Alt-prog outfit The Mars Volta [ tickets ] will mount a fresh headlining run in April behind the band's latest studio effort, "The Bedlam in Goliath."

Led by former At the Drive-In members Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals) and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (guitar), the California-based group will kick things off April 1 in Orlando, FL. The seven-city trek represents the first leg of the band's spring tour, with more dates to follow, according to the group's publicist.

Released late last month, "The Bedlam in Goliath" is a concept record that tells the tale of a Ouija board nicknamed "Soothsayer" owned by Bixler-Zavala, "and its mutation from a source of amusement during the tour supporting the band's 'Amputechture' album into a malevolent psycho-spiritual force that nearly tore the group apart, collectively and individually," according to a press release.

"The Bedlam in Goliath" follows 2006's "Amputechture," which featured guest performances from Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante on all but one track. The new album debuted last week at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 charts, marking the band's highest chart entry point.

The group revealed in a recent interview with Relix Magazine that it already has a head start on its next two studio albums, with Rodriguez-Lopez "knee deep in production on the follow up to 'Bedlam,'" according to the publication.

"It's a mellow album," the guitarist said in the interview. "The last one was our most aggressive. The next one we keep calling our acoustic album."