Review:

on 2011-10-24 CharlesMartel Said:

"De-Loused in the Comatorium" was released shortly after the trio were reduced to a duo by the death of Jeremy Ward, the man accredited with being the band's sound manipulator. Now, what in hell's name is a sound manipulator you may ask. Well in the case of the Mars Volta he was probably the bands most important person, for it was he who turned a mish-mash of sounds, noises and aural images into something which resembled something coherent.

I say something coherent with somewhat of a tongue in cheek for coherence is not what the Mars Volta are all about. This album is a mixture of overly-long pieces with a few overly short interludes and comprises a double album on vinyl. And despite the reputation the band have garnered for themselves, this is another in a seemingly endless line of indie hipster shit which is the next best thing when that next best thing is the next piece of jumbled up, talentless, disjointed cacophony to replace the previous piece which had become old by virtue of the fact that more than fifteen people had heard of it.

Well guys, piling layer upon layer of loud guitars over a rhythmless mess of over-enthusiastic drum bashing does not constitute anything resembling a pleasant experience. Without a melody, no matter how poor a such, there is nothing to distinguish music from pointless noise. And this is surely pointless. However, the band seem to have taken a leaf out of many an indie hipster's book of pretentious incompetence by giving various tracks on this album overly long song titles. In some ways it wouldn't be so bad if this was a clever in-joke on behalf of the participants, but it is clear that these guys actually thought they were making something meaningful and sincere.

Now I am not the most ardent devotee of prog rock, but this really steps below even some of the worst of that genre. I mean, whatever their faults, at least Yes could play their instruments. Musical discipline is so completely deficient in this album that it is hard to see how anyone could appreciate. The lyrics are made up drivel and there is such a complete absence of musical form that it defies belief. And a vocalist who ceases to be irritating after a few minutes and becomes downright bloody annoying. I always thought I was tolerant of new musical styles but when it came to this I could find no redeeming features which would make me consider listening to it again.

I guess some people like it. That's fine, but this is definitely not for me.
Rating: 1/10

Review:

on 2007-07-16 SolitaryMan Said:

Nowhere in the current realm of progressive music is there a band more intriguing than TMV. Every album carries some vague theme or concept, almost every song does the same and when it comes to the music itself...varied, heavy, atmospheric and insanely progressive, sometimes all at once. "De-Loused" is an epic album detailing in dark contrast the journey of a man (apparently a friend of the band) and the trauma of his going through a coma only to wake to a world he wants no part of. This album touches on much more than that, but that is the center theme of the album. Unlike later albums, De-Loused never wanders too far into prog-noodling territory, and the obvious attention paid to every nuance of every song equals an unalienable flow. The track that always stands out most for me would be "Televators", a moody piece that conveys a haunting sense of danger and apprehension. This is purely thinking-man's rock and whether or not you'll like this album depends mostly on your desire to take a musical experience to another level, to truly focus on all the little eccentricities that make TMV such an attractive band.
Rating: 8/10

Review:

on 2007-07-14 lmartini Said:

Seeing that the review covered mostly the ATDI/Sparta aspect and the basic jist of the music, I would just like to add a little something on the concept side of things. See, as it is with most TMV albums, there lies a significant story behind the lyrics and songs, this one perhaps the most meaningful of them all. Though the specific details are still debated amongst fans, (the lyrics themselves are left pretty open to interpretation), De-Loused is based upon their friend Julio Venegas, who was in a coma for several years and upon awakening jumped from an overpass into oncoming traffic, thus killing himself. The story is told from first-person perspective of a man’s journey and battle against the evils of his mind whilst in this drug-induced coma, having to pass several “tests”, before finally awakening. The ending stays true to the memory of Julio Venegas and “Cerpin Taxt” (the protagonist) throws himself off a bridge into oncoming traffic. Coincidentally a month before release yet another tragedy befalls the band; their sound manipulator Jeremy Ward dies of an apparent heroin overdose, leading Omar and Cedric to finally give up the use of narcotics. The first track on De-Loused is dedicated to Ward. Obviously in seeking out more about the concept you will find out a lot more than I have said here; the story itself, though rather vague and abstract at times, is very interesting and helps feed the TMV experience.
Rating: 9/10