The Mars Volta Return To Practice Amputechture

The Mars Volta are back with their latest offering of Latin-infused progressive rock on their third studio album, Amputechture.

The Mars Volta are known for their stretched-out compositions that feature hard-driving riffs courtesy of guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, ferocious drumming from Jon Theodore and the Robert Plant-like wail of vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala. Expect more of the same on Amputechture, which is set for release on August 22 via Universal.

The group are rounded out by keyboardist Isaiah Ikey Owens, bassist Juan Alderete De La Pena, percussionist Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez, horn player Adrian Terrazas-Gonzales and sound manipulator Pablo Hinojos-Gonzalez, who replaced Jeremy Ward following his 2003 death.

Amputechture features guest guitar work by Red Hot Chili Pepper John Frusciante, who also contributed to the band's De-Loused In The Comatorium (2003) and Frances The Mute (2005) albums. Amputechture also marks Paul Hinojos' first studio work with The Mars Volta since he joined the band as a touring musician in 2005. Hojos previously played with group founders Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopez in At The Drive-In.

The album opens up with the seven-minute "Vicarious Atonement" and contains many musically expansive tracks, such as the 17-minute "Tetragrammaton," as well as "Meccamputechture" and "Day Of The Baphomets," which both clock in at more than 11 minutes. The eight-song disc is more than 76 minutes long.

The Mars Volta are using "The Big Mutant," a painting by neo-surrealist artist Jeff Jordan, as the cover art for Amputechture. The band used works by the legendary Storm Thorgerson — who designed the cover of Led Zeppelin's Houses Of The Holy and Pink Floyd's The Division Bell — on their first two albums.

The Mars Volta are supporting the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their North American tour, which includes these Canadian dates:

Sepember 14 Vancouver, BC @ GM Place
September 16 Calgary, AB @ Pengrowth Saddledome
September 17 Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
September 19 Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre
September 20 Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre
September 25-26 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
September 28 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
October 1 Quebec City, QC @ Colisee Pepsi

Here are the tracks on Amputechture:

"Vicarious Atonement"
"Tetragrammaton"
"Vermicide"
"Meccamputechture"
"Asilos Magdalena"
"Viscera Eyes"
"Day Of The Baphomets"
"El Ciervo Vulnerado"