Overall Rating: 10/10
Favorite Track: Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt / Drunkship of Lanterns / This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed
///This review is structured in four separate parts, with two very distinctly long segments: one analyzing the music and the other looking at the concept of the album; while the other ones are an introduction and a conclusion (this one also serving as a sort of summarized review)///
Dethroned By The Comatorium
Just at the beginning of the new millennium, At the Drive-In's third studio album showed a band that went through a long road in order to achieve their studio masterpiece, a project where all the creative ideas, influences, and performances blended together on one great recording that had a lot to offer. However, after that point, two different views were born out of creative differences and the feelings of the members regarding the project were formed within the band, leading to a "hiatus". The first group was lead by Jim Ward's vision of moving towards a much more conventional and alternative branch of rock, where he was joined by Hajjar and Hinojos forming Sparta. And the second one was formed by Omar Rodriguez Lopez, Cedric Bixler, and Jeremy Michael Ward, who wanted to make something much more unconventional, psychedelic, and experimental, teaming up with keyboardist Isaiah Owens and forming the Dub jam band De Facto.
Despite the fact that the run of that band was mostly made up by live jams, it marked an important part of the next step that the band would take in the future. The members managed to find their chemistry onstage and on studio, with an experimental focus on their sound, blending their many influences into one unique form of heavy psychedelic/atmospheric Dub. Not only were they starting to find their comfortable spot in their compositions, but one could slowly feel the ambition to achieve something much more accomplished and "complete". All of this lead to the incorporation of Eva Gardner on bass on De Facto, making Omar switch to guitar, and then Jon Theodore on drums, with Cedric shifting to main vocals. And that is how, in 2001, the first lineup of The Mars Volta was born.
Starting from the ground up as a new band, their live shows were characterized for being frantic, full of energy and intensity, with a lot of technicality being displayed by every single member, leading to a very unique chemistry. After this point, their popularity started to increase, leading to the release of the Tremulant EP in 2002 (showing a great middle ground between the At the Drive-In sound and the final Volta energy), having a considerable success and marking the preparation for the band's first full length project. Sadly enough, Eva Gardner had to leave the band just at the beginning to the tour due to personal reasons, leaving the band without a bassist, but still deciding to continue with the recording of the album. A big surprise came through with meeting Rick Rubin, and him taking the producer role this time around.
Recording duties took place at the Mansion in Laurel Canyon, Rubin's personal studio, improvised from the ground up to suite the duties of every member. A little bit before recording started, Omar had already become a good friend of John Frusciante, with him playing additional guitar and vocals on Cicatriz. Since the band was still looking for a bass player to fulfill duties during the recordings, and the presence of Juan Alderete on the band being a thing just after the release of De-Loused, Flea was brought in to play bass (expect on Televators, where the bassist was Justin Meldel Johnson), fulfilling that vital part on the Volta sound. There was a big focus on making the drums feel precise and clear, and the keys serving as an important tool for creating atmosphere and melody. Omar used a massive amount of pedals during these sessions, trying to give each track a distinct feeling, and his arrangements ended up feeling very dynamic and dense atmosphere that was aimed to be achieved. Onstage, The Mars Volta showed a sound where everything felt more like a collective effort than anything else, and the main objective of the album was to replicate the sound.
Rough demos were leaked online, and the music that was portrayed there, yet unpolished, was definitely a next step for the band, creating more expectation for how the final product would sound like. And finally, in 2003, The Mars Volta's debut album, De-Loused In The Comatorium, was released to critical and commercial success.
Sound and Light: The Music
The Mars Volta's sound was a jack of all trades. First of all, it was mainly composed by Omar (except on very special occasions), but he was far from an expert in music theory. Still, he had a big range of influences and compositional ambitions that lead him to be very selective with the members who joined the band, testing them to see if they could achieve the sound he wanted. It is no secret that all the members of the band were incredibly talented, complementing the instruction that Omar gave them with their own knowledge (Eva Gardner, for example, had studied music as a career and Jon Theodore was an already talented drummer before his inclusion in the band) and energy, giving the overall sound of the band a much more collaborative effort, aiming for a unique and condensed blend of the many influences that came into play. And the sound of the group definitely aimed to grab a lot of their inspirations in order to pay them tribute creating something new.
On the vocals, Cedric cited Bjork as one big inspiration, adjusting the many tones of his voice to a style that was unique to him. Instrumentally, the album drags from a lot of places. Acts like Gang of Four, Drive Like Jehu and Fugazi, with some minor salsa/latin elements, unconventional cited influences like Miles Davis and Mahavishnu Orchestra, and, of course, progressive acts like Pink Floyd, Genesis, Can, Faust, Magma, and King Crimson (specially Lark's Tongues in Aspic at some parts of the songs, like the instrumental section in Take The Veil), among many, many others.
The sound of the band was very special on how technical and intense it was, a full display of complexity contained in the form of songs that almost the broke the conventional norm of song structures and compositions (thus why they earned the title of "progressive rock"). But what sold these tracks were the very unique performances that accompanied them, on an early era full of heavy drug use and an intense onstage presence that made everything work on a surprisingly shocking and fantastic way. But De-Loused would be somewhat different from that, becoming a more studio focus compared to a band wanting to replicate their live energy. Due to the presence of Rick Rubin, the band was limited to all the elements that they wanted to use, having a lot of stuff removed from the final product. However, the music on the Volta's debut album still provides for a fascinating listen.
Starting of with two sister tracks: Son et Lumiere and Inertiatic ESP, setting up the mood and tone of the album, showing a glimpse at the things that would come. Atmospheric intro courtesy of Ward's sound manipulation, with Owen's keys and Omar's guitar simulating the sounds of an ambulance, building up slowly to a different section, while Cedric's soft vocals come in and finally mark the presentation to Jon's heavy drums, with all the members coordinating on a great way despite the patterns being irregular, surprising the listener on every given moment, before transitioning into Inertiatic, opening the album on a great way.
