The Mars Volta and At the Drive In’s Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez López are reunited, just like their good ol’ days, performing as Antemasque. While their work as Antemasque is quite recent, their self-titled debut album will surely fulfill the expectations of old fans and attract new ones, too. The official release of the album was yesterday, Nov. 10.
About a year ago, after the breakup of Mars Volta, fans thought they’d never see them reunited onstage again, especially after an intense Twitter feud. Luckily, they’ve put their differences aside and gone back to their roots, showing that they truly belong together as a band. Their debut album features Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers as bassist and Dave Elitch, former The Mars Volta drummer. It was temporarily released on Bandcamp before the digital album release, along with YouTube videos of their creative process, allowing fans to get a preview of it.
The band recently toured the UK and showed that they’re better than ever. I had the chance to attend their London gig at the Electric Ballroom and was able to experience listening to their album live for the first time. Once Antemasque hit the stage, fans were quickly riled up, and mosh pits ensued. Bixler-Zavala told the crowd that it was the first time in 10 years that the former members of The Mars Volta and At The Drive In have performed in England, and it was clear that everyone was ecstatic about their return.
Listening to Antemasque live is an incomparable experience. Some noteworthy tracks are “In the Lurch” and “4AM,” and each track is different and shows a different side of the band and its members. Omar Rodríguez López shows that he’s still one of the best modern guitarists out there (making Puerto Ricans such as myself proud). Bixler’s vocals are also even better than when The Mars Volta started out. While each member of Antemasque is talented on his own, seeing them play onstage together is mind-blowing.
During their UK tour, the band dealt with the death of former keyboardist of The Mars Volta, Ikey Owens. The band played a tribute to their former band member and Bixler-Zavala gave a touching speech and reminisced about how much he appreciated Owens during their time working together.
The band still remains proud of their work as The Mars Volta, yet desire to create a fresh start for themselves. Working as Antemasque marks a new chapter in the careers of Bixler-Zavala, Rodríguez López, and Elitch. They’ve proven to still be able to create great music together, while experimenting with new sounds. Those who haven’t yet listened to Antemasque, but are fans of At The Drive In and The Mars Volta, will soon call themselves fans of Antemasque as well.
