A Trifecta of Insanity: A Brief History of At The Drive-In, Sparta, and The Mars Volta

Texas, 1993: The Beginning

Five members. Three amazing bands.

Young high school classmates Jim Ward and Cedric Bixler formed At the Drive-In in 1993, and played their first gig at an El Paso high school in 1994. Grabbing three other members, ATDI released the three song Hell Paso EP later that year. The post-hardcore scene was just coming into view thanks to people like Ian MacKaye and bands like Black Flag, Fugazi, and the Jesus Lizard. However, ATDI's unorthodox style punched the genre right in the jaw. These guys were going to be big. The band's first major release, Acrobatic Tenement, saw the light in mid-1996. With raw production and power, the band made ripples in the post-hardcore scene. Cedric's aggression and Jim's different techniques brought out a fresh breath of air. After yet another EP (1997's El Gran Orgo), At the Drive-In hit an apex. Their second full-length In/Casino/Out brought together the classic lineup of Cedric Bixler-Zavala on vocals, Jim Ward & Omar Rodriguez-Lopez on guitars, Paul Hinojos on bass, and Tony Hajjar on drums. The unpolished production of the previous releases was still omnipresent. But, the band started to add in progressive elements alongside their post-hardcore trademarks in songs like "Hulahoop Wounds" and my personal favorite, "Transatlantic Foe". Many fans consider this a cornerstone of the post-hardcore scene alongside albums like Fugazi's 13 Songs and Black Flag's My War. But something bigger was to come.

2001: A Prog Odyssey 

A year before their breakup, ATDI recorded one of the greatest albums of the pre-2010s, entitled Relationship of Command.

Relationship of Command (2000)

Now, Omar and Cedric had quite a bender towards progressive rock. Relationship of Command saw a sharper slant towards lengthier and more complex pieces, with tracks like "Quarantined" and "Invalid Litter Dept.". The angry El Paso sound was still there thanks to Jim, Paul, and Tony, who countered Omar's prog tendencies with facemelters such as "One-Armed Scissor" and "Rolodex Propaganda", the latter featuring punk idol Iggy Pop on backing vocals (read: yelling.). This destructive 5-piece burst into the limelight, with "One-Armed Scissor" and "Invalid Litter Dept." with the former elbowing its way through post-grunge and nu-metal to #26 on the Billboard charts.

Things were looking up for the crazy Texans. However, on their 2001 tour, the band started to lose steam. Cedric and Omar's drug-addled progressive ideals didn't quite appeal to the other three members, who were looking towards alternative rock stardom. The band split in March of the same year. Fortunately, this breakup spawned two other groups. One would destroy mainstream music and shock listeners everywhere. The other would merely be a footnote on the bottom of the post-hardcore dossier. Let's take a look at the latter first.

Sparta: Like At the Drive-In, But Not As Crazy

Hot off the heels of the ATDI fiasco, Jim, Tony, and Paul formed Sparta. Chugging out their first LP entitled Wiretap Scars in 2002, they had a lot of pressure to live up to in ATDI's shadow. Many critics hailed it to be much more accessible than their old band's music, doing away with the distortion and word salad lyricism of Bixler-Zavala. The trio had basically cleaned up shop from what Acrobatic Tenement and In/Casino/Out left scattered around, bringing the post-hardcore sound to its simplest form. The follow-up, Porcelain, brought Sparta to a more indie sound than the last record. Threes was released in 2006 with little fanfare. Now, there's not much to say about this band. As stated before, they're pre-2000 ATDI without the distortion, field recordings, and wailing vocals. Simple stuff.

The Mars Volta: A Cracked-Out Latin Rhinoceros

The Mars Volta consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, along with a few other musicians who include Juan Alderete, Flea, John Frusciante, Ikey Owens, and Deantoni Parks. With a quick first EP in 2002 (entitled Tremulant), it was clear that Omar and Cedric were out to do something completely different. TMV shocked the music world a year later with their landmark release, De-Loused in the Comatorium. A concept album with abstract artwork by the late Storm Thorgerson, this record twists and turns through the loosely told tale of Cerpin Taxt, which is based off of a true story from one of Bixler-Zavala's old friends from El Paso. Within its 61 minute running time, the listener is thrashed among progressive rock cliches, post-hardcore riffing, and breakneck speed. Cedric's vocals soar above most of the instruments, being at a much higher range than his previous work. We get freak-out Latin rhythms in "Drunkship of Lanterns". Strange calmness within "Televators". Progressive insanity in "Cicatriz ESP". The entire album is smooshed together, and absolutely cannot be listened to on shuffle. Described as "a working jam session between King Crimson, Fugazi, and 1970s Miles Davis", De-Loused topped the Album of the Year charts in 2003 and garned widespread acclaim amongst critics. This record loudly and insanely proclaimed that progressive rock was not dead at all.

With the band's newfound stardom, they proceeded to destroy the minds of many others. 2005 brought in their proggiest work to date, Frances the Mute. Clocking in at a monstrous 77 minutes with a measly 5 tracks, The Mars Volta was going full speed ahead into prog-rock territory. Many of the songs on Frances the Mute spawned from jams on the band's previous tour, creating some insane technical prowess and musical masturbation. This album has it all. Spaghetti-western soundscapes ("Miranda, That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore). Full-blown prog rock suites (the 32-minute monster "Cassandra Gemini"). Radio-friendly sounds ("The Widow"). The best track on this album is most certainly "L'Via L'Viaquez", infusing John Frusciante's shredding guitar solos with Latin salsa rhythms, creating a cohesive 12 minute epic. The energy within this album is furious. The listener is smacked in the face from the get-go, with little to no reprieve. "Cassandra Gemini" is the best example of this phenomena, blasting rapid-fire drumming and chaotic Latin string arrangements layered with Cedric's cryptic Spanish and English lyrics alongside wailing banshee vocals. This, in my opinion, is THE best Mars Volta record. No question.

After 2006, the band started to experiment even further. On Amputechture, we see twinges of hazy psychedelia meshed with math-rock speed and progressive indecency. 2008's The Bedlam in Goliath smashes everything in its way with relentless beats and crazy electronics topped off by a strange concept involving ghosts and the exploitation of women in the Middle East. The band slows things down a bit with 2009's Octahedron, which many describe as their "acoustic" album. If you want a good image of it, think "Televators" from their 2003 debut. Their final release, 2012's Noctourniquet, signals the end of an era being the most accessible TMV album to date with infusions of alternative and electronica into their chaotic progressive sound. The band broke up in early 2013 due to Rodriguez-Lopez's restless work ethic (read: releasing almost 40 solo albums between 2004 and 2013)  and his side project, Bosnian Rainbows. There are no signs of a reunion.

The End of an Era

Even with a reunion of At the Drive-In in 2012 at Coachella and a few other festivals, the glowing fire of the 5 Texan friends has burnt out. Sparta is back from a three year hiatus. Cedric Bixler-Zavala is creating his own solo group with former members of TMV, called Zavalaz. Omar is, of course, touring with Bosnian Rainbows and relentlessly churning out solo albums. Will we ever see a collaboration with the El Paso quintet again? The world may never know...

Suggested Listening

At The Drive-In: In/Casino/Out, Relationship of Command. 

Go from here. What did you prefer?

In/Casino/Out: Sparta. Wiretap Scars and Porcelain are your best bet.

Relationship of Command: The Mars Volta. De-Loused in the Comatorium and Frances the Mute. Pick and choose from their remaining four albums at your leisure.

-Dave