4.0 excellent

convergejd | June 4th 09

As (almost) always, a very strong effort. I really enjoy the more mellow vibe with this album. The word was out that this was their "acoustic" album; it's not so much acoustic as it's just chilled out a lot more. They manage to create some really moody stuff on this. It's almost the polar opposite of TBIG, which was for the most part balls to the wall. This is a lot more subdued and it works. 7 Bumps | Bump

3.5 great	jredmond | June 14th 09
This album feels more like a lengthy EP when you cut out the 6+ minutes of ambient filler in between tracks. With that being said, its a solid effort that just falls short in comparison to TMV's top game. 4 Bumps | Bump

2.5 average	Kris McClendon | June 8th 09
I never thought I'd find myself saying this, being a TMV fan to the end, but Octahedron is boring. The only really good song on the record is Cotopaxi and that's because it kicks my ADD in and makes me wanna run around like old TMV does. I'm a hyper kid. I need hyper music. This mellow stuff just isn't working for me. I'm just gonna have to give it a few more listens, I guess. 4 Bumps | Bump

3.0 good

Skyler | June 6th 09

A really laid back album full of mid/slow tempo "ballad" type songs. The only exception to this is Cotopaxi (a pretty decent song in its own right), which sticks out like a sore thumb and feels incredibly out of place. It's not like The Mars Volta haven't done a number of mellow songs before, but when you have an entire album full of them, it just sort of starts to drag along. There is a lot of meaningless ambience here, and I can't help but wonder how the album would've turned out without it. The first few listens left me quite unimpressed, but I'm trying to give this a fair chance so I've been listening to it a lot. I've definitely warmed up to it a bit, but I still don't feel that it is anything particularly special. 3 Bumps | Bump

3.5 great

BurstKalbrik | June 5th 09

I was going to initially give this a 2.5 for it lacking any of the "umph" their previous material have, but the more I listen to it, the more I like it. Each song has some seriously great moments. "Teflon" has "Let the wheels burn/Let the wheels burn", "With Twilight as my Guide" has "With a blank/I/corner" or something, and "Copernicus" has the sudden drum machine/synth combo around the middle of the song. I still like De-Loused better for its energy, but this is definitely worth getting. 3 Bumps | Bump

4.0 excellent	Taxt | June 5th 09
After 3 months, I need to lower the rating. This is pretty insubstantial, especially compared to The Mars Volta's back catalog. Still an excellent album, but the replay value is not there for me. 3 Bumps | Bump

3.0 good	Sobhi Abdul-Rakhman STAFF | June 15th 09
Okay it's a Mars Volta record. They need to break up and form 2 new bands with one of the bands playing generic prog rock and the other one playing experimental insect noises. That would shake things up. 2 Bumps | Bump

3.5 great

Techneq | June 5th 09

Although lacking much explosiveness as compared to the usual Volta album we all expected a different experience this time and they definitely did deliver a new, more mellow Mars Volta experience. I do miss the epic build ups to chaotic melodies working in every direction but some of the tracks on this album are qute addicting. Personally i could go with out some of the empty ambience but besides some of the downfalls songs to take away form this album that I will be listening to thousands of times (Literally.) are: With Twilight as My Guide , Desperate Graves, Luciforms and quite possibly Teflon as well. 2 Bumps | Bump

3.0 good

Adam Knott CONTRIBUTOR | June 20th 09

"This is the new Mars Volta blah blah blah," no, it's not, it's another version of them that will almost certainly have changed by the time next record comes around. This is not offensive to the ears but is so not anything special, and the majority of the higher ratings flying around for this are rooted in denial that TMV are less of a flawless band than people would like to admit. It's nice, but it's nothing special, and Cotopaxi is ridiculous. 1 Bumps | Bump

4.0 excellent	Robert Hollier | June 20th 09
calm, sombre and beautiful... this is the new TMV and tbh im in love with it. 1 Bumps | Bump

4.5 superb	BlackMarketReview | June 15th 09
EXCELLENT ALBUM BEST VOCAL MELODIES OUT OF CEDRIC YET. 1 Bumps | Bump

5.0 classic	quicksand89 | November 12th 09
A huge change for Mars Volta, but I like it. Very slow, melodic songs that build up. Must be listened to as a whole, like all the other Mars Volta albums. Very good. Bump

