De-Loused in the Comatorium

De-Loused in the Comatorium is the debut studio album by The Mars Volta, and it remains their most successful album to date, both commercially and critically. It was released in 2003 to widespread critical acclaim, with Rhythm magazine voting it the 9th best drumming record, and the track “Drunkship of Lanterns” named by Rolling Stone as the 91st best guitar song in history. To add to the excitement, The Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea plays on most tracks of the album.

De-Loused is a concept album based on a short story written by members of the band. It recounts the drug-induced experiences of Cerpin Taxt, a fictional character who enters a coma following an overdose. The bulk of the album deals with his mental voyages during this comatose state (hence the title), with two songs at the beginning and end set in the real world. The story is based on the life and death of Julio Venegas, a friend of the band, who died in 1996.

Singer and lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s unconventional, poetic style uses portmanteau, deliberate misspellings and invented words to add subtext and sonic texture to his vocals. This often makes literal interpretation difficult if not impossible, to the point where there are entire forums dedicated to the detection of meaning within the lyrics of De-Loused, with some clever and entertaining theories. However, such a reductive exercise may ultimately be missing the point.