Cedric's vocals start presenting their anxious and calm tone, achieving very specific tones to his voice, emitting one marked phrase to drive the track: "Now I'm Lost", while Omar's riffs vary a lot in the background, with Flea's bass playing adapting surprisingly well to the fast-paced rhythms that are being presented. A powerful chorus, with Owen's keyboards being subtle in how they complete what is created by the guitar. At the middle section, it all deviates to a different section, where everything starts coming together with a little bit of repetition, leading into another small transition to an explosion of sound going back to the chorus once again, then fading in the distance, with everything getting more calm and Cedric's voice marking the end of the track, leaving some atmosphere transition into Roulette Dares.
The pedal effect starts being noticeable here, with a very dynamic jump between different sounds, with a very fast-paced first segment going to a brief moment before going to one of the most memorable lyrics of the album: "Exoskeleton, junction at the railroad, delayed". Breaking the song structure once again and presenting a small passage where the guitar and FX effects are complemented by the precise drums, building up in speed until going back to the chorus. With Cedric being as dynamic as the other instruments, using his voice as a sort of instrument while still having the spotlight on the entire track. Another calm segment, where dual vocals by Cedric himself start appearing, with the guitars, drums, and mellow basslines start leading back to the chorus, this time with the keyboards becoming much more noticeable. Finally ending on a very atmospheric segment, with the guitar being played different from the background bass and keyboard rhythms, with the vocals going all over the place, dying down, and then leading to the tone and mood of the next transition.
So far, these three tracks show the collective effort of the band, being able to coordinate on very unconventional ways, with very dynamic and unpredictable song structures that show the technical effort of all the members. Every instrument has its place, and even if there is a sort of mellow tone marked at times, the intense rhythms and choruses make everything have a very different feeling. After this point, the varied characteristic of the song structure starts being applied to the tones between songs, with the Tira Me A Las Arañas interlude, starting with marked ambient elements, introducing a very dissonant acoustic guitar, with a separate guitar tone going along, creating an almost haunting-like feeling, then introducing an atmospheric tone building up slowly and then transitioning with the drums into Drunkship of Lanterns.
The latin/salsa influences start coming into play, on a very unique and fast-paced way, with the use of the marked drum patterns and the almost hidden percussion elements by Lenny Castro creating a full fleshed sound. A distinct tone overall, starting in a very reverbed way, with the guitar changing between a tone that goes along with the bass to something that takes more presence with the use of a very unique and mesmerizing pattern. Cedric's vocals also follow the same norm, with the use of vocal layers adding to the overall tone of his voice, and changing with the guitar, sometimes being looped in the background. The chorus comes in, with everything becoming more accelerated, the drums taking more presence with the bass, keyboard, and different guitar tone, building up to something but then suddenly transitioning into a brief guitar segment, suddenly going back to the main composition. The early segment of the track is reintroduced, with subtle differences, with a small transition back into the chorus, this time paying off with a lot of energy and intensity on every single instrument, a small guitar solo, and then a different, louder, segment, ending as abruptly as it started, with another transition lead by the sound manipulation, with reverbed and slowed drums, until getting to the sudden transition into Eriatarka.
A more mellow track, starting on a way that catches the attention of the listener. The soft vocals build upon the instrumentals with fading background elements, leading to a transition where everything starts building up in volume to the chorus. Brief, explosive, it leads back into the mellow feeling, with a small guitar solo, and the bass becoming more noticeable. The interaction between the soft vocals and the instrumentals starts once again, but then an unexpected guitar transition into the chorus is introduced. This time, the chorus leads into a different segment, maintaining the soft tone in the vocals despite the energy being evident, finally leading to the end segment, with variations on the chorus, making it much more potent, closing the track the same way it started.
Atmosphere is built, as brief as the other times, until the centerpiece of the record, Cicatriz ESP, is introduced. Modified vocals open up the track, with a very marked time signature on the instrumentals marked by the kick drums. Calm vocals once again, while the anxious feeling turns into the guitar. A sudden stop, and after a brief moment (a segment that would be the introduction to the middle section seen later on the track), it all goes into the small chorus, explosive in nature, going back to the verse segments once again. Everything develops on a way that was already introduced before, with the chorus this time around introducing a more anxious segment, before everything getting slow and then beginning the six minute atmospherical/jam segment. On the first section of this passage, everything starts slowing down, giving space to the use of guitar layers, each with different effects applied to them, creating a very dynamic and jam-like transition, with drums and basslines that go with the tone and rhythm, introducing the atmospherical segment lead by the use of sound manipulation.
This is one deal breaker on the album, the use of these relatively long transitions, stretching themselves for what it seems longer than it should, without introducing many elements as the band could. This is where Rubin's restrictions come shining. After the release of the album and the first shows promoting it, the atmospheric section was full of elements getting introduced, adding to the jam part, and stretching Cicatriz into a twenty-+ minute long jam that had more to offer compared to what was seen on the album. The band, free from restrictions, would make a much better use of atmosphere on the next albums, with the replication of the live jams coming into play, but here, despite it not taking that long of time, it seems like a segment that could have been much more, and feels more like a brief sense of space that aims to be a break from all the loudness going on, aiming for things to be more digestible. The end product is not bad, but it is the weakest part on the album, overshadowing the qualities of what is a great track. Ending the atmospheric segment, latin elements similar to the ones on Drunkship are introduced, and the song starts picking up the pace and mood once again. After this small jam section, the verse is reintroduced with a more emphasis on the vocals, leading to the final explosion of the chorus, with much more elements added, serving as a climax that ends the track on a sudden way, transitioning into This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed.
Despite it being one of the shorter tracks on the album, it is one of the moments where the intense, condensed, anxious, and heavy sound of the band comes in full volume. Starting with a haunting introduction leading to the initial fast-paced frantic riffs, then busting into a loud chorus where every instrument is explosive on its own way. The first verse comes in, relatively brief, with softer vocals, but the bass and drums still marking the initial rhythm, the keyboard being deep into the background, and the guitar tone coming in at unexpected moments, almost at the same tone of the vocals. The chorus bursts in the ear of the listener once again, transitioning into a segment where the guitar and a haunting keyboard interact between each other, going to the second verse, being very different in how it builds up a momentum with the use of the vocals, increasing in tone, leading into an explosion of all the instruments, with the main guitar riff transitioning into the last chorus. The track ends on the loudest way possible, with a drum solo from Theodore being distorted and manipulated while Owen's keyboards interact with them, ending things abruptly, and leading to the next track.
