Burned out and growing restless with the direction that their band At the Drive-In was headed in, Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López left in 2001 to explore their prog rock inclinations as The Mars Volta. The creative move paid off in spades, with 2003's Deloused in the Comatorium launching arguably the most acclaimed career of any prog rock band in the aughts. The band released a total of six albums, each showcasing their prodigious skills and willingness to take prog rock to places seldom explored, before breaking up in 2013.