Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

Music

All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2009
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000

Upcoming &
Recent Releases

sort by namesort by score

62 50 Cent
70 AFI
65 Air
70 Alice In Chains
53 Kris Allen
78 Amerie
79 Annie
76 Anti-Pop Consortium
86 The Antlers
75 Arctic Monkeys
68 As Tall As Lions
82 Atlas Sound
77 The Avett Brothers
67 Backstreet Boys
59 Bad Lieutenant
68 Devendra Banhart
71 Lou Barlow
88 Baroness
69 Basement Jaxx
81 David Bazan
72 Beak>
72 Brendan Benson
84 Biffy Clyro
72 The Big Pink
95 Big Star
46 Billy Talent
75 The Black Crowes
72 The Black Heart Procession
68 Blitzen Trapper
75 BLK JKS
53 Bon Jovi
76 A.A. Bondy
65 Boys Like Girls
76 Brand New
73 Tyondai Braxton
83 Brother Ali
72 Ian Brown
75 Michael Buble
77 Built To Spill
61 Colbie Caillat
78 Califone
69 Mariah Carey
81 Brandi Carlile
72 Julian Casablancas
83 Rosanne Cash
71 Castanets
65 The Cave Singers
82 Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
64 Exene Cervenka
79 Vic Chesnutt
75 Choir Of Young Believers
81 Circulatory System
67 The Clean
84 The Clientele
72 Cold Cave
85 Converge
71 Eric Copeland
76 The Cribs
79 Cymbals Eat Guitars
62 Dashboard Confessional
71 Datarock
59 Dead By Sunrise
76 Dead Man's Bones
77 Del The Funky Homosapien & Tame One
88 Destroyer
73 Do Make Say Think
63 The Dodos
77 Drive-By Truckers
67 Bob Dylan
58 Echo & The Bunnymen
61 Electric Six
44 The Entrance Band
69 Fanfarlo
71 Jay Farrar And Benjamin Gibbard
63 Felix Da Housecat
68 Fink
66 Orenda Fink
79 The Flaming Lips
66 Flight Of The Conchords
79 Florence And The Machine
67 John Fogerty
83 Fuck Buttons
71 Nelly Furtado
47 Gary Go
68 Ghostface Killah
79 Girls
69 Gossip
62 David Gray
66 David Guetta
65 Calvin Harris
79 Richard Hawley
74 Mayer Hawthorne
66 Headlights
79 HEALTH
77 Joe Henry
67 Hockey
67 Whitney Houston
80 Hudson Mohawke
68 Imogen Heap
59 Jack Ingram
79 Islands
74 Jamie T
65 Jay-Z
51 Jet
68 Daniel Johnston
76 Norah Jones
77 Karen O And The Kids
72 Toby Keith
69 Kid Cudi
75 Kid Sister
66 Kings Of Convenience
62 Sean Kingston
64 KISS
63 Mark Knopfler
73 Kris Kristofferson
68 KRS-One & Buckshot
76 La Roux
85 Miranda Lambert
72 Ledisi
71 Sondre Lerche
56 Juliette Lewis
62 Leona Lewis
82 Lightning Bolt
74 Little Dragon
44 Pixie Lott
83 Patty Loveless
73 Lyle Lovett
79 Lucero
75 Baaba Maal
77 Madness
84 Madonna
85 Manic Street Preachers
61 Maps
73 Mario
55 Massive Attack
57 Matisyahu
62 John Mayer
67 Reba McEntire
66 Tim McGraw
65 Brian McKnight
79 Mew
75 Mika
68 Amy Millan
76 Mission Of Burma
75 Molina And Johnson
80 Monsters Of Folk
66 Morrissey
85 Mount Eerie
76 The Mountain Goats
62 Múm
72 Muse
66 Willie Nelson
82 Nirvana
96 Nirvana
80 No Age
71 Noah And The Whale
75 Noisettes
79 Nudge
64 OneRepublic
47 Dolores O'Riordan
74 Os Mutantes
78 Osso
67 Alec Ounsworth
81 Owen
73 Paramore
78 Pastels And Tenniscoats
54 Sean Paul
80 Pearl Jam
69 Jemina Pearl
72 Jack Penate
65 Phish
82 Pissed Jeans
61 Pitbull
79 A Place To Bury Strangers
79 Polvo
72 Porcupine Tree
72 Port O'Brien
79 Q-Tip
79 R.E.M.
88 Raekwon
69 Rain Machine
70 Ramona Falls
75 Dizzee Rascal
74 The Raveonettes
79 Real Estate
76 Jay Reatard
81 Rodrigo Y Gabriela
66 Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
78 Russian Circles
69 Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
78 Say Anything
61 Sally Shapiro
78 Shudder To Think
70 Simian Mobile Disco
58 Simple Minds
72 Six Organs Of Admittance
80 Slayer
61 The Slits
77 Speech Debelle
58 Spiral Stairs
55 Steel Panther
75 Sufjan Stevens
52 Rod Stewart
68 Joss Stone
83 Barbra Streisand
77 A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74 Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
79 The Swell Season
80 David Sylvian
83 Taken By Trees
80 Tegan And Sara
68 The Temper Trap
78 The Dutchess & The Duke
71 The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
74 Them Crooked Vultures
72 Themselves
82 They Might Be Giants
66 J Tillman
69 Times New Viking
57 Tokio Hotel
67 Trey Songz
73 Frank Turner
71 The Twilight Sad
60 Carrie Underwood
56 The Used
68 Various Artists
69 Various Artists
77 The Very Best
70 Kurt Vile
65 Vivian Girls
71 Volcano Choir
73 Rufus Wainwright
78 Wale
57 Weezer
81 White Denim
76 Why?
83 Wild Beasts
80 Wildbirds & Peacedrums
69 Robbie Williams
59 Andrew W.K.
65 Wolfmother
84 The xx
79 Yo La Tengo
83 Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
52 Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59 Zero 7

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

De-Loused In The Comatorium

EMAILPRINTby The Mars Volta

The Mars Volta reviews
82
9.5 User Score:

Album Info

Label: Universal

Release Date: 24 June 2003

Discs: 1 disc

Genre(s): Alternative, Rock

Summary

'De-Loused' is the heavily anticipated debut LP from the group formed by former At The Drive-In members Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodriguez.

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Alternative Press

Like all great albums, De-Loused in the Comatorium takes multiple listens to absorb, and, even then, you're probably not going to have a clue to what Bixler's raving about. [Jul 2003, p.107]

100

Spin

This is a record that creates tension from the cryptic and release from the inexplicable. [Jul 2003, p.105]

92

Filter

This album's genuinely passionate without any sort of cheesy emotional transparency. [#6, p.81]

91

Entertainment Weekly

The songs explode with creativity, fusing jazz riffs, tribal rhythms, hardcore bursts of noise, and addictive rock hooks into one of the most compelling discs of the year. [18 July 2003, p.73]

90

Delusions of Adequacy

It is an ambitious effort, and it could very well leave your brain hurting by the time all of the songs have wrapped themselves around you, because there is so much going on and so much to digest.

Read Full Review >
90

Q Magazine

An audacious, bold and provocative artistic statement, an album that raises the bar for any rock band who aspire to re-writing the rulebook. [Aug 2003, p.101]

90

Junkmedia

De-Loused in the Comatorium is a musical gem that captures the soul of Mars Volta in a way that soundly delivers on the hype.

Read Full Review >
90

All Music Guide

But while De-Loused in the Comatorium may well remove the stigma from the prog and art rock forms it suggests, and is certainly a monument to unbridled creativity, it can also be seen as bombastic and indulgent.

Read Full Review >
90

Splendid

The Mars Volta have not only revived prog-rock as a viable commodity; they've injected it with an electric vigor that the lumbering dinosaur hasn't witnessed in ages.

Read Full Review >
86

ShakingThrough.net

Its musical adventurousness proves intoxicating.

Read Full Review >
84

Stylus Magazine

A disjointed mess- brilliant songs gone so awry that I find myself no longer excited by the prospect of listening to the album through, but disappointed.

Read Full Review >
80

Launch.com

Recall[s] both Fugazi's punk slam and early Santana's psychedelic sheen.