Some recordings of bird introduce the softest and most passionate song on the album, coming to contrast the explosive journey that was presented so far. Televators presents itself with the most melancholic tone of all the album, starting with Cedric's soft vocals, an acoustic guitar, and delayed guitar notes on the background. The chorus is not explosive but it is very potent, with everything increasing in volume, introducing noticeable basslines, and the electric guitar, having a solo before continuing with the rest of the song. The acoustic tone is still present, and the second verse implements the bass on a much more evident way, leading into the chorus, this time using percussion. Then there is a small passage that has a bigger presence of the acoustic guitar, and vocal layers start getting use to go with the lyrics, before going back to the chorus for one last time, with the percussion being more present, but everything fading away slowly to give part to the final atmospheric interlude into the closer of the album, ending the mellow track.
Televators serves a nice balance to the loudness going on. One main "fault" from the band is the fact that their music can leave a bittersweet feeling at first, taking time to get used to in some cases, mainly due to the production values. The compressed music, with the energetic and intense tracks, it all leads to a very straight forward and "in your face" end product, but the band still managed to pull calm moments to relax the listener and drive him into the next explosion of sound coming after the softness, something that they would master on their next albums.
The last track, Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt, serves as a climax to the entire album, being the second longest track, and serving as the culmination of everything presented so far. The start of the track is as sudden and bombastic as other tracks, with the fast pace being picked up again to start being developed in a very dynamic track. Sudden changes on the chorus, varied time signatures, potent vocals, with a very unconventional song structure (almost being like: verse/pre-chorus/verse/pre-chorus/bridge/chorus, and then breaking all of that in the second half of the song), making this one of the most representative Volta songs. There are atmospheric segments, but they are not stretched, used for very brief moments, in order to transition to a different part of the tune. The heavy use of pedals is more evident here, with Omar presenting a riff and changing the tone of it with different effects, while getting complemented by the rest of the instrumentals. An abrupt end to that shows the bass abilities of Flea, introducing a jam section where things start to build up slowly with the vocals humming in the background, increasing in tone, and then bursting into the chorus for one last time, having the end portion of it building up briefly to the last section of the song. The instrumental mood is changed, but the hard hitting performance is still present, with every element coming together once again, coordinating on great ways, and showing Theodore's great drum playing, just to then end the track with brief, but intense instrumental detonations, while the vocals feel anxious in their energy, and everything ending on a sudden way, closing off the album on one of the most memorable ways possible, leaving the listener wanting more of what was presented.
De-Loused In The Comatorium is not a perfect musical experience, but it is very close to being one. Every element presented makes up for a bombastic album that bleeds energy while it drives the listener through its many different tones and segments. The performances really are something to behold, even if all of them can't be appreciated fully due to the production. It certainly is a record that takes time to get used to, and that may throw a lot of people away due to the musical characteristics that it presents, but once someone has a full appreciation of what is going on, the complexity of the album and the fascinating and intense performances become something to admire. For a debut album, it is more than a great presentation card to the world, and even if it flawed characteristics regarding the accessibility and some segments, it is something that the band would take into consideration and expand in further releases. Still, De-Loused stands as one of the best modern progressive rock albums, and one can tell that it is a project that took its time to be crafted.
The leap that the band took preparing for this album is truly something to behold. The first vinyl release came with a Promo EP that contained rough demos to be compared to the final product (very much similar to the demos already leaked online), showing the big production and mixing effort that came into giving shape to the atmosphere and the sound conveyed with each track. For example, the comparison between the Drunkship final master and the rough demo showed the importance of sound manipulation in the vocals and background noise and the use of pedal effects in some segments of the song, giving it a much more complete sensation to the one on the rough demo. Giving fans a bigger appreciation and fascination with the final product that was released.
And despite it not being the original scope of the band, it still marked a fantastic album to open a career with, including a collection of some of the most memorable songs in modern rock history. But the music wasn't the only thing selling this release. De-Loused was told to be a concept album built as tribute for a very beloved friend of Omar and Cedric. However, the way the concept was handled on this project was certainly very unconventional for a band, since it didn't rely exclusively on the cryptic and surreal lyrics, but still presenting one of the most creative stories that merited an almost separate experience.
Yo Morere Y Nadian Me Recordara (Inspired By The Life And Times Of Julio Venegas): The Concept
"When will you come convulsing to my basement?"
Omar and Cedric were two people surrounded by tragic events from the very beginnings of At the Drive-In, but they managed to hold others close to their hearts and memory with their music. Sadly, many examples of this exist. The girls that provided backup vocals for the song "Ludvico Drive-In" from the Hell Paso EP died due to a car accident at a very early age, and the song Napoleon Solo was dedicated to them in tribute. 198d, from the Vaya EP, was a song written in honor of Hajjar's grandmother. Even the band's first bassist, Eva Gardner, had to leave the band due to the sudden death of her father. But the departure that marked both members heavily was that of artist, musician, painter, and, above everything else, very close friend, Julio Venegas, who committed suicide after waking up from a coma induced by a drug overdose, just a few miles away from where At the Drive-In was rehearsing at the time.
There is no better way to understand how much Julio meant for both artists than hearing how he was described by them: "He was an extreme person. He lived every day getting himself into situations and always getting lost, so he had scars all over his body that let you know the places where he had been. When his mother died, he tried to kill himself. He shot up a bunch of morphine, but he didn't succeed; he went into a coma. And when he came out of it, he had lost the ability to use the right side of his body. He had learn to walk again, and once he did, he walked very awkwardly. One time he just combined different chemicals together and shot them up, and it shriveled up his arm". (
Omar Rodriguez Lopez on Julio Venegas)
Julio had already been payed tribute by Cedric and Omar on the song "Ebroglio", a song from Acrobatic Tenement retelling the characteristics of a very old friend who was damaged due to all his adventures, but Cedric felt it wasn't enough. After this, and during Jim Ward's year long rest from the band, Cedric had a heavy discussion with Ben Rodriguez, the guitarist at the time, about how he was the one who drove Venegas to his death (by either inciting him to commit suicide or to keep overdosing), eventually making Rodriguez leave the band. This accusation would be represented on Concertina, a song from Mars Volta's first EP, where the lyrical contents attempt to tackle an indirect accusation towards Rodriguez, questioning the weight and consequences of his actions, even alluding to the date when Venegas lost his life, with very explicit and surreal imagery that aimed to portray both the victim and the perpetrator on an almost poetic way:
This Scapegrace will pay my barking harangue...are you listening?
