What Was and Is At the Drive-In

Here's some brief education. At the Drive-In was an influential American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, that was active from 1993 to 2001. The peak of their stardom was reached with the release of the single "One Armed Scissor" off the album Relationship of Command. In 2001, at the peak of their popularity and following a world tour, At the Drive-In broke up, initially referring to the split as an "indefinite hiatus." A combination of excessive hype, relentless touring, artistic differences, and guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala's drug habits all contributed to the demise of the band.

Dancing On the Corpse's Ashes - "Invalid Litter Dept." by At the Drive-In



Shortly after the break-up, Jim Ward (vocalist/guitarist), Paul Hinojos (bassist), and Tony Hajjar (drummer) formed Sparta. Although their first album was their best in my opinion, they certainly have grown into their own skin.

"cut Your Ribbon" by Sparta



Also shortly after the break-up, Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez formed The Mars Volta which is considered progressive rock, with jazz, punk, psychedelic, funk and Latin influences. They're known for their wild, energetic, and improvised live shows as well as their complex, often concept-based studio albums which I've found to be more difficult to listen to per release due to their song structure and musical formula which was fresh ONLY in their first album De-Loused in the Comatorium.

"Drunkship of Lanterns" by The Mars Volta


Both bands continue to produce albums at a steady pace and don't show any signs of stopping. Here's more of them for your listening pleasure:
At the Drive-In
Sparta
The Mars Volta