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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

De-Loused In The Comatorium
by The Mars Volta


9.5

based on 27 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 340 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

MUSIC:

At The Drive-In: Relationship Of Command

Official Artist Site

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

LABEL:	Universal
RELEASE DATE:	24 June 2003
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Alternative, Rock

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]

Filter

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

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]

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.

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]

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.

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.

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.

ShakingThrough.net

Its musical adventurousness proves intoxicating.

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.

Launch.com

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

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.

Blender

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

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]

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.

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.

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]

Drowned In Sound

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

Tiny Mix Tapes

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

Magnet

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

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]

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.

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.

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.

Pitchfork

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

Neumu.net

Boy, is it a sprawling mess.

The average user rating for this album is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 340 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

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.

raxx gave it a9:
Beautiful density - Heaviest thing I love - Wouldn't have loved it if I hadn't put it on an Interpol Antics mp3cd thats in constant rotation. Hard work pays off.

De-Loused In The Comatorium by The Mars Volta

De-Loused In The Comatorium
by The Mars Volta