Noctourniquet is the sixth studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on March 26, 2012 on Warner Bros.

Following the album's release, the Mars Volta broke up due to ongoing tension and disagreements between core members Rodriguez-Lopez and Bixler-Zavala.

"[7] Rodriguez-Lopez subsequently returned to the studio, with bassist Juan Alderete, prior to the album's mixing, to add additional guitar and bass overdubs.

"[9] Vocalist and lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala stated that the album's title stemmed from a story he was writing, entitled The Boy With the Voice in His Knives.

[10] He also mentioned on his YouTube channel that he may release the story in a form of graphic novel, with the art contributed by visual artist Zeque Penya; the plans however never came to fruition.

Although initially unannounced, Cedric Bixler-Zavala joined the group (which consisted of Omar and Marcel Rodriguez Lopez, Juan Alderete, Deantoni Parks and additional keyboardist/sound manipulator Lars Stalfors) on March 19 show at SXSW as a guest vocalist, thus basically making it a complete TMV lineup, and since that performed with them on all but 3 further tour dates.

On July 15, 2011, the Warner Bros. Records Facebook page posted a fan-shot YouTube video of the Mars Volta performing "Trinkets Pale of Moon" in Helsinki, Finland.

This release is a double 12" opaque blue and orange vinyl, which features a wide spine jacket with two full-color 3D inner sleeves and 3D glasses.

[20] Q gave the album a score of four stars out of five and said of the band, "There are so many ideas battling it out here it takes numerous listens to make sense of it, but persevere and this is perhaps their strongest set to date.

"[31] The Fly also gave it four stars out of five and said that the band's narratives "have been stronger before, but 'Noctourniquet' remains abject absurdity masquerading as sexy heroism.

"[32] The Phoenix gave it three stars out of four and said that "in a sense, the veil is lifted ever-so-slightly with [Noctourniquet]: although [The Mars Volta] still wump you with weird on sonic gauntlets like "Molochwalker" and the title track, they also hit on some great choruses and comprehensible songcraft that, unlike most of their earlier work, is commendable for something other than the effort it took to create it.

"[33] Beats Per Minute gave the album a 71% score and said that it was "most certainly not a pinnacle for the group, but it is a welcome rekindling of the same spirit and sonic magnitude that fueled their last undisputed gem, 2005's Frances the Mute.

"[35] Drowned in Sound also gave it seven out of ten and said, "The way it continues to go to the extreme within more conventional confines seems to have extracted both more emotional engagement as well as energy from The Mars Volta.

Club gave it a B− and said, "The fresh focus on organic songwriting and sturdier, more evocative melodies renders Noctourniquet a welcome oddity in The Mars Volta's catalog: a work that shoots not for perfection, but for balance.

"[39] Other reviews are average or mixed: No Ripcord gave the album six stars out of ten and said that while it was not "completely successful, [it] finds The Mars Volta at their most pop and their most reasonable.

"[40] Rolling Stone gave it three stars out of five and said, "Some songs explore emulsive alienation... but TMV are at their best dabbling in shades of aggro.