Read Full Review >
80

Playlouder

There are moments of prog rock, jazz fusion and freakydelia in this rush of ideas and if that sounds awful then don't be put off. Instead of the shambolic mess that this kinda influence normally entails Mars Volta have come strictly disciplined.

Read Full Review >
80

Blender

Roars like Led Zeppelin, churns like King Crimson and throbs like early Santana. [#17, p.138]

80

Under The Radar

The Mars Volta has created the antithesis of ATDI, leaving behind any formula or typicality. What they kept was the fire, the fury, and the passion. [#5, p.107]

80

Dot Music

This is not an album to listen to casually. It insists on taking over your life for an hour, demands a level of concentration rare in rock, amply repays multiple plays.

Read Full Review >
80

Ink 19

De-loused is definitely worth checking out, but make sure to keep an open mind and check any preconceived notions at the door.

Read Full Review >
80

Uncut

Imagine a jam session between King Crimson, Fugazi and '70s Miles. Now imagine it working. That's the Mars Volta. [Aug 2003, p.98]

80

Drowned In Sound

For the most part, Deloused In The Comatorium is truly exquisite and well worth the wait.

Read Full Review >
80

Tiny Mix Tapes

De-Loused in the Comatorium is a very strong debut album for the Mars Volta.

Read Full Review >
70

Magnet

Part prog, part punk and part reefer haze. [#60, p.106]

70

Mojo

As nuts as they are, The Mars Volta recall the raw potential rock held before it was castrated by radio programmers and corporate control. [Aug 2003, p.99]

70

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Taken as a piece, the record's free-flowing synthesis of Santana, Yes, and Metallica is overwhelming in a good way.

Read Full Review >
70

Rolling Stone

Teetering on the brink of indulgence, De-Loused proves just how much art you can pack into steadfastly aggressive songs and still call them punk.

Read Full Review >
70

PopMatters

Contrary to nearly every other band in music today, the Mars Volta suffer from an abundance of ideas and concepts, not a lack thereof.

Read Full Review >
49

Pitchfork

My biggest complaint is that De-Loused in the Comatorium just isn't fun.

Read Full Review >
40

Neumu.net

Boy, is it a sprawling mess.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 344 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

25 gave it a10:
This album is the middle ground between ATDI and what Mars Volta would later become. It avoids Mars Volta's later excesses time and time again over its hour-long running time, breaking out of free jazz sections and ambient noise at just the right moments. Not an extraneous second here.

Pat M. gave it a10:
It's the best album of all time. Seriously, it's up there with Led Zeppelin IV and OK Computer. From start (incredible, tension building intro) to finish (pulse pounding 8 minutes of ambient, yet intense musical perfection wrapped up with an invigorating outro) this album will keep you on the edge of your seat, with your mouth wrapped tightely around the end of a joint. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez takes the talent of Jimmy Paige, and injects it with originality unlike anything you have ever heard, while fellow frontman and lead singer, Omar Bilxer-Zavala, vocalizes pain, anguish, and uncertainty in a way that will send chills up your spine for the duration of the album. Songs on the album such as "Roulette Dares", "Cicatriz ESP", "Televators", and "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt" remind you why music was made. At The Drive-In breaking up is one of the best things that has ever happened to music in my opinion. I beg of you: BUY THIS CD.

Daniel B gave it a10:
Fantastic; simply fantastic.

Michael W. gave it a10:
Can't be compared to At the Drive-In for me either. This is light years ahead.

Brandon T gave it a10:
This is not an album that you can download from your shady neighborhood torrent site, and breeze through. Buy this album, Listen to the disc LOUDLY, (headphones or dolby surround for full effect) and immerse yourself in the fact that this was an album that is, from start to finish, so densely layered in sound and ambiance that it will last far longer than anything on MTV today.

Anonymous gave it a9:
Beautiful.

elmo . gave it a10:
the most experimental album of the year utterly mind bending rick rubin seems to have made the songs focused without sacrifcing any of their free form schitzoid jazz.

Read more user comments >

Popular on CBS sites: SEC Football | NFL | Video Game Cheats | iPhone | Video Game Reviews | Notebooks | Antivirus Software

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy (UPDATED) | Terms of Use