The Mars Volta Octahedron

3 stars out of 5 -- "[An] LP haunted by heartbreak and more focused on soulful vocal emoting than on cool time signatures and guitar flip-outs."
"[O]n gorgeous psych-soul ballads like 'Copernicus' and 'Since We've Been Wrong,' these hardcore noise freaks show off a sensual streak, while fierce rockers such as 'Teflon' and 'Cotopaxi' burn with purpose..."
3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he Mars Volta replace much of their plasma-ball energy to mine progressive-rock history with measured dynamics, vintage Mellotrons and Cedric Bixler-Zavala's cosmic lyricism in tow..."
3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he stunning 'Halo Of Nembutals' is the closest Mars Volta have yet come to combining the hard-rocking bombast of Led Zeppelin with the bravura of Santana."
Paste (magazine) (p.59) - "Chock full of falsetto harmonies and lilting, distorted chord progressions, this is the group's quietest albums to date....A haunting album full of twilight poetry."
Pitchfork (Website) - "Slower, with fewer breakdowns or out-of-nowhere segues into a wholly new song, it's kind of a Cliff Notes of everything the band does well."