The demise of At The Drive-In on the brink of massive success was an unexpected blow to the creative music world - that was until members of the group went on to embellish their sound with The Mars Volta. The latters debut, the spectacular "De-Loused In The Comatorium," wowed fans and critics alike and its buzz helped sustain an exaggerated amount of touring during which the band excelled at freeform stream-of-consciousness jamming. This time around The Mars Volta have gone above and beyond to incorporate their live atmosphere into their aural pallet.

Channeling such legends as Led Zeppelin, Queen, Yes and Pink Floyd, while infusing a smorgasbord of new sounds into the mix, "Frances The Mute" drives towards becoming an artistic masterpiece as well as one of the most credible (if not all-consuming) rock albums of the last decade. The most clear-cut musical evolution detected on the follow-up to their highly lauded debut is the band's zeal to jam, as this is an album that quite succinctly captures the group's often overwhelming spontaniety. With the album's opening cut, the subdivided "Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus" the ensemble exceed the 13 minute mark and only gain momentum, sounding like Freddie Mercury was vocalizing over a session that partnered Jimmy Page with Dave Gilmour and Roger Waters.

"Miranda That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore" is perhaps the album's strongest set, encapsulating the surreal Santana-esque "Vade Mecum" as only the first chapter in the sprawling 4 track, 27 minute span. Hot on the heels of the closing outro of "Con Safo" comes "Cassandra Gemini" and the cinematic gusto of "Tarantism". Flea also makes a return appearance lending not bass, but trumpet solos, as well as bringing fellow Red Hot Chili Pepper guitarist John Frusciante to lay down some dizzying solos on "L'Via L'Viaquez". Track order and division can be complicated, yet as "Frances The Mute" progresses such trivial matters seem extremely nearsighted when taking in account the exceptional work on display.

It is rather surprising that the group have so effortlessly avoided the mighty downfall of excessive jamming on record, as they rarely get so caught up in the moment that the listener loses focus of the overall picture. No, The Mars Volta have thrown everything including the kitchen sink into the mix to provide their fans with enough psychedelic eccentricities to prolong full enjoyment of an album that topples over 76 minutes. For this, Omar A Rodriguez-Lopez stepped into the slot formerly filled by Rick Rubin, manning the boards himself, producing a richer, more complicated effort from his group.

"Frances The Mute" does have its flaws, as occasionally the almost unrealistic ambition and creativity poured into its creation amounts to more than even a record this profoundly well-equipped can juggle single-handedly. Length never poses a problem, but their song direction is weighted down with such elaborate flourishes placed upon it, slipping to nearly maddening notes and noodling before veering back on course. In spite of these relatively minor specks on an otherwise immaculate canvas, The Mars Volta have come to define "epic rock masterpiece", rather than share space with other current icons, and they have done so all on their own terms. The integrity of these musicians is exposed in the passionate musical sonatas they so easily craft, and that is what sets up "Frances The Mute" to be the pinnacle of original rock in 2005.