The infamous fracturing of At the Drive-In just as it neared the mainstream's cusp spawned Mars Volta, whose full-length concept album De-Loused in the Comatorium pulses with Felliniesque noise and jarring time signatures. Vocalist Cedrick Bixler's awe-inspiring approximations of Geddy Lee and Freddy Mercury crash into Omar Rodriguez's sci-fi meltdowns, which are shaped by the guitarist's collection of 100-plus effects pedals. The outfit broadened its audience by opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers earlier this year (Flea handled four-string duties on De-Loused), but it also suffered tragedy when 27-year old keyboardist Jeremy Michael Ward died of a drug overdose. All of this -- plus an incendiary live show that combines sonic experimentation with raw sweat -- makes the Volta rock's most compelling soap opera of the moment.
