The Mars Volta

The Mars Volta becomes more rewarding with repetition. Despite the outwardly more accessible style, the group has stuffed the record full of interesting musical choices.

The furious cumbia/rock fusion of "Graveyard Love" and the gentler cosmic pop of "Tourmaline" may comprise a new creative apex for these inveterate overachievers. [Dec 2022, p.29]

The Mars Volta have hit upon an incredibly surprising new phase in their multi-faceted evolution.

A far cry from the murky jazz-metal wig-outs of yore, TMV is a triumph of melody, smooth instrumentation and soul. [Oct 2022, p.82]

Even for all the newfound sheen, there's nothing on this new self-titled album that necessarily feels out of step with what's come before. ... Anchoring the songs to drum and bass grooves and keyboard loops gives Bixler-Zavala more space to flex his voice; once little more than a high-pitched rebel yell, it's now capable of delivering a rainbow of emotions.

There’s a lot to unpick here. The Mars Volta may well be one to grow on you. This is a record that can make you think a thousand things at once. But if you’re willing to sit and savour the taste before digesting, you’ll understand why it took so long to ferment.

Where once they would gallop, here they lope, they slide, giving themselves all the time in the world. Hardcore fans of the weird stuff are going to hate it. ... This is clearly the right music for this stage in their musical evolution. [Nov 2022, p.70]

From the cumbia-inspired opener, "Blacklight Shine," and the skittering "Flash Burns from Flashbacks" to the power ballad "Vigil," the veteran band sound confident and invigorated, adding another surprising chapter to a consistently eclectic career.

The previous iteration of the band thrived at the border of brilliant and unhinged, and The Mars Volta is too conventional to be called their best work. But it is certainly their most honest: a sober tale written by survivors, the first uneasy step into unfamiliar territory.