On the fourteenth you stole what hasn't grown old in denial.
File this under a bridge that he can't leave.
Full of raw and condensed emotion, and within the limitations of Tremulant, they still managed to leave hints at the things that were to come (the title of the EP being a hint at a concept to be used on the debut, even the title of the debut was hinted within the lyrics of Eunuch Provocateur), but it still wasn't enough. And finally, after some years in the making, the El Paso artists could finally pay tribute to a beloved friend on a very special way: an entire album dedicated to, and inspired by, the life of Julio Venegas.
That is how the concept for De-Loused In The Comatorium started to come into shape, with tracks from it being performed ever since 2001, trying to achieve a point of perfection within the tribute of a beloved friend. Even with the artwork there was an aim to represent the spirit of their dear friend, using recognized graphic designer Storm Thorgerson for the duty), with the two different covers
symbolizing the feeling that Julio Venegas's living presence was still felt, but not on a conscious level, being dead and alive, the two different sides of reality. The music was unique, complex, with a lot of psychedelic, compressed, and dense passages, drifting the listener into incredible soundscapes where the sound presented a unique interaction between all the instruments. Just taking the musical effort, it is more than a beautiful and special dedication to someone. But lyrics came into play.
Cedric's lyrics had already been known as something surreal and unconventional even back in At the Drive-In, where despite all the lines, there was a somewhat clear message being conveyed. However, The Mars Volta symbolized getting loose on every single front, even lyrically. The narrative qualities of De-Loused present a perfect balance between cryptic passages, and a beautiful/surreal type of mesmerizing writing. It is something that certainly threw a lot of people away from experiencing the album, specially hearing the descriptors of "concept album" and "modern progressive rock".
However, one thing that people overlook, or simply don't know about, is the fact that the concept behind this album doesn't just stay within the lyrics. It isn't a conventional concept album in the sense that the lyrics are a complement to the main story. These were aimed to portray certain imagery and sections of the full story, and that is the key part. De-Loused came accompanied with a small book that expanded and contextualized what was being told in the tracks, but it was presented as a complementary experience for those who wanted to get a grasp of the original concept. This small book was the one taking inspiration from the life of Julio Venegas, with the music itself serving as an atmospheric evident to symbolize each passing section of the main story.
The story of the agonizing and intense descent into a coma induced by overdosing on a mixture of morphine and rat poison leading to an artist's seven day long journey into the twisted worlds of the Comatorium, a place inhabited by his paintings, the ones that he created based on his own thoughts and fears, suddenly waking up in the real world, deciding to commit suicide in order to go back into the anxious surreal world of his own subconscious mind.
/////The summary and lyrical analysis about to be presented is built in order for people to understand the concept behind the album. Cedric's writing is surprisingly dense and complex, despite it being a relatively short read, but I highly suggest people
to check it out it (only if you are interested, of course)./////
- The story starts off with Cerpin Taxt feeling weak on the verge of a bridge while contemplating the traffic below him, knowing that the path he had chosen was that of no return. An unnerving feeling shivered his entire body, as he stood nervously without looking at the ground below him. Drivers and people on the street stared up at the sight of a man about to jump into his own death. Getting ready to commit the act, there is only one clear thing on Cerpin's mind: to go back to the place where he feels he belongs to. But, what took such a man to that state?
Cerpin was always an odd person. Ever since he was little, he was drawing grotesque portals to his own subconscious imagery. Portals that spoke to him, that understood his own struggling mind, his need of escaping to a place where he was needed. Soon, the cryptic creations of his mind and himself would become one. Up to that point, he had been saved multiple times from the incrementing attempts at escaping the living in one way or another. But after the death of his mother, he committed what he assumed to be a mistake (but then again, mistakes were what his dreams were made of), a mistake of which he expected not the be rescued from. Mainly because some of the Tremulants, one of the many creations of his own mind, were calling him to their own place, the Tremula Metacarpi, in order for Cerpin to fulfill the role of leader.
Seductive thoughts of suicide wrapped around his mind, and the summoning voices he heard coming from the many canvas he created were no big help either. So, using the remaining doses of morphine that were left unused by his deceased mother, and mixing them with rat poison, he entered a coma where the uncertainty of his destination was strong. Spider-like beings start surrounding him, leading into the ESP (Ectopic Shapeshifting Penance-propulson), a form of transportation breaking the concept of space and time. Tied down, he starts being tortured by these beings, eventually coming to retell his story so far.
"Empieso en la sala de tiburones, un país escrito en la noche.
from the prickpatch of poppyfields exhumed under the trouble of lock and key.
On this deaf night of crossed eyes...donde me perdí.
my first attempt will cripple at the door of atrophy,
estos son los viajes antes de que me fuera..."
-cerpin taxt
++Son et Lumière++
(Inspired by Storm Thorgerson's "
Lumiere & Son")
https://dazedimg-dazedgroup.netdna-ssl.com/1857/azure/dazed-prod/1090/5/1095750.jpg
The ambient accompanying the lyrics serves great to put all of this into context. An ambulance starts surrounding Cerpin, after he injected himself with the poison that was meant to be used on the animals that now he feels a part of (
"Gestating with all the other rats"), feeling how nurses look at the state of his skin (
"nurse said that my skin will need a graft") before he enters into a coma.
