Indeed, it most certainly is all down hill. When we last left off with "Hearshot Kid Disaster," Coheed and Cambria had been captured by the Red Army and the Monstar virus within Coheed had been growing. It only gets worse from here.

In "33" the story is shifted onto a man named Patrick McCormick, whom I haven't really mentioned yet. Simply, he is Josephine's boyfriend. Or, was her boyfriend and would-have-been fiancee were it not for cruel, twisted fate. After taking Josephine home following her brutal rape, Patrick is the unfortunate witness to her murder by her own parents, naturally traumatizing the poor youth. Even worse, to tie up all the loose ends of these murders and to cover their hands in it, Wilhelm Ryan and his right hand man Mayo Deftinwolf send a minion known as an Onstantine Priest to "deal" with Patrick -- and all of this is going on even as the situation with Coheed and Cambria reaches its peak.

The funniest thing about this song is that it wasn't even written for the concept. No, like "Delirium Trigger" it has a place outside the concept. In fact, the song was originally written about NBA star Patrick Ewing, whose jersey number for most of his career was 33 while playing for the New York Knicks.


Like "Delirium Trigger" the song was also worked into the story. Personally, I always think this is a bit odd, because I'm still not sure what the number 33 actually has to do with the story. Some of the lines seem to reference a basketball game while others seem more in keeping with the story at hand, which is the weirdest part of all. Still, at least Claudio saved himself a world of trouble by creating a character named Patrick, especially since the song has a line that specifically says "Patrick, short flip and outside boundary lines." Good save, Mr. Sanchez, good save -- and I mean that in a good way.

Musically, I always thought this song was some long lost single that for some reason was forgotten about and tossed onto the record at the last minute, and there just wasn't enough of a following to really warrant the song to be a single. Which sucks, because I think it should have been one. Listen to it if you get the chance and you might see what I mean. Stylistically, it's apparent that the song is rooted  from Coheed's early days as Shabutie -- there are some differences -- which just goes to show the band's ability to change up sounds over the years. It's also further indicative of their ability to make something violent and dangerous sound upbeat thanks to the rhythm of the music. Then again, as it was originally about a basketball superstar, perhaps this isn't so surprising. Still, it's part of what makes Coheed and Cambria such a great band, in my opinion; the awesome storytelling and how it syncs with the music behind it.

This song has been in my "Running Playlist" for a while. That is to say, I listen to it when I go running. It works for that situation; it's quick, feels like events are moving fast, and there's plenty of action going on. Perfect for any adrenaline-inducing moment.