De-Loused in the Comatorium
album by The Mars Volta
De-Loused in the Comatorium is the debut studio album by the American progressive rock band The Mars Volta, released on June 24, 2003, on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records. Based on a short story written by lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and sound manipulation artist Jeremy Ward, the concept album is an hour-long tale of Cerpin Taxt, a man who enters a week-long coma after overdosing on a mixture of morphine and rat poison. The story of Cerpin Taxt alludes to the death of El Paso, Texas artist Julio Venegas.
Co-produced by Rick Rubin and bandleader/guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López, it is the only studio album to feature founding member Ward, who was found dead of an apparent heroin overdose one month before the album was released. Following the departure of original bassist Eva Gardner, interim bassist Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers performed on De-Loused.
De-Loused is distinguished by its enigmatic lyrics, Latin and jazz rhythms, and Rodríguez-López's frenetic and dissonant guitar work. The title of the album is taken from the lyrics of the song "Eunuch Provocateur" on the band's Tremulant EP; closing track "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt", in turn, contains the title of Tremulant. The cover artwork was made by Storm Thorgerson.
The album exemplifies progressive rock, art rock, and post-hardcore while incorporating influences from psychedelic rock, Latin jazz, heavy metal, punk rock, and blues rock.
Background
The Mars Volta started in spring of 2001, soon after the demise of Rodríguez-López's and Bixler-Zavala's previous band At the Drive-In.
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Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q287262. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2003 and 2001.
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