++Inertiatic ESP++
The representation of how Cerpin gets into the world of the Comatorium. Feeling lost, disoriented, all while being tortured on a strange place that he doesn't recall at all. All all this being nothing more than a test by unknown creatures who tell the tortured man about a sort of prophecy meant for him:
"It's been said, long time ago you'll be the first and last to know...you'll never know"
- After breaking out of a strange cocoon, Cerpin finds himself on a desolated and forgotten place, where some vagrants appear nearby. After asking for a place to sleep and getting no response, the vagrants suggest him to get inside one of the boxcars of the rail nearby, but also warning him of the creatures that had brought him to that place. After trying to get some rest, the man wakes up panicked at the sight of someone with a murderous intent standing in front of him, while the train starts becoming more than a roller coaster than anything else. He feels his mother holding him close, announcing his arrival to an unknown location.
"stumbled upon a slipstream of stubble and rash urine stains,
where the warming of marrow drew comfort from this blanketless train.
an insulin coma, baring the mark of tremula metacarpi;
an executrix at play in the cargo of thanos"
-anonymous
++Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)++
The description of the train on which Cerpin came to find himself in. Full of mysterious figures that can't recall their past, while riding boxcars resembling the connections of the metacarpi, going through to a slow and accelerated railroad that leads to an unknown destination.
- Disoriented, Cerpin wakes up on a strange boat after the intense ride that he had been a part of (with the artwork presenting railroads leading into a vast ocean), with staples not allowing him to move freely, in the middle of a silent place where he starts hearing voices in the distance. Getting some sleep, the voices come at him in dreams, with other ships crashing into the boat he was in, making him lose his slumber, waking up to get free from the staples retaining his body. This time, Cerpin goes to the edge of the ship and looks down at the graveyard of submarines where a strange sphere is floating. A sensation of deja vu comes to mind. Once again, voices are getting near, and, in panic, he starts jumping from one submarine to the other, until he gets inside of an old Russian model to get away from a sudden storm that appeared close by. Looking through the periscope, Cerpin is able to identify every submarine near him, as he watched them crash into each other. After the event, he rises to the surface and starts making a path from the scraps close to him, not being able to find any other living creature whatsoever. Exploring his surroundings, he finds a strange inscription on the side of a boat written on a language that he is able to understand but that doesn't recognize at the same time.
Losing track of time, Cerpin lurks around in search for anything that he can use in his favor, with the feeling of loneliness surrounding his thoughts. The sensation of solitude starts taking a toll on his sanity, feeling the need to hide himself on the Russian sub once again, and just when he is about to go back in, he looks up in the sky to see how airships start crashing down. Once inside his shelter, an airship falls directly on the entrance, locking Cerpin inside, and making water leak for hours while he desperately attempts to open the door with no success whatsoever, leading to him losing grasp of his own sanity due to the feeling of despair.
++Tira Me A Las Arañas / Drunkship of Lanterns++
A small summarize of the thoughts and sights of Cerpin during his journey on the ship graveyard. His intense feeling of loneliness (
Is There A Spirit That Spits Upon The Exit Of Signs? Is Anybody There?), him taking the submarine as his home (
An Antiquated home. A Float With Engines On Mute), the airships crashing next to him all of a sudden (
Carpel Jets...Hit The Ground), and the loss of his own sanity (
Lash Of One Thousand Eyebrows Clicking. Counting The Toll).
- After decaying into an unknown state, Cerpin feels his mind being pulled back into the ESP, transforming the space around him and making him feel as if his own body was changing with it. All of a sudden, he looks at dogs getting close to him, then realizing that he was on top of an operating table. A surgeon tells him that he has the body of a mistake and the hands of a novice, just to then be reminded of his own delusion:
"'How long have I been under?'...hoping for something real...
'Who ever said you woke up?'"
Getting his sight more clear, he is able to look at the doctor, who Cerpin identifies as Wolfram Tarant (a name synonymous with butchery) based on a name tag, also recognizing the monster-like look of this being, with sharp teeth and dog heads for hands. Wolfram starts doing small talk, telling him that the abominations that surrounded him were the ones that lead him to that place. The "patient" eventually realizes that his body had been modified to have feathered wings, and while asking what had happened to him, Wolfram calls him by Moattilliatta (the name that was read on the inscription at the ship graveyard), telling him that it was all for the better. The modifications had been requested by the Mentiads, allies of the Tremulants, asking for him to be turned into the last of the great Teraquetzals. Unable to resist the modifications, Cerpin asks about the choices that he is able to make on that situation. Then, Wolfram shows him the image of a sworn enemy, an obese boar named Koral Mataxia, also making clear the choices that are at hand:
"We will provide you with the gate, it is you who has to make the choice,
I trust my custom job will convince you of your self worth...join us and leave them all behind.
Can you deny this crown, peasant ranting for torture in the fixing of pure decadence?"
There is a quick glance at people praying, pacing, and some knowing that the worst was yet to come, surrounding Cerpin's body, due to the fact that the amount of morphine that he ingested could drive him into a verge of permanent psychosis. Incoherent rambles came out of the unconscious body in front of them, offering some sort of hope. "Moattilliatta" started to come in and out of his sleep, vaguely looking at all the friends gathering around him, praying for his soul, for his return, just to go back to the arms of Wolfram, unable to wake up from the morphine induced state that he had gotten in.
The work had already been completed, and Cerpin felt rested, having lost his memory once again, unable to remember where he is.
++Eriatarka++
One of the most cryptic tracks on the album. Going back and forth from the perspective of the people around Cerpin's body (some questioning what they are witnessing in front of them:
"And there are those who hadn't found the speaking so wrong, is it wrong?"..."Now there are those who find comfort in the breathing wrong, is it wrong?") and his own vague conscience while being with Wolfram ("
Stung the slang of a gallows bird, rationed a dead letter pure"..."If you only knew the plans they had for us").
- There is a change in scenery. Suddenly, we are introduced to Sowvietna, a deserted landscape where Cerpin wakes up on. However, his mind had been erased of all thoughts. Examining himself, he would come to find that he had a lot of arms, and that he wasn't able to touch his own translucent body. He was not able to pronounce words, but instead decided to moan and grown. Behind him, there were the disemboweled corpses of two ant-like creatures with human faces carved on their backs looking directly at him. But a lot of things had changed:
"However, Cerpin was no longer his name, and for that matter he was a she.
Clavietika Tresojos as she was branded, commenced her floating walts across the dunes
killing everything in her path, and with just reason.