4.5 superb

EverythingEvil2113 | October 16th 09

Yes this is better than De-Loused. I love The Mars Volta for their guitar wankery and pretensiosness (sp?) but I have to admit that after Bedlam I was worried. Well this eased my worries because this is the Volta's strongest effort in years. They took away most of the "noise" and replaced it with some really well written and stripped down songs. Cedrics voice is as good as I think it's ever been and the music is very spacey. I heard this was their interpretation of an acoustic album. Though it's not at all acoustic it's definately stripped down and what you get is the bare bones of what makes The Mars Volta so special. They're no longer hiding their skills behind noise, and are finally showing they're capable of writing well thought out songs, and not just musical exercises. Favorite album of '09 by the way. Bump

1.5 very poor

Conor Mackie | August 24th 09

I'm no stranger to being in the minority, so I have no fear in declaring that this is one of the worst records I've ever heard. Yes, I'm hating on a TMV record, and I mean it too. What happened to the energetic rocking of Deloused In The Comatorium? You would never guess that this band formed from the remnants of a post-hardcore group. They take pretentiousness a few steps too far and give us a contrived and self-indulgent snorefest that has only one saving grace- Cotopaxi- the rest is meaningless drivel. Tip for listening to The Mars Volta- If you must hear them, listen to Deloused, and nothing else. Bump

4.5 superb	alejandro | August 3rd 09
I belive the topic here is the versatility in the way of make music of this guys. Every single albun tha they make is quite different than they made before . And always with they`re own style. Bump

5.0 classic	Primergrey | July 17th 09
This album is so catchy, it's almost impossible not to love. "With Twilight as My Guide" is where it's at. Bump

4.5 superb	sba4life | July 11th 09
Very Good Record From TMV. Best since Frances The Mute. This flows better than anything they have done so far. Bump

4.0 excellent	Johannes | July 6th 09
Cedrics' vocal effort is the big thing about this record, besides it being something new and again fresh from TMV. I really like it, hence the 4. PS. I am a fanboy. Bump

4.5 superb

applesoup | June 30th 09

To be quite honest i don't love the last two songs of this, but the other songs are just so brilliant it makes up for it. The first 3 songs just blew me away mostly. Many people have complained about this album but i really think its wonderful, Cedric's voice is as beautiful as ever especially on With Twilight As My Guide, and its nice not to have so much of the guitar wankery. I like the more mellowness of this, but they haven't completely calmed themselves down, the songs are still quite energetic, which is good. Bump

3.5 great	Lestrade | June 26th 09
A couple of pretty cool songs/moments throughout the album, but it feels as if something is missing unlike their previous efforts. The big change in sound, mood, and writing can either lead you to be turned off or be inspired. Depends. Bump

3.0 good	someguest | June 16th 09
Yes, the sound is definitely toned down. Sure, the ambience might not be for every listener out there. However, at least these songs have some actual structure to them, which has been lacking from the band since Frances the Mute. The album is worlds ahead of Bedlam and nearly reaches the level of the band's first two full length releases. Bump

4.0 excellent	Scott Smith | June 13th 09
I'm all about some laid back vibes and chill music, so hearing the TMV's new album was going to be "Acoustic" I was completely drawn in. While not acoustic as you've very well read, it has that "Chill" "laid-back" vibe. Like it or not this album still sits very well in the end leaving you to determin if the experience the band put you on was worth it or not. Yes it was for me. Bump

2.5 average	Nick Habisch | June 11th 09
I have never been able to get into TMV, and so I figured that thier version of an "acoustic" album would be easier to bear. Well, short story short, it wasn't. I still cannot stand the vocals, and the songwriting seems weak and un-structured. Bump

4.0 excellent	Klekticist | June 11th 09
I'm positive this will go up to a 4.5 in the future. It's a grower, to be sure. I'm a HUGE fan of De-Loused, but I never really listened to much of their other stuff. You certainly need to approach it with an open mind. Bump

3.0 good	Sam Felldman | June 11th 09
Sounds to me like the Volta are putting everything they've got into this thing, and the result is a mellow, dreamy piece that drags a little, but it sure is an amazing ride. Now if they could only go back and put everything they've got into something a little faster... Bump

3.5 great	adrianman | June 10th 09
i like it, but it's too short and the electric drum beat at the end of copernicus kinda ruins the song. im just saying, it could be much better. Bump

