Released: 2012

Genres: Progressive Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Space Rock Revival

The Musiquarium’s Noctourniquet Review Score: 7 out of 10

After having made contributions to every album by The Mars Volta thus far, John Frusciante (the on again, off again guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers) had now left The Mars Volta too. In addition to Frusciante’s departure, there was also a new drummer and plenty of in-fighting between Omar and Cedric, so it makes sense that Noctourniquet sounds somewhat lost and unfocused, though it is a unique album in the band’s discography nonetheless.

The Whip Hand is a rather uncharacteristic opener, with its thick buzzsaw-synth chorus and drumming that almost sounds off time. The Malkin Jewel is another left-field stylistic choice, with bluesy verses atypical to The Mars Volta’s sound. Elsewhere, the band experiments with different things, like Trinkets Pale of Moon, which features a sparse acoustic guitar arrangement and musique concrète elements.

These songs have no chance stacking up next to anything from their first few records, but Noctourniquet still offers some interesting experiments from The Mars Volta.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view The Mars Volta on Discogs.

Back to the 2012 Album Guide or The Mars Volta Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard