The Mars Volta

The Mars Volta, named for a term used by Italian film-maker Federico Fellini, is an American progressive rock group from El Paso, Texas. The band was formed in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, both of whom had previously played together as members of At the Drive-In, as well as keyboardist Isaiah Ikey Owens, bassist Eva Gardner, and drummer Jon Theodore. Their debut album, Deloused in the Comatorium, was released in 2003, and the 2005 record Frances the Mute went to Number 4 on the Billboard 200. One year later, Amputechture peaked at Number 5 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums Chart. 2008's The Bedlam in Goliath topped the Alternative Albums, Hard Rock Albums, and Top Rock Albums charts, while also soaring to Number 3 on the Billboard 200. The track "Wax Simulacra" won the 2008 Grammy Award for "Best Hard Rock Performance," one year before the album Octrahedron went to Number 3 on the Alternative Chart and Number 4 on the Top Rock Chart. After releasing Noctourniquet in 2012, the band took an extended hiatus, only to reunite in 2022 for the self-titled The Mars Volta. One year later, the band returned with Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazón. The Mars Volta were the subject of the documentary Omar and Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird, which premiered at film festivals and received a one-day U.S. theatrical release in November 2024. In early 2025, the band joined Deftones on tour, performing a full set of unreleased material that preceded the release of their ninth studio album, Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacio, on April 11 via Clouds Hill.