4.5 superb	Tom Eccles | June 10th 09
yep, i have to boost this one up. Octahedron is a real grower. Bump

4.0 excellent	Goran Bacic | June 9th 09
A surprisingly good effort after a long streak of unimpressive garbage. This album returns to The Mars Volta's musician ship and story telling but without any stand out songs and weak lyrics (Omar needs to write the lyrics again) it brings the rating down. Bump

2.0 poor

hykinix | June 9th 09

I'm a fan of all of TMV's previous records. I've managed to see what they're going for on every album and I have given Octahedron the same mindset as I would with any new record. However I simply cannot fathom why I should consider this gold like most of the people here. Some areas of this album just drag so hard its almost painful. Here's TMV trying to be brooding and mysterious (they've tried before, and with more success I would reason) and just being flat. I don't know, maybe I'm not seeing the sheer amazingness beneath it all that people seem to have discovered. I by no means have any qualms with slow, ballad-esque albums or songs, but this just feels weak. Bump

3.5 great	Gualicho Samswordian | June 8th 09
It doesn't suck! Bump

3.5 great	m4nny | June 8th 09
take out Cotopaxi and you have a pretty good album. Bump

4.0 excellent	William Hughes | June 7th 09
My devil makes me dream, like no other mortal dreams... Bump

4.0 excellent	David Skattebo | June 7th 09
Did not expect this. I thought that all was lost after Bedlam, which I didn't like at all. Although they aren't doing the craziness of Frances or Amputecture, they have gone in a beautiful and mellow direction. Vast improvement from the rock wankery of Bedlam In Goliath. You've regained my faith, Omar! Bump

4.0 excellent	Stephen Abootman | June 7th 09
Don't Stop Dragging The Lake! Very solid and more laid back album. Probably a contender for my favourite after De-Loused Bump

3.5 great

Christopher Kenrick | June 6th 09

Considering I thought nothing of the leaked songs at first, they began to grow on me... so I'm suspecting the rest of the album will follow suite and I'm reasonably sure my liking of this album will go up! With Twilight As My Guide currently being my personal highlight of the album, this whole "acoustic" idea (or THEIR idea of acoustic) behind it, it's just becoming a tad tricky to adapt to this new Volta, I guess. Really, the only track I dislike is Cotopaxi for sounding like it really shouldn't be on the album (sound more like it should be on Bedlam in Goliath than anything else), but everything else is pretty damn solid or good. Nice to see The Mars Volta have remembered that they are a PROGRESSIVE band... and once again have progressed. Bump

4.0 excellent	Jeremy Price | June 6th 09
The opposite end of the spectrum to Bedlam, Octahedron proves that TMV can still right a hella catchy prog song, while still maintaining their unique atmosphere. The band's most consistent record since Frances. Bump

4.0 excellent	Sean Milo | June 5th 09
A great addition to the TMV discography. Just as everyone expected it to be. Although its not the acoustic album we were told it would be, it still shows the mellow side of the Volta, and is overall a great release anyway. Bump

4.0 excellent	Maxwell Shindippon | June 5th 09
An excellent addition to TMV discography. Best album since Frances The Mute, with each song being interesting and different. Bump

4.0 excellent	Photon | June 5th 09
album is great....... good change of direction ...although "Cotopaxi" feels totally out of place on the record Bump

0.0	bret5555 | June 5th 09
Solid release. It will grow on me more in time, I'm really enjoying this and this is my 4th or 5th listen. I plan on buying this when it comes out Bump

4.0 excellent	oathfbass | June 5th 09
A very strong effort by The Mars Volta. The album is more laid back and mellow compared to their earlier efforts and yet is also experimental like Amputechture, but doesn't turn into a long jam session. The only downside to this album is they don't experiment much with their song structure so it follows a verse chorus verse type pattern. Bump

4.0 excellent	Elijah A. | June 5th 09
Changed to a 4.5 after a four, its really really grown on me. Less experimental, a little more mainstream, but even "stripped down" Mars Volta is the most original wonderful stuff out in modern music. This isn't my inner fanboy, this is an amazing, essential album! Bump

4.0 excellent	elephantREVOLUTION | June 4th 09
very good. i was not a fan of bedlam so i am very glad with the more mellow direction they took with this. definitely has the potential to be a 4.5 Bump