comatorium with headphones and pot cigarettes.

But I don't know a thing about System of a Down. Should I assume they aren't good?

[AD]

SOAD are a bit more mainstream but I think they're good... Excellent musicians, distinct vocal delivery, good lyrics... Just a bit closer to the centre than the awesomeness of Mars Volta.

There's a reason Mars Volta opened for them.

I'd say dig into some of their stuff (Toxicity is pretty good) and check em out.

AD

[AD]

Geez I just don't stop about this.... Here's an album review of Toxicity... Some good descriptions of the music in here... I like the 'sound like the bastard children of Frank Zappa and Slayer' line.

System of a Down's 1998 debut was initially overlooked by the mainstream hard rock audience, as well as the specialized press. But heavy metal cognoscenti in both camps quickly realized that in their hands was a potentially crucial stepping stone for the future development of heavy metal. Sure enough, so challenging and groundbreaking were its contents that the album soared over most everyone's unsuspecting heads, its eventual gold sales status only achieved via Columbia Records' massive promotional muscle and nearly three years of intensive touring on the band's part. Consequently, early believers were pleasantly surprised when 2001's long awaited follow-up, Toxicity met with instant popular acceptance, skyrocketing up the charts toward multi-platinum success. Yet, for the most part, it also managed to retained SOAD's unorthodox signature sound: so-called "nu-metal" uniquely infused with remarkable originality, including angular riffs, jagged rhythms, and oblique lyrics splattered all over the place. Like its predecessor, Toxicity seems utterly chaotic upon first listen, but things quickly begin falling into place, thanks to a number of small refinements, not least of which is a more generous melody, obviously pre-meditated, but rarely overdone. In turn, this immediacy greatly improved the album's chances at radio -- case in point, first single "Chop Suey!," a track so potent not even September 11, nor mainstream radio's ensuing self-imposed, politically correct attempt at self-censorship, could tear from the airwaves (despite its none-too-discreet lyrics about suicide), the song's surprising success was reminiscent of another left-field hit from a decade earlier, Faith No More's "Epic" (hear its piano-led outro for proof). And sure enough, from the unexpected false starts of "Prison Song" to the relatively mellow conclusion of "Aerials," the band's heightened commercial sensibility continues to joust with their inherently quirky songwriting. The excellent title track, "Forest," and "Science" are among the most accessible standouts from an incredibly diverse set, the likes of which SOAD's inferior nu-metal peers could only hope to emulate. Lyrically, it's simply no contest. Whether tackling typical rock subject matter like drug abuse ("Needles") and groupies ("Psycho"), or embarking on inscrutable Dadaist gems like "Jet Pilot" and "Shimmy," co-songwriters Daron Malakian and Serj Tankain sound like are the bastard children of Frank Zappa and Slayer. And while sub-Rage Against the Machine political invective (unfairly attributed to their Armenian heritage) remains an integral part of the band's creative makeup (e.g. "Deer Dance," "Atwa"), Toxicity's approach is much more cautious in this regard than that of their incendiary debut. In conclusion, when a band takes this many left turns, you'd expect them to start going in circles sooner rather than later, but this is not the case with System of a Down. Hands down one of 2001's top metal releases, Toxicity may well prove to be a lasting heavy metal classic to boot.