- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Alternative PressLike all great albums, De-Loused in the Comatorium takes multiple listens to absorb, and, even then, you're probably not going to have a clue to what Bixler's raving about. [Jul 2003, p.107]
-
SpinThis is a record that creates tension from the cryptic and release from the inexplicable. [Jul 2003, p.105]
-
FilterThis album's genuinely passionate without any sort of cheesy emotional transparency. [#6, p.81]
-
Entertainment WeeklyThe songs explode with creativity, fusing jazz riffs, tribal rhythms, hardcore bursts of noise, and addictive rock hooks into one of the most compelling discs of the year. [18 July 2003, p.73]
-
Q MagazineAn audacious, bold and provocative artistic statement, an album that raises the bar for any rock band who aspire to re-writing the rulebook. [Aug 2003, p.101]
-
De-Loused in the Comatorium is a musical gem that captures the soul of Mars Volta in a way that soundly delivers on the hype.
-
The Mars Volta have not only revived prog-rock as a viable commodity; they've injected it with an electric vigor that the lumbering dinosaur hasn't witnessed in ages.
-
But while De-Loused in the Comatorium may well remove the stigma from the prog and art rock forms it suggests, and is certainly a monument to unbridled creativity, it can also be seen as bombastic and indulgent.
-
It is an ambitious effort, and it could very well leave your brain hurting by the time all of the songs have wrapped themselves around you, because there is so much going on and so much to digest.
-
Its musical adventurousness proves intoxicating.
-
A disjointed mess- brilliant songs gone so awry that I find myself no longer excited by the prospect of listening to the album through, but disappointed.
-
Recall[s] both Fugazi's punk slam and early Santana's psychedelic sheen.
-
There are moments of prog rock, jazz fusion and freakydelia in this rush of ideas and if that sounds awful then don't be put off. Instead of the shambolic mess that this kinda influence normally entails Mars Volta have come strictly disciplined.
-
BlenderRoars like Led Zeppelin, churns like King Crimson and throbs like early Santana. [#17, p.138]
-
Under The RadarThe Mars Volta has created the antithesis of ATDI, leaving behind any formula or typicality. What they kept was the fire, the fury, and the passion. [#5, p.107]
-
This is not an album to listen to casually. It insists on taking over your life for an hour, demands a level of concentration rare in rock, amply repays multiple plays.
-
De-loused is definitely worth checking out, but make sure to keep an open mind and check any preconceived notions at the door.
-
UncutImagine a jam session between King Crimson, Fugazi and '70s Miles. Now imagine it working. That's the Mars Volta. [Aug 2003, p.98]
-
For the most part, Deloused In The Comatorium is truly exquisite and well worth the wait.
-
De-Loused in the Comatorium is a very strong debut album for the Mars Volta.
-
Contrary to nearly every other band in music today, the Mars Volta suffer from an abundance of ideas and concepts, not a lack thereof.
-
Teetering on the brink of indulgence, De-Loused proves just how much art you can pack into steadfastly aggressive songs and still call them punk.
-
Taken as a piece, the record's free-flowing synthesis of Santana, Yes, and Metallica is overwhelming in a good way.
-
MagnetPart prog, part punk and part reefer haze. [#60, p.106]
-
MojoAs nuts as they are, The Mars Volta recall the raw potential rock held before it was castrated by radio programmers and corporate control. [Aug 2003, p.99]
-
My biggest complaint is that De-Loused in the Comatorium just isn't fun.
-
Boy, is it a sprawling mess.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 313 out of 346
-
Mixed: 5 out of 346
-
Negative: 28 out of 346
-
Mar 22, 2011
-
Nov 18, 2021This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view.
-
Mar 10, 2019