In November of 2007, The Mars Volta released The Mars Volta’s Descent into Bedlam: A Rhapsody in Three Parts, which documented the band’s history and the creation process behind its fourth album, The Bedlam in Goliath (due out January 29 on Universal). Said to be inspired by a ouija board picked up in Jerusalem, bad luck, and neo-spiritual forces, the album is as conceptual as any of the Mars Volta’s previous works, which should bode well for the lengthy tour about to commence. Fans from Baltimore to Brussels should ready themselves for improvisational performances, wild antics, references to Afro Caribbean religion, noise-rock, and much more.

Rumor also has it that an online game galled Goliath: The Soothsayer, based on Bedlam…, is in the works, and will be available on Amazon from January 2 to January 29. In the meantime, fix this puzzle of the new album’s artwork and get a free download.

Tour Dates
01/09 Burlington, VT: Higher Ground
01/11 New Haven, CT: Toad’s Place
01/12 Providence, RI: Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
01/14 New York, NY: Terminal 5
01/17 Philadelphia, PA: The Fillmore at the TLA
01/18 Baltimore, MD: Rams Head Live
01/19 Columbus, OH: Newport Music Hall
01/21 Toronto, ON: Phoenix Concert Hall
01/23 Detroit, MI: St. Andrews Hall
01/25 Kansas City, MO: Beaumont Club
01/27 Boulder, CO: Fox Theatre
02/17 Hamburg, DE: Docks
02/19 Oslo, NO: Sentrum
02/20 Stockholm, SE: Cirkus
02/22 Copenhagen, DK: Vega
02/24 Berlin , DE: Huxleys
02/26 Zurich, CH: Volkshaus
02/27 Milan, IT: Alcatraz
02/29 Madrid, ES: La Riviera
03/01 Barcelona, ES: Razzamatazz
03/03 Munich, DE: Elser Halle
03/05 Paris, FR: Olympia
03/06 Tilburg, NL: 013 Music Hall
03/08 Cologne, DE: Live Music Hall
03/09 Brussels, BE: Ancienne Belgique
03/11 Glasgow, GB: Academy
03/13 Manchester, GB: Apollo

Photo by Ross Halfin, 2007.