Tuesday, November 9, 2010
"Man your own jackhammer! Man your battle stations!
4:55 PM | 
Posted by
Kevin
After the epic bit of instrumental going on in "The Ring in Return" one may almost be surprised to hear the series of notes being played out so softly in the opening seconds of the record's title track, "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3." And yet, those opening notes are some of the most recognizable ones in Coheed and Cambria's entire catalog. Within twenty seconds, the rhythm picks up with Josh adding gentle taps of the snare drum. In fact, when hearing this beat, you can make out that it's in fact a similar sounding drum beat often associated with the drummer boys of wars gone by. With this in mind, it cannot be more clear that the concept has reached an intense moment. Just to drive the point home, the band kicks in full swing at forty seconds with plenty of distortion to go around.
The imagery I always associate with this song is that battle is about to begin and we, the listeners, are caught in the middle of it. This is emphasized by the very line that this post gets its title from: "Man your battle stations!" When thinking back to how the last album ended, or how I feel it ended anyway, it appears that Jesse has organized a rebellion. Of note is that while this isn't the first time the people of Heaven's Fence have tried to strike back against Wilhelm Ryan, it seems as if it's much more unified this time around. While earlier uprisings in both the previous record and the prequel record (which, as I indicated before starting this project, I will review at the end) were small and short-lived, this new rebellion is more powerful. Living up to the reason he, Coheed, and Cambria were created so many years ago, Jesse's only ambition is to take down this evil tyrant once and for all, using the mysterious Silent Earth as his headquarters.
The song is the longest of Coheed's opening tracks, and whether Claudio Sanchez intended this isn't something I know, I feel it's better placed as the longest than any other opener for good reason. There is just so much going on and so much at stake at this point. With so much going on, the result is a near 9 minute epic full out jam, yet another indicator of just what Coheed could do and WOULD do in the future. "In Keeping Secrets" is a song that almost sounds as if it has multiple songs within it. While it follows a basic structure of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, the tempo and style change up so much as the song reaches its bridge that it caught me slightly off guard the first time I heard the song and realized it was still the same track.
The best example of this moment is around four and a half minutes into the song, as Claudio begins to sing these lines:
The imagery I always associate with this song is that battle is about to begin and we, the listeners, are caught in the middle of it. This is emphasized by the very line that this post gets its title from: "Man your battle stations!" When thinking back to how the last album ended, or how I feel it ended anyway, it appears that Jesse has organized a rebellion. Of note is that while this isn't the first time the people of Heaven's Fence have tried to strike back against Wilhelm Ryan, it seems as if it's much more unified this time around. While earlier uprisings in both the previous record and the prequel record (which, as I indicated before starting this project, I will review at the end) were small and short-lived, this new rebellion is more powerful. Living up to the reason he, Coheed, and Cambria were created so many years ago, Jesse's only ambition is to take down this evil tyrant once and for all, using the mysterious Silent Earth as his headquarters.
The song is the longest of Coheed's opening tracks, and whether Claudio Sanchez intended this isn't something I know, I feel it's better placed as the longest than any other opener for good reason. There is just so much going on and so much at stake at this point. With so much going on, the result is a near 9 minute epic full out jam, yet another indicator of just what Coheed could do and WOULD do in the future. "In Keeping Secrets" is a song that almost sounds as if it has multiple songs within it. While it follows a basic structure of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, the tempo and style change up so much as the song reaches its bridge that it caught me slightly off guard the first time I heard the song and realized it was still the same track.
The best example of this moment is around four and a half minutes into the song, as Claudio begins to sing these lines:
"The Navigator, The Pilot, Her Favorite"
From here on for the next couple minutes the song slows down and decreases in volume. As Claudio utters out "One among the Fence" it's easy to think the song is officially over. In fact, the instruments stop completely for a second or two before you hear the opening riff and perhaps wonder if you've accidentally put the song on repeat. No, instead, Coheed and Cambria come back with a final chorus and one of the most badass moments of chanting in their entire career. These moments of the song are without a doubt my favorite. The song is already fantastically well done long before reaching this point, but once the repeated chants of "Woah oh oh!" are heard it just gets even better. There's a reason "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3" is often used as an opener at concerts.
The point of this particular review wasn't for me to point out either excellence or mediocre use of guitar, bass, or drums. I already know these guys can play their instruments. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that as far as technical skill goes this is not nearly as tough a song to play as others. What makes it as epic as it is is how the music is played out, rather than what. Music gives listeners a sense of imagery and