It appears that The Mars Volta‘s “hiatus” has become a permanent break-up.

Despite having released a critically praised album in 2012, Noctourniquet, the band has been unable to keep any momentum going forward, and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala announced the break-up via a series of tweets this evening.

“Thank u 2 all VOLTA fans u deserved more especially after the way u rooted for us on this album,” tweeted Bixler-Zavala. “I tried my hardest to keep it going…But Bosnian Rainbows was what we all got instead. I can’t sit here and pretend any more. I no longer am a member of Mars Volta. I honestly thank all of you for buying our records and coming to our shows. You guys were a blast to play in front of…”

Several tweets later, Bixler-Zavala added, “For the record I tried my hardest to get a full scale North American tour going for Noctourniquet but Omar [Rodriquez-Lopez] did not want to.

“All I can do is move forward with my music and just be happy that mars volta ever happened at all. God Damn we had a blast. Thank u again.”

The band played a number of shows supporting Noctourniquet in 2012, but have been on hiatus since the tour concluded.  There were hints that the band’s hiatus may in fact be permanent, as Rodriguez-Lopez has become immersed in his new project, Bosnian Rainbows, and, when asked in an interview whether the band would continue, stated, “I don’t know, and I’m not insecure enough to have to ask myself that. It’s like, we’ve done that for ten years, eleven years. Now we’re all doing different things, and everything that we’re doing informs how we express ourselves, and so if that happens then it happens and if it doesn’t it doesn’t. It’s not something to be worried about. It shouldn’t occupy a space in the mind.”

Click here for Jeremy Robert Johnson’s interview with Cedric circa 2006, or listen to “The Malkin Jewel” below.