Why are they so low on the top artists list? I expected them to be much more respected than #719.

My guess is because prog revival never really caught on, and although The Mars Volta are without a doubt skilled, they can be a bit over indulgent. Also, critics who are still furious over the only good hardcore band of the 2000's, At the Drive-In, breaking up.

What is this talk of prog and hardcore, is this Rate Your Music?

This is all just my opinion, so take it for what it is:

As a former At the Drive-In and Mars Volta fan, I'll put it simply: Omar has no self-control. He is a fantastic guitar player, but the dude seriously needs to find the "edit" button. I don't mind long, complex music - I like Pink Floyd and early Sigur Ros - but his stuff just gets silly.

The last three Mars Volta albums veered between indulgent in the extreme and oddly boring. I did not enjoy them at all. The debut was pretty awesome musically, and about half of Frances the Mute shined even brighter (the other half dragged), but even these records were undercut by Cedric's lyrics. Mediocre lyrics are one thing, but his are just distracting.

I would say that bad lyrics and overindulgent compositions are the reasons why the band is not highly rated.

Just because you don't get it doesn't mean it's bad. As a guitar player I've never found a single guitar part by Omar that I didn't like, in any of his albums... it doesn't surprise me you like Deloused so much...

There has been so much shit music in the last 25+ years on tv and radio that when a band like this comes up everyone says they are indulgent...

Trust me, do some research about other bands and you'll find what indulgent really is, there's a reason why they are on a major label.

I like Deloused. I can't stand Frances The Mute.

They're very talented but they're also very masturbatory.

Was the comment directed at me? If so, a few facts:

1. I very rarely listen to any radio/tv bands from the last 15 years. After grunge and britpop ended, there hasn't been much that is interesting to me in the mainstream entertainment industry. I generally find my music without the help of television and radio. Hence being on acclaimedmusic.

2. Omar Rodriguez is among my favorite current guitarists. I consider the first track on Frances the Mute to be among his best and most realized compositions. This track is also one of the more complicated songs the Mars Volta recorded. Therefore, you need to explain to me exactly what I "don't get" about the last three records. It's not as if this music has suddenly gone over my head. I just think he lost the vision that he had on the first record (and parts of FTM). His guitar skill still impresses, but his songwriting started to meander with more focus on theatrics than interesting and thoughtful progressions. I suppose Bedlam in Goliath attempted to streamline the sound, but the writing felt lazy. The last album put me to sleep. Clearly this is just my opinion, and feel free to disagree with me, but please don't tell me I don't get it. That's a little unfair.

If it matters to you for credibility purposes, I have also played guitar for 15 years. Personally, I don't think that gives me much more authority than other people on this site.