The Mars Volta - Octahedron

The eighteen or so years that Omar Rodriguez-López and Cedric Bixler Zavala have spent making music together have been a prime example of the theory of musical evolution, a journey of exploration that's seen the duo refuse to stand still, maturing and growing ever bolder in their art. From Omar's first joining their previous group, El Paso's lauded and lamented At The Drive-In, and progressively pushing that band in more experimental directions that ultimately pulled it apart, to Omar's composing of epic scores and Cedric's creation of lyrical novellas to complement them resulting in The Mars Volta's first two albums, theirs has always been a partnership that has prioritized challenge over contentment.

"The only objective, throughout, has been to always move forward," says bandleader Omar, speaking from the recording compound in Mexico from which he currently helms The Mars Volta. "To always make the next album sound different to the one that came before it, to always be evolving."

And so it has been, with the Mars Volta from day one. The band was already rehearsing during the entropic latter phase of At The Drive-In, and well before that Omar and Cedric had maintained the extracurricular dub outlet De Facto with future Mars Volta members Ikey Owens and the late Jeremy Ward (whose life would inspire the narrative of the Volta's 2005 sophomore effort Frances The Mute).
page << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >>