The Mars Volta formed in 2001 in El Paso, Texas, USA. The group consists of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, who brought together their precursors band At The Drive-In, and several other musicians. Their unique style of progressive and loud rock music has been credited for influencing many of the bands in the post-hardcore era. The Mars Volta released 6 full length studio albums from 2003-2012, as well as an EP, several live albums, and several singles. Although often cited as one of the more experimental rock bands of the decade, The Mars Volta's albums have all charted in the Billboard 200, with their 2004 release " De-Loused in the Comatorium" winning them a Grammy award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2005. The Mars Volta acrimoniously split in 2012, although their follow up side-projects, are still performing independently.