All that was Cerpin Taxt could no longer be seen"
The dead creatures left behind the trail of Clavietika sank quickly into the sand. The many corpses of their brothers were left behind made the other ant-like creatures, now known as Phixias, realize that their deadly fate was near: Clavietika was able to kill anyone with just one word. The body of the creature that had committed those acts showed no signs of blood whatsoever, and was instead more concerned about escaping from the many Phixias hunting her down.
Point of view is changed, now everything is seen under the perspective of Recherche Bellicose, the one in charge of the Phixia troops, who is after Clavietika due to the fact that his old friend, now sworn enemy, Ojeno Valaso, was sheltered inside of her (having been the one to create such a beast). Knowing how lethal was that shelter, Recherche had a desire to end with both the creature and the thing that was hiding inside of it. Bellicose and Valaso were once very good friends, almost inseparable, bonded by their shared beliefs and by the fact that they were the ones to forge Sowvietna "from ruins to anthills", creating what seemed like a prosper land at first. However, twenty years after they established themselves in power, Ojeno noticed how his friend had grown obsessed and thirsty of power, with close members suddenly disappearing, old traditions were replaced by force and punishments were at hand, all under the light of a rigid law, and an authoritarian government, surrounding the image of Recherche himself. Thus why Valaso vowed to not follow the path that Sowvietna had taken.
We are presented to a group of Phixian soldiers who are tracking down Clavietika in order to attack her, everything done following their main rule: "one must think as a group, never as a single rhythm", crushing whatever comes on their path (like a young child who manages to answer back to them after being threatened, not giving them the satisfaction to defeat, being killed that exact moment). Close to that place, Clavietika rested in order to regain energy, so that she could continue her rampage early in the morning. But while she emerged from her sleep, the Phixias finally managed to track her down to the
clip side of the pinkeye fountain (something also foretold early on the journey, on Inertiatic ESP).
Getting close to her, they could not foresee the creature emitting a sound that broke the barrier of sound and piercing through their ears, making most of the Phixias paralyze and giving Clavietika time to get fully awake from her sleep. Suddenly, she notices the presence of those who had been there to kill her. making her sing and look them directly in the eye, controlling the mind of the soldiers, making them commit suicide. When the deed was done, she lowered down to the sand to make sure everyone was dead, noticing how one of the soldiers had been communicating with Recherche all along, realizing that she was surrounded by soldiers with ear and eye protection. Suddenly, Clavietika's voice emmited a siren like sound that shot through the desert, creating fear on the soldiers and making some of the gears disintegrate, falling under the control of the creature that lead them to commit suicide, while she started to kill the rest herself.
However, one of the Phixias managed to force himself inside of her, the only weakness of Clavietika, planting an immobilization device in her very center, dying in the act due to the radioactivity of the creature. The device was activated and Tresojos choked to her death, falling and revealing the compartment that held none other than Ojeno Valoso, who was then brought to the prison camp of the city. The soldiers celebrated, but the rest of the prisoners knew that Recherche had won, and that the life of the city was condemned, losing all the hope they had remaining. Bellicose stands ominous in front of his old friend, looking at him with a very childish grin, stating his victory in front of the city, and announcing that Ojeno would be impaled and burned to ash.
Once inside a cell, Ojeno knew that there was nothing to be done anymore, waiting for his inevitable death. Soldiers came in to take him to the pole that would determine his faith, making fun of him, and finally impaling him. The sun burned Valoso's body, making him scream into the rays of light that illuminated him, making his death slow and painful, eventually getting eradicated into ash. However, something would reincarnate from the ashes, but it wouldn't be Ojeno Valoso, it would be the original body of Cerpin Taxt. All of a sudden, his body got lifted from the desert of Sowvietna, slowly making him realize how small he actually was on the bigger scope of things, changing his perception to that of Pastor Jones (subtly alluding at Jim Jones) for a brief moment, announcing the words:
"Please get some medication...Simple, it's simple, we must die with dignity."
++Cicatriz ESP++
Another enigmatic lyrical piece. Most likely retelling the point of view of Clavietika Tresojos feeling lost without a memory ("
Do you call its name?") or Ojeno Valoso knowing his remorse and faith in Sowvietna (
"Beyond the anthills of the dawning of this plague. I've lost my way. Even if this cul de sac did pay."). With the extended atmospheric section symbolizing the end of something, just to then transition back into the imagery.
- Cerpin knew that the pastor would not let anyone get out alive, only caring for his own objectives, but Cerpin felt as if he had finally found his way. After that, he decided to hide on a place where he thought no one could find him, but he was found by televators, dragging him back into the ESP once again, and being dropped in Sowvietna once again.
What was left of Clavietika's disguise caught the attention of a group of giants who mistook her as a valuable piece of jewelry, approaching her corpse and taking a sympathy to the beauty that they were witnessing. One of the giants picked her up for the rest to see the decaying body of such enigmatic creature, suggesting that it was to be taken to Adastra, a wizard who lived in their city, placing the corpse in a womb, just to then chant psalms that would take them into the ESP impure in order to transport themselves to their place of origin:
"Cuantas vidas me vas a pagar...de estos bosques susiou de sangre de aere muerto cicatriz...
quando llegara a la ciudad donde tropize... salte veneno en las montañas donde nasi..."
(All of this more alluring to the origin of the name Cicatriz ESP,
almost symbolizing the lyrics as a sort of psalm)
The home of the giants was Topiltzin, a lost citadel, built only to wait for the onslaught of the creature known only as Moatilliatta by the hands of the gluttonous Koral Mataxia, the creature who had an appetite for children's flesh while being controlled by El Mago Adastra, having a big influence over the entire population of the citadel, getting them drugged in order to stay in line with their commands, making Topiltzin a city crumbling of "blood-stroken extortions". It is then revealed that the place where Cerpin had been located with doctor Tarant was the Eriatarka House of Facial and Muscular Corrections, and that the modifications on his body were hidden on an exoskeleton.
The only group of children that Koran doesn't eat are two twin brothers who play carelessly in the garden, next to two dramagon statues (where Adastra buries the remains of sacrificed children to keep controlling the beast), and usually have conversations with the one placed on the left side, all while being observed by Neuralgia (the female that was of interest to Koran, but also the one who rejects his approaches every single time, but eventually falling in his trap), who seemed to be immersed in their activities, praying to the left statue whenever the kids left the garden.
