Released: 04/10/24
Beneath the technical flair and intensity of The Mars Volta’s first two albums lies a deep bluesy, existential core. Their third album, Amputechture, reveals this darker, more personal side, shaped by Cedric’s struggles with a painful breakup and chaos in his life. Though not a concept album, it carries a brooding mood without being a downer. Opener "Vicarious Atonement" is a slow-burning, moody duet layered with Omar’s guitar and saxophone, while "Tetragrammaton" bursts with complex, proggy guitar work and sonic experimentation, packing more ideas into its 16 minutes than many bands manage in a lifetime.