Best The Mars Volta Songs

The Top Ten
1 Cassandra Gemini

This is what Volta will be remembered for, I agree. This is their 'footprint' on the grand genre of Progressive Rock. 32 minutes and it tells one of the most incredible stories along with some of the best musicianship and harmonic/dissonant dynamics I've ever seen.

How can someone make such a long track so perfectly, every part fits with the other and the progression for the last chorus is amazing, The Mars Volta is, definitely, one of the best progressive rock bands out there! Just listen to it all!

2 Cygnus... Vismund Cygnus

This is a great pick for number 1. I think it sums up what this band was about. I really liked what they did with De-loused, this song (this album) took them to a completely different level. This is what I will remember whenever Mars Volta comes to mind.

It has every element of a Volta song. A nice melodic intro (that eventually comes full circle) that EXPLODES and becomes alive. Tempo changes, strange time signatures, English and Spanish lyrics. This is The Mars Volta. Great live song also.

It's a difficult tossup between this, Cassandra Gemini and Televators for me. While Cassandra Gemini may be an epic, though, Cygnus Vismund Cygnus is The Mars Volta's centerpiece.

3 Miranda, that Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore

Oh man, one of the saddest Songs in Rock History. But also one of the bests. It's confusing why this is only at number 22. Maybe it will change with your help.

Awesome song! Now lets enjoy the sweet smells of their toothless canals!

Wow why so low? Now lets all eat some glass!

4 Cicatriz Esp

This song is just brilliant. They may have dragged out the ambient noises a little, but the ending makes up for that. My favorite song of all time by a large margin. I listen to it at least once a day.

Amazing song... With a great final. This is one of the great songs of the mars volta from de-loused album.
This guys have a good rock noise with a nice groove, riffts and something as I call rock with feeling.

5 Eriatarka

The beginning of this song just sends me to another world and really relaxes me. The part leading into the chorus always reminds me of the song, On the Brink - Coheed and Cambria, which is also great.

Jazz chords wrung out to form frenetic anger, juxtaposed by beautiful, sweet sci-fi pop melodies.

Hard to articulate it without sounding like a ponce. It's just one hell of a song. Long-time favourite.

Fantastic use of tempo and dynamics with the contrast between the slow, melodic verse and the hectic chorus. Amazing drumming too.

6 Drunkship of Lanterns

Of all the best Mars Volta songs listed here this one is the greatest one especially those listed from ditc. Just as awesome a song as roulette dares or inertiatic esp. Rock solid jam with a good amount of madness. Definitely deserves to be on here!

Seen them perform this live, now my life is complete!

7 Tetragrammaton

Amazing song with heart-gripping arpeggios and melodies that give off the feeling of a Mayan sacrifice. The first few bars of the song climb and climb up the scale until the blissful B section calms the tone into a melodic chorus. A pure piece of art to the ears. The many movements and technical organizations of the sections come off as classical in nature. Tetragrammaton is like an indigenous, psychedelic, and jazz-infused chaos. The equivalent of a "psychedelic" symphony. Tetragrammaton is the psychedelic music scene's version of a classical piece.

8 The Widow

Not sure how this is not in the Top 5. Most commercially viable song.

Great song! My daughter sang this for talent day at her school.

9 Day of the Baphomets

Here's a stony analogy for you: If the Led Zeppelin song is a sonic representation of what it feels like to actually be on a "stairway to heaven," then this is the real Highway to Hell.

12? On a top 10 list? Hell no. Any time I need a tremendous energy boost I jam out into this song. Come on, there's a bongo solo, that's not top 10 worthy?

Absolutely nuts. Cedric's best work on the album.

10 Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)

The buildup then the big guitar hit... Sends shivers!

The Contenders
11 Viscera Eyes

It's the juxtaposition of two riff's I'd never have put togeather, perfect example of texture in TMV's work.

12 L'via L'viaquez

This belongs in the top 5. It's musically perfect. Incredible solos and that scream into the smooth Spanish jam...

This song is drugs, and I'm talking about great drugs.

13 Televators

This music really should be first. Do you hear the fantastic amount of sounds that this music contais? One of the best Mars Volta Musics ever made...

Clearly the best. Cannot understand why it's not even in the top 10.

Pure poetry. Love the grace and emotion in this peice... Although same could be said for many other TMV songs...

14 Goliath

The chorus is so awesome and catchy, and so it is the ending part. Brilliant solos ; should be in top 5

15 Meccamputechture
16 Metatron

Seriously, no one listened to this song?

17 Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt

I love this song, rather new to the mars volta, but I was always a fan of at the drive in, I always thought it was just the guitarist in the mars volta, anyways this song has a great feel to it, great beat...

The little funkesque break ending with a repeat of the chorus and possibly the greatest part in any mars volta song. When cedric starts with "Who brought me here? " it sound like someone giving a speech and address everyone in his life

Should be at least in the top ten.

18 Concertina

Best song by The Mars Volta. And that says something, because they have many great tunes.

Amazing power in guitar and voice.

Their best song should be higher!

19 Frances the Mute

Most people forget this song exist because it wasn't included on the album, however, the build up is incridible. The structure is extremely tension building. I highly reccomend listening to this, than going into the album. It makes Cygnus and the rest of the album even more amazing.

Love this song. I love how they slow it down and build it up. It really paints a picture of the album's story providing great background for it.

20 Son Et Lumiere

On page 2 really!? One of their best

21 Aegis
22 Eunuch Provocateur
23 Inertiatic Esp

Holy crap. I never stopped listening to this song. Its just perfect. I know it's their "single" and they're probably sick of playing it and cedric can't sing it, BUT if they started jamming to this song live, I would go absolutely nuts and start dancing like a madman. That's also why they wont let me back in golds gym, mars volta music gets me too pumped up

It's the most face melting song I've heard since one armed scissor.

24 Ouroborous
25 Wax Simulacra

There is a reason this won a Grammy. It's no Cassandra Gemini but it's definitely one of their best songs.

8Load More
PSearch List