As I mentioned yesterday, it's time to start my series of song reviews. As I also said, I'll be starting with Coheed and Cambria -- beginning with their first album and ending with their most recent release. I'll start with an overview of the album, and post each song in turn. With that...

*Drum rolls*


First on the list: 2002's The Second Stage Turbine Blade. For the record, yes, Coheed's albums do have some strange titles, but they're concept albums and they sound cool. The production on the album is a bit raw in comparison to later albums but that hardly diminishes the quality of the record. In fact, many Coheed fans would be quick to say that it's because the production is so raw that it makes the songs so great. I happen to agree with this statement.

Even on this first album, the band shows off great talent as musicians. The structure of songs varies quite often from the usual verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo chorus routine. The guitars are multi-layered, the bass lines are groovy, and the drums showcase individuality from the other instruments while still keeping rhythm. Story-wise, the album acts as the second chapter to The Amory Wars, and themes such as love, death, the importance of family, and even destiny are found in the concept of the album.

The following are the tracks: