When the Texas-based rock band At the Drive-In broke up last March, many were left disappointed and dismayed. The band had just released their first major-label album, Relationship of Command, to massive critical acclaim. Their wonderfully abrasive single, “One

Armed Scissor,” was a rare treat on many modern rock radio stations, and MTV was playing the accompanying raw, live-footage-based video. But just as it seemed like the band was about to take off, they took a hiatus and called it quits.

All is not lost, however. ATDI’s emotional and driving brand of punk rock lives on in several up-and-coming bands. The five members of ATDI split into two different bands, Sparta and The Mars Volta. Drummer Tony Hajjar and guitarists Paul Hinojos and Jim Ward (the guys without Afros) now make up most of Sparta, while singer Cedric Bixler and guitarist Omar Rodriguez formed The Mars Volta.

Sparta’s debut Austere EP