Octahedron cover

Octahedron

Recorded
Released

Heard in the wake of their near-flawless debut, the later Mars Volta discography can feel like a thicket of hyper-indulgent rabbit holes. But on Octahedron, they recaptured the focus of their earliest days on a set that perfectly balanced avant-rock info overload with psych-folk mysticism. As brilliant as Cedric Bixler-Zavala was right from the band’s inception, there may be no better showcase for his enormous vocal range than this LP, whether he’s locating the strutting R&B attitude within the crushing neo-prog of “Cotopaxi” or flexing his androgynous falsetto on an enchanting ballad like “With Twilight as My Guide.” In their middle period, the Mars Volta could sometimes sound frenetic; here, they seem utterly relaxed in their staunch eccentricity and improbably broad range. If De-Loused in the Comatorium will forever stand as their masterpiece, Octahedron sits beside it as a reminder of the depth and richness of their full catalog.

Hank Shteamer

Suggestions
Echolocation cover

Echolocation

Devin Hoff, Ava Mendoza, Mendoza Hoff Revels
Life Metal cover

Life Metal

Sunn O)))
Anthropocosmic Nest cover

Anthropocosmic Nest

The Messthetics
Amputechture cover

Amputechture

The Mars Volta
Cryptomnesia cover

Cryptomnesia

El Grupo Nuevo De Omar Rodriguez Lopez
Aftershock cover

Aftershock

Motörhead
Frances the Mute cover

Frances the Mute

The Mars Volta
Deliverance cover

Deliverance

Corrosion of Conformity
How Do You Burn? cover

How Do You Burn?

The Afghan Whigs