The Mars Volta — Octahedron

Octahedron is The Mars Volta's attempt to experiment with quieter, more acoustic elements and prove they aren't all about the weird, squeal-y noises. It ultimately fails because it lacks any kind of focus.

"Since We've Been Wrong" is a strong opener that recalls Led Zeppelin's "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You," and "Teflon" — which isn't nearly as toxic as its namesake — revisits the loud, drugged-up, out-of-it Mars Volta of old.

"Halo Of Nembutals" does a good job aurally illustrating what it's like to be on barbiturates, since it moves from fast to slow and practically stops at one point. "With Twilight As My God" slows things down even more and is snore-inducing, but things get a bit better by "Cotopaxi." That said, it's not anything new either, since the usual weird time-signature-shifting Mars Volta are on display once again.

By the next track, "Desperate Graves," things are back to boringly quiet. From there it's "Copernicus," which just sounds confused and is laced with electronic instruments and beats.

The Mars Volta are at their best when they're doing loud, modern prog laced with strange effects. If they'd done that and scrapped the quiet bits on Octahedron, the disc would have been much better.

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