The arrival of the giant was announced to Koral as a thing that would bring something of great value to the citadel. Once the giants stood in front of him, they declared that the seed that Koral was looking for was in the form of Clavietika's corpse, taking it out, showing her "spines in a row, spine as an arrow" (detail foretold in Drunkship of Lanterns). All of a sudden, Cerpin Taxt wakes up for a brief moment looking a all his friends calling for him back at a hospital, just to get dragged back to Koral's place, where Adastra orders for the body of Clavietika to be incinerated, something that annoyed the giants while they performed the request obediently.
Adastra collected the ashes and carried them to the garden, burying them with the rest of the remains, but making the statues more alluring to the twins. These were the only children who had not been administered with any sort of medication, and the ones who knew that they didn't have to be seen or heard by Koran. They went to the garden to speak to the statue who they had adopted as a sort of grandparent, who replied them very gently, eventually leading the twins to unveil the name of that being: Moattilliatta. Neuralgia had been brainwashed into forgetting her visits to the statue, being replaced by Koral approaching it instead, trying to talk to it, eventually making the statue fall under his spell.
Eventually, Adastra prepares the two twins to be sacrificed in order to get closer to Moattilliatta by burying them at his feet. Neuralgia had become a servant to Koral, obeying every desire and order that he commanded. After committing this act full of carnage, Moattilliatta awakes from his slumber on a violent way, emerging full of rage, while the exoskeleton courtesy of Wolfram Tarant starts to unveil, showing his true and terrifying form, with the feathered wings on its full glory. All of those in Topiltzin are not to be forgiven (not even Neuralgia, who gets her throat sliced for serving Koral), with the foretold leader of the Tremulants going on a murdering rampage across the citadel. During all of this, Koral is asleep, but he eventually wakes up picking the scent of bodies, rushing to his window to contemplate the pile of cadavers that Moattilliatta had built just for him, seeing no sign of life whatsoever. Suddenly, both Koral and Adastra get caught in the beast's wrath, tearing off half of his body.
After that a lot of abrupt changes start occurring to Moattilliatta, he felt his body starting to change in many ways, transitioning to different places and stages. Thinking about destroying the city, but feeling his body changing into air and water. Suddenly, Cerpin Taxt wakes up in the hospital, this time without going back to the Comatorium, smiling as some sort of comforting sign. His friends started to look at him in relief, greeting him because they thought the worst was over. He spent three days recovering from the coma, but it would be long before going back to normal. However, deep inside Cerpin, he was waiting to go back.
++This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed++
The marked tone and anxious rhythm of the music can be interpreted as the representation of the destruction of Topiltzin under the wrath of Moattilliatta. The creature's patient waiting to arise and fulfill the legend, all seen by the perspective of those who wait justice for the ones that were killed ("
I've been waiting for so long, for someone to mend all the blame. I've been searching for so long, for something to...anonymous...avenge my name" "He'll hibernate no more"). A look at Koral contemplating the destruction of the citadel and recognizing the creature that committed such acts ("
The altars run dry prefect dictate your final words, does it sting of augur truth? Was your temple left in ruins? Is that you Moatilliatta??") And of course, what was seen when he rose of the ground after the twins were sacrificed for no reason (
"Much like omertta, quiet has shielded all intent, on the ground it appears, like wrath, Avenging the lamb as bait...In a bed of nails you made...who made this effigy? Is there straw dressed in these fields?")
- In the real world, several years pass since Cerpin woke up from the coma, and he starts saying goodbye to the people that are close to him, but they don't seem to pay attention or just plain ignore his delusions, every time being received with apathy. The images of the Comatorium were calling upon him, and his desire to go back again to the Tremula Metacarpi was stronger than anything. Just like years ago, the Tremulants started speaking to him, telling him that the job was not finished well, that they felt disappointed, that they wanted more from him, they wanted their leader to reclaim what was rightfully his. They gave him one more chance, a chance that Cerpin was not letting go to waist.
"He would do anything now to just please his children. He knew what awaited him, and it suited him fine. This world had become grey and monotonous. The world as he knew it wasted away miserably with no interest for his kind. Why beat them when you could join them?
In the realm of Tremula Metacarpi, a throne was just itching for an occupant.
An appointed location, just beneath a bridge in Rezjua.
By a network of commuters, would appear and entrance to the ESP impure."
He was given a date, and it was up to him to accept, to get rid of flesh and blood in order to become part of the Tremula Metacarpi. We go back to the beginning of the story, with Cerpin Taxt standing above the fast traffic on the top of a bridge. He felt as his clothes and looks were not fitting for this world. He wasn't able to share his travels, what he learned, with anyone. His body had changed a lot after the coma, walking in an odd way and having his arm marked with the act that drove him there. Finally, looking at an upcoming vehicle, he had made up his mind. While falling in a very calm mindset, he looked how people turned away, but he only had Tremula Metacarpi on his mind. And once he hit the ground no thoughts invaded him whatsoever. Once again, he had lost all his memory, feeling no remorse for his action whatsoever.
Once in the ground, people around him turned away in disgust, with a truck driver looking at Cerpin's lifeless body asking what he had done. All that was left in the real world was the costume, the cocoon of Cerpin Taxt, with a chalk outline staying as an unforgettable mark in the road. And his close friends (evidently Omar and Cedric) theorized in disbelief:
"Who was to blame for the death of Cerpin Taxt?
Had he really jumped to his death, while our backs were bathing just wast of the river Enial?"
On his funeral, his body was disposed just like trash on the border. He had chosen his path. But on the other side of the river, without the need of a body, was the lost soul of Cerpin Taxt.
++Televators++
Evident retelling of the moment Cerpin decides to jump of the bridge, losing all living feeling and memory that exact moment, with his remaining chalk outline left to stalk the city forever (
"Just as he hit the ground, they lowered a tow that stuck on his neck to the gills" "Who hit the aureole...stalk the ground" "One day this chalk outline will circle this city. Was he robbed of the asphalt that cushioned his face?").
