Beneath the technical flash, the fury, the fearless creative brinkmanship of the first two Mars Volta albums lay a potent seam of the blues, an existential vexation that powered every twist and turn of Omar and Cedrics imaginations. That mournful vibe would come to the surface of the groups third full-length Amputechture, a simmering/blistering set that was unquestionably the groups darkest yet.

But Amputechture its name another of the late Jeremy Michael Wards invented words was no downbeat bummer. Opener Vicarious Atonement mightve been a deliciously gloomy, slow-burning thing, capturing Cedric in delirious duet with Omars swooning guitar lines, accompanied by squalling saxophone by Adrian Terrazas-Gonzales and dream-frequency fuckery by the groups new sonic manipulator, former At The Drive- In member Paul Hinojos. <