The Mars Volta De-Loused in the Comatorium 2LP

Early in the formative stages of The Mars Volta, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala distilled the essence of their mission to one simple phrase: "Honor our roots, honor our dead." This mindset found perfect expression in the group's 2003 debut full-length, De-Loused in the Comatorium, a song cycle inspired by the life and death of the duo's old friend, artist and provocateur, Julio Venegas.

The music that scored this powerful tale stepped beyond Tremulant's fusion of Omar's punk-rock instincts and the Caribbean, African and Latino sounds he'd been brought up on. Cedric had dubbed that sound-clash "Fela Jehu," but De-Loused was a quantum leap further, making surer sense of his kaleidoscopic roots, driven by furious, muscular, syncopated drums and frenetic guitar parts, bending obtuse grooves to its will and twisting off in passionate, cathartic descarga like the salsa Omar had been immersed in since he was a kid.

Omar produced the album alongside Rick Rubin at Rubin's The Mansion studio in Malibu. Rubin and his studio had been recommended to Omar by his friend, Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist, John Frusciante, who'd recorded their Blood Sugar Sex Magik at The Mansion some years before. Frusciante lent guitar and synthesizer to "Cicatriz ESP", while Chili Peppers bassist Flea stepped into the breach left by the outgoing Eva Gardner. The fruitful bond between The Mars Volta and the Chili Peppers would only be strengthened by subsequent tours together that helped De-Loused in the Comatorium become a global phenomenon.