Subtle hints at how elements of the Tremulants were calling him (
"Three half eaten cornias"), how Cerpin was already conscious of his decision and his condition after the coma (
"You should have seen the curse that flew right by you. Page of concrete, stained walk crutch in hobbled sway..."). His conscience in the ESP escaping his body (
Only this manupod crescent in shape has escaped), and his own funeral (
Pull the pins, save your grace, mark these words on his grave. Everyone knows the last toes are always the coldest to go).
++Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt++
Take the veil meaning how someone takes vows to become a nun. Cerpin had taken his own decision, his own vows, when he jumped off the bridge in order to reclaim his throne:
"You'll take the veil...You'll take the dive"
The end of the story. Cerpin has lost his body while entering the Comatorium one last time to fulfill the desire of the Tremulants (
You must have been phlegmatic in stature. The gates of thanos are a spread eagle wide. You let the shutters make sackcloth and ashes out of a blind man picaresque heart" "It's not over till the tremulant sings"). His journey was not over, for he had taken the decision to sacrifice himself (
"And when you find the fringe, the one last hit that spent you, you'll find the ossuary spilling by the day"), but there was one big difference. He had no memory of who he was, or the horrible place he was in, being covered by fear, and ending the long story of Cerpin Taxt:
"Who brought me here, forsaken, depraved, and wrought with fear...who turned it off?
The last thing I remember now...who brought me here?"
The story of De-Loused In The Comatorium stands as one of the most creative and unique ways to present a concept album. The book, accompanied by the music, were more than fantastic and incredible tributes to a beloved and close friend. Despite the dark turns of the story, everything is presented on a very surreal/dream-like way, creating one interesting and mesmerizing narrative that fleshes out on its own way. However, the writing is very complicated and dense, and despite it being a short read, it takes quite a long time to unveil and figure out the situations and characters that are being shown.
It is not the most ideal way to present an album, and just the lyrics by themselves leave a lot of people criticizing the overall description of "concept album" just because they don't know of the existence of the book, and they didn't have to. This would be a very one-time deal for Mars Volta, and Cedric would become conscious of this, leaving the next tackles to a concept be almost exclusively related to the music and the lyrics presented then and there. But still, this album's story is something that intrigues those who want to understand it, and the atmosphere created by the songs blends perfectly with the many situations that develop with the writing.
For those who want to understand the journey of Cerpin Taxt, this is more than just an adequate and special way to get immersed in the surreal world of the Comatorium.
De-Loused In The Comatorium
The Mars Volta's debut album stands as one of the best debut albums in history, showing the ambition and talent of a young band in order to portray they emotions and their spirit through their music. The music and the concept are certainly very unique for what they are, and despite the execution not being 100% perfect, it is still a masterpiece of a project.
There are some minor problems on this album, and they all rely on the production and limitations that this album had. Omar and Cedric have been known to point out the problems they had working with Rick Rubin as a producer. From toning down the initial scope of the album, removing tracks (considering that a total of four tracks were recorded during the sessions of the album, with a re-recording of Concertina and Eunuch Provocateur, and the presence of the tracks Ambuletz and A Plague Upon Your Hissing, with only Ambuletz being released as a bonus track in some releases, but the rest being unpolished mixes) and even shortening the compositions (since everything was being recorded at HIS mansion), making everything more digestible for the public. Initially, the band has planned making something that had more in common with what was seen on "Frances the Mute", and the live performances prove this, with long jams on tracks like Cicatriz ESP, Drunkship of Lanterns, and Take The Veil being the norm on concerts, considering the fact that the bombastic and experimental feeling of the band would aim to replicate on next studio efforts.
But still, the debut presents a fantastic production that works for how it is structured and for the initial intent of that the project had (which was creating a sound more oriented to be played on vinyl form, with the atmosphere and details built upon that mindset). De-Loused is much more straight forward in how the songs are built on a Mars Volta setting, with a
heavy focus on the vocals and the over-simplification of some parts, leaving a somewhat unbalanced sound between all the instruments. One thing important to note from the band is that, onstage, their energy relied on the interaction between every single member and instrument, one thing that doesn't really feel accomplished here. Owen's keyboards get overshadowed at times, on places where the importance of his playing style is clear on a live setting. That doesn't mean that the production and mixing here are bad, not at all, but they do feel more focused on making the music "accessible", despite all the loudness and crazy arrangements going on. This was definitely a more studio oriented release, where despite the high quality of the end product, the main focus of the band was not really achieved in a way they wanted. And that would be the reason why Omar decided to break the mold and tackle production by himself on the future Volta projects.
Still, what the band meant for music couldn't be denied by anyone.
Zack de la Rocha said it himself while presenting the band in 2003:
"It is rare within music that a band recognizes the past and refuses to ignore it...
Not with nostalgia, but with their own inventiveness.
A band that is more interested in creating moments than creating hits."
The Mars Volta had marked history with their own sound. It wasn't something that anyone could have seen coming, but it did mark a bright future for those young artists.
Still, as it was common at that point, tragedy surrounded the band once again. Jeremy Michael Ward was found dead on his home due to a heroine overdose less than a month before the release of De-Loused. Another death of a beloved friend, and a more than clear wake-up call for the band. After this point, the decision of getting clean was taken by most members, with some doing it to a further extent than the rest. Ward was essential for the band's sound, but he also helped with ideas in songwriting and composition. Ideas like the ones he got when finding a diary from a repossessed truck back in the days where he worked in that department. Still, those elements would be used for another album, also dedicated to his memory, and Omar would still use his recordings in different Volta and Solo material. Songs and performances from De-Loused were dedicated to his memory during the tour of the album, adding more meaning to an already deeply personal project.
The emotion and ideas would still be fleshed out with their future albums, but this was the start of everything. A project that, despite the complications, managed to present itself on a very original and mesmerizing way. A modern masterpiece that showed talent, ambition, and emotion. With a complex musical intensity, and a surreal narrative, The Mars Volta presented the world the wonderful and cryptic world of the Comatorium, and invited people to get lost inside of it just like Cerpin Taxt did.
What a fantastic musical achievement.
