It’s been three years since Texan prog rock wonders The Mars Volta graced us with their final bow, Noctourniquet. Guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez went on to form Bosnian Rainbows, while singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala focused on solo music and also his new band Zavalaz. Though The Mars Volta may never return to the fold in its prime form, Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopez have joined forces again with their new project ANTEMASQUE. If that wasn’t cool enough – Flea played bass on the album!

Flea is cool as shit – but sadly, we have to pump the brakes a smidge: Flea isn’t a part of the band’s lineup and will not be touring with them – but he’s on the album and let the band use his recording studio. But hey – still dope, right!? (Flea isn’t a stranger to the MV guys – he played on all but two tracks of their 2003 debut album De-Loused in the Comatorium.)

The self-titled debut of the new project was released on November 10 of last year, and the band has already begun playing festivals in Australia and is set to appear at this year’s Coachella. ANTEMASQUE leaves the prog behind, yet still exemplifies all of the past works of its band members, including Flea’s signature style. It’s a high energy rock album full of punk attitude that charges aggressively forward throughout its entire (albeit, brief) 34 minute run. Even when it slows down a bit, like on the accessible “50,000 Kilowatts” (a track that’s somewhat reminiscent of Foxy Shazam), Bixler-Zavala’s vocals showcase just the right amount of rasp and grit to keep things interesting.

In sum: Rock fans should have this album on their radar. Here are a couple tracks for the taking: