Article from Kerrang Magazine: Octahedron

Thanks to cm1682 from the band's official fan forum the commatorium, we get a little bit of insight from Omar Rodriquez Lopez about the new album 'Octahedron'.

In the passage the band leader describes the album as being about disappearances and possible kidnappings of two friends when they were young kids. So there does seem to be a theme for the newest LP as the previouse releases have done in the past. The article reads as follows:

The Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez has told Kerrang! that their forthcoming album, Octahedron, is based on sudden disappearances and kidnapping."When we were kids, we had these friends called Patrick and Tarzan - yes, his real name - in El Paso.

There is a place called Elephant Butte, where all the high school students go to party. They disappeared one weekend and their story became legend among our group of friends.The concept about still not knowing what happened and the possibility of running into them one day was something very interesting to us. People are able to ponder endlessly about their whereabouts and there's never closure.

"The album was recorded in Omar's home studio in Naucalpan, Mexico. The guitarist reveals that after the "darkness, aggression and pure energy" of the band's previous album, 2007's TBiG, he wanted to take the band's prog rock in a more mellow direction.

"Bedlam was such a dark claustrophobic record. Everything comes in waves and the fact I'd just made my most aggressive record, the stars aligned and it felt natural to make a record like Octahedron. It was the only place left to go.

After every record, the only fear I have is if I'll repeat myself in the future. If I record anything that sounds like the previous release, I'll throw it away."

W.F.D.

The Mars Volta are back in three weeks to come grab you by the synapses with their release of their fifth studio album entitled "Octahedron".

The new album is already heavily saturated in fans pouring attention; as cheers and criticism fill the music forums even with the official/unofficial releasing of only half of the album thusfar. The band's following is as popular as ever and this very subject is as hotly debated amongst the brethren as the evolution of the band over five LP's. The early returns have been divided even with most fans enjoying what they've tasted so far, despite certain expectations they may have had.

The few official album reviews that have been posted have come with somewhat mixed results also, some suggesting that Volta brainchild Omar Rodriquez Lopez has stripped down musically and gone away from the bands original firepower to entrigue listeners of a different elk. Mikael Wood of Spin writes that Omar Rodriguez Lopez has, "diluted the potency of the band's brand" (http://www.spin.com/reviews/mars-volta-octahedron-warner-bros) but still gives an overall positive review.

Clashmusic.com writes, "Unfortunately things don't really hold at this high point, and while ‘Octahedron’ as a whole is passably interesting, it just doesn't reach a level of experimentation that we've come to expect from the band. It's certainly admirable to take things in a different, musically ‘mellower’ direction, but The Mars Volta simply haven't dragged themselves far enough down their chosen path." (http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/the-mars-volta-octahedron).

Whether the reviews are official or preliminary fan fodder, the majority of the gripe surrounding this album seemingly has to do with the different mentality and vibe of the new music. It's either too slow or as some have put it, 'not enough effort put into it'... a 'lazy album from Omar'. These comments are based on the listeners' maxed threshold for the Volta's musical endeavors. Of course, it's not up to the musician to please every listener or supporter of their craft. Everyone has the right to like or dislike whatever they wish, but some fanatics are acting as if they've been betrayed or let down and that's too bad.

So far this album has sucked me in, funneling everything I love about this band into a newer and different direction. Instead of being thrust into a perch of sound and sudden-paced energy, I have found myself carried along with each track by it's haunting waves of lyrical and musical storytelling. Like light beams piercing through a heavy fog, Cedric Bixler Zavala's vocals navigate through more melodic arraingements than a typical Mars Volta album but it still has the power in the presentation and end result. Chilling and dramatic in nature.

The four tracks to date are spectacular additions to the library and anticapation of the June 23rd release date for the full LP is at the highest level. I'm already passing this album at 50%!

W.F.D.

Here is one of the band's promotional websites for Octahedron: http://www.intotheoctahedron.com/

embedded you will find the singles of "Since We've Been Wrong" and "Cotopaxi"... enjoy!