Coheed and Cambria - "Vaxis - Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures"

Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis - Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures
2018, Roadrunner

1. Prologue
2. The Dark Sentancer
3. Unheavenly Creatures
4. Toys
5. Black Sunday
6. Queen of the Dark
7. True Ugly
8. Love Protocol
9. The Pavillion (A Long Way Back)
10. Night-Time Walkers
11. The Gutter
12. All on Fire
13. It Walks Among Us
14. Old Flames
15. Lucky Stars

With Vaxis Coheed and Cambria returns to the mult-part sci-fi epics after a brief breather with The Color Before the Sun. You'd be forgiven for thinking this is a return to the Keeping Secrets and Good Apollo era upon hearing "The Dark Sentancer." It's one of those dark progressive songs which are the band's stock and trade. It's got a "No World For Tomorrow" vibe to it. Aside from that, however, I'd venture to say that this album is far more informed by Afterman and Color than most people would want to admit. For one, while the story is about being trapped on a prison planet, the album isn't really that dark. There's too much hope and Claudio's just not a wounded musician anymore - he's a family man in a happy marriage. That stuff has a tendency to brighten up your writing. I feel like this disc is a lot more focus on big hooks and strong, stand alone songs. You'll notice there's not multi-part epic here. Now... this album is amazing. Each track has a huge hook that will stick in your brain forever. "Black Sunday" and "Night-Time Walkers" are the only two songs that I didn't really care for. But two out of fifteen isn't that bad, especially since the other stuff that's here is just so good. "Unheavenly Creatures," "The Gutter," "Old Flames," man... some of the best stuff they've done. This is part one of five so I'm hoping Claudio and the boys can keep this momentum up for the next four albums. Definitely a contender for one of my picks for the year.

My wife and I sprung for the super deluxe box set for this one. It comes with a mask, a huge hardbound book with the album story and lyrics, a poster, and a black card (for VIP stuff at concerts). It's HUGE! But it's cool to have and I have to read the rest of the story.

Useless Fact: A lot of fans (myself included) suspect that maybe "The Pavillion (A Long Way Back)" was originally written for The Color Before the Sun. It's basically about Claudio wanting to quit the band so he can spend more time with his family.

Coheed and Cambria - "The Color Before The Sun"

Coheed and Cambria - The Color Before The Sun
2015, 300 Entertainment

1. Island
2. Eraser
3. Colors
4. Here To Mars
5. Ghost
6. Atlas
7. Young Love
8. You Got Spirit, Kid
9. The Audience
10. Peace to the Mountain

Well... it had to happen eventually. I knew at some point Coheed and Cambria would have to make an album without a concept. The question, of course, is can a band whose stock and trade has been convoluted concept albums their entire career even pull something like this off? The Color Before The Sun might not overthrow my favorite Coheed album (Good Apollo, Vol. 1 if you're wondering) but some of the songs on here are some of the best of their career and that is not an exaggeration. Song's like the haunting "Ghost" or the uplifting and energetic "Atlas" leave their mark for days in your brain. "You Got Spirit, Kid" recalls some of the bouncy radio-friendly tunes like "Blood Red Summer" or "The Suffering." The album closer, "Peace to the Mountain" is altogether different being one of my favorite Coheed songs of all time.

It's kind of weird to listen to Coheed lyrics that make sense! The band is far less angsty and dark on this album and the hope and exuberance for life shines through. This is a good thing as I don't think you can only be angsty so long before it starts sounding fake. This is certainly the most optimistic record they've ever done. Again, this is not a bad thing. I'm happy to see the band evolving and challenging themselves. While as a whole  The Color Before The Sun isn't quite as compelling as some of their other albums, the songwriting is still top notch and contains some phenomenal songs. I have no reservations about the future of the band anymore.

Useless Fact: I think "Atlas" is actually the name of singer Claudio Sanchez's son.

Coheed and Cambria - "The Afterman: Descension"

Coheed and Cambria - The Afterman: Descension
2013, Hundred Handed

1. Pretelethal
2. Key Entity Extraction V: Sentry the Defiant
3. The Hard Sell
4. Number City
5. Gravity's Union
6. Away We Go
7. Iron Fist
8. The Dark Side of Me
9. 2's My Favorite 1

I'm glad we didn't have to wait a year or two for the second half of The Afterman. I'm also glad that it's just as good as the first half. The band retains their sound while still trying out some new things - though I don't think there are as many new things here as on Ascension. "The Hard Sell," a song about being true to yourself and not selling out, is - ironically - the most mainstream, radio friendly track on here. Not that I mind any. I like that track quite a bit. There's also "Number City" which is one of the more experimental tracks featuring horns and what not. I absolutely love that one. I really think the whole project is something that needs to be listened to together because each album individually, while awesome, is a little light. Either way, I'm excited about Coheed again The Afterman (the whole saga, that is) is truly a treat.

Useless Fact: Vocalist Claudio Sanchez is the voice of Cyrus Amory and Claudio's wife is the voice of Cyrus AI companion, All Mother.

Coheed and Cambria - "The Afterman: Ascension"

Coheed and Cambria - The Afterman: Ascension
2012, Hundred Handed

1. The Hollow
2. Key Entity Extraction I: Domino the Destitute
3. The Afterman
4. Mothers of Men
5. Goodnight, Fair Lady
6. Key Entity Extraction II: Holly Wood the Cracked
7. Key Entity Extraction III: Vic the Butcher
8. Key Entity Extraction IV: Evagria the Faithful
9. Subtraction

Somehow Coheed and Cambria released an album last year without me knowing it. I have no idea how that happened. Probably because I became significantly less interested in the band after the lackluster Year of the Black Rainbow. However, I'm happy to report that Black Rainbow was a simple misstep versus a downward spiral as The Afterman: Ascension is a fine album and restores my faith in the band. Perhaps some of that has to do with a couple longtime members returning to the band (like Josh Eppard on drums). After the usual intro-type track the band plows into "Key Entity Extraction I: Domino the Destitute" which immediately recalls some of the more epic tracks from 3: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth. However, Ascension also takes the band into new territory with the title track and "Key Entity Extraction IV: Evagria the Faithful" which are two of the more ethereal, atmospheric tracks. The closing track, "Subtraction," with its combination of electronica and acoustic guitar recalls Claudio Sanchez's side project, Prize Fighter Inferno. The only complaint that I have is that it's too short. Granted, it's only part one of a double album but once it was done I was hungry for more. Which is usually how you want to end things, now that I think of it.

The story is a prequel to every album that came before it. It tells the story of Sirius (or Cyrus?) Amory and his discovery of the Keywork. As he explores he comes to discover the nature of the Keywork itself. It's a lot more straightforward a tale than any of the previous albums. Claudio's actually explained each song on the band's website.

Useless Fact: "Key Entity Extraction II: Holly Wood the Cracked" was written about a girl who made a video about Claudio Sanchez and the band. Apparently she was kind of a raving lunatic, accusing Claudio of being a racist, among other things.

Coheed and Cambria - "Year of the Black Rainbow"

Coheed and Cambria - Year of the Black Rainbow

2010, Sony

1. One

2. The Broken

3. Guns of Summer

4. Here We Are Juggernaut

5. Far

6. This Shattered Symphony

7. World of Lines

8. Made Out of Nothing (All That I Am)

9. Pearl of the Stars

10. In the Flame of Error

11. When Skeletons Live

12. The Black Rainbow

I feel like I'm writing this a little prematurely. I like to really explore a new disc and make sure that before I review it that I've soaked in it enough. Mainly that's because sometimes my opinion changes between the first listen and the fifth. I've listened to Year three times so far and, thankfully, more will be on the way. My first impression was that the hooks are a little more buried here. Whereas No World For Tomorrow had a bit tighter focus and more obvious hooks you'll have to work a little to get the hooks here. Though that's not really much of a stretch as Coheed CDs almost always tend to be growers. The other thing I've noticed is that while there's lots of cool riffs and progressive elements there's not much in the way of bouncy radio hits like "A Favor House Atlantic" or "The Suffering." "Far" comes the closest but you won't pick up on it the first few listens. "Here We Are Juggernaut," one of my favorite tracks is a monster tune with a great hook and lots of emotion. My ears also perked up during "Pearl of the Stars" because it's really different from anything the band has done before but still retains the Coheed sound. I've also noticed that vocalist Claudio Sanchez seems to be singing in a lower register - I don't think that's really bad, just an observation. I can't say I like this more than the Good Apollo discs but it's still a worthy addition to the Coheed discography.

Useless Fact: This disc is actually a prequal to the story contained within the first four albums. Still don't know what the heck it's about. There is also a deluxe edition of this album that includes a 300-some-odd page book written by Claudio Sanchez and comic/weird Star Trek book writer Peter David.

Coheed and Cambria - "No World For Tomorrow"

Coheed and Cambria - No World For Tomorrow
2007, Sony BMG

1. The Reaping
2. No World For Tomorrow
3. The Hound (Of Blood and Rank)
4. Feathers
5. The Running Free
6. Mother Superior
7. Gravemakers & Gunslingers
8. Justice in Murder
The End Complete:
9. I - The Fall of House Atlantic
10. II - Radio Bye Bye
11. III - The End Complete
12. IV - The Road and the Damned
13. V - On the Brink

I love it when I get to describe a band as "tighter" and "more focused." It means they've trimmed the fat and taken the essence of what they do well and replicated and improved it. No World For Tomorrow by far the most concise offering from the band to date. I think this elevates their sound by leaps and bounds. They've always known how to write a good hook, but often times that hook was bogged down by a bunch of fluff that weighed the song down. Not so here - even the epic album closing tunes a boiled down to the basics. It makes the entire thing a lot more pleasant to listen to and a lot less demanding. "The Road and the Damned" is a cool gem with a classic rock sheen to it but I also like the pop-tastic "Feathers." Let's not forget "Gravemakers & Gunslingers," a hard hitting rock song with a cool title to boot.

Useless Fact: There are two versions of this CD. One is a bare bones cardboard sleeve with just the CD in it and the other is the deluxe version with all the liner notes and a bonus disc. I guess the record company really felt like ripping off the fans. Why didn't they just put out one version with everything?

Coheed and Cambria - "Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV Volume I: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness"

Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV Volume I: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness

2005, Sony BMG

1. Keeping the Blade

2. Always and Never

3. Welcome Home

4. Ten Speed (Of God's Blood and Burial)

5. Crossing the Frame

6. Apollo I: The Writing Writer

7. Once Upon Your Dead Body

8. Wake Up

9. The Suffering

10. The Lying Lies and Dirty Secrets of Miss Erica Court

11. Mother May I

The Willing Well:

12. I - Fuel for the Feeding End

13. II - From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness

14. III - Apollo II: The Telling Truth

15. IV - The Final Cut

I think this is probably my favorite Coheed album. Well... sometimes it switches places with the No World For Tomorrow depending on my mood. But there's no denying that Coheed is at the top of their game here. "Welcome Home" is a no compromise metal tune and probably the most recognizable tune as it's been used in ads for Rock Band and the movie 9. The other tracks are just as infectious and it doesn't take near as long for them to get where they're going. In fact, the only case of "aimless wandering" is in the four tracks at the end. I think these are a little overlong and don't really have any hooks or anything memorable. Almost like the songs are there just to tell the story and not the other way around. I do like "The Final Cut" though - it has a definite Pink Floyd vibe to it.

Useless Fact: A comic was made based off the story for this album which I have. I've read the comic and read the lyrics for this disc and I still don't know what the story is about. I think it has something to do with Claudio's girlfriend cheating on him and him using that event as a catalyst to complete his story... or something... crap it might be about fluffy bunnies in a meadow I don't know.

Coheed and Cambria: "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3"

Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3

2003, Equal Vision

1. The Ring in Return

2. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3

3. Cuts Marked in the March of Men

4. Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)

5. The Crowing

6. Blood Red Summer

7. The Camper Velourium I: Faint of Hearts

8. The Camper Velourium II: Backend of Forever

9. The Camper Velourium III: Al the Killer

10. A Favor House Atlantic

11. The Light & the Glass

12 2113

Upon first listen it seems like this album has the exact same problem as the last album. Namely, having a couple really catchy memorable songs ("Blood Red Summer" and "A Favor House Atlantic") and a bunch of forgettable progressive stuff. However, I found that the more I listened to this one, the more I appreciated what was there and found hooks in unexpected places. I loved the power of "MAN YOUR OWN JACKHAMMERS!" and the metal riff that goes with it ("In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth:3"). I like how "The Crowing" starts off slow and builds into a frantic emotional plea ("Dear Ambelina/ The Prise wishes you/ To watch over me!") Also the three Velorium Camper songs are awesome. Each has its own personality and is the highlight of the disc for me. While this probably isn't my favorite Coheed disc, I still recommend it as there is a lot of great music to digest here.

Useless Fact: There's some story in all these vague lyrics but I don't have the foggiest idea what it's about.

Coheed and Cambria - "The Second Stage Turbine Blade"

Coheed and Cambria - The Second Stage Turbine Blade

2002, Equal Vision

1. Second Stage Turbine Blade

2. Time Consumer

3. Devil in Jersey City

4. Everything Evil

5. Delirium Trigger

6. Hearshot Kid Disaster

7. 33

8. Junesong Provision

9. Neverender

10. God Send Conspirator

Bonus Tracks

11. Elf Tower New Mexico

12. Junesong Provision

13. Everything Evil

The first Coheed album I heard was Good Apollo, so when I finally listened to this one I was really disappointed. Second Stage is full of proficient progressive emo but sorely lacking in hooks. "Time Consumer" and "Devil in Jersey City" showcase some of the infectious songwriting the band would embrace on their later albums. However, most of it is just plain boring. Oh well... I guess they can't all be winners.

Useless Fact: The version I have is actually the rerelease with a few bonus tracks. They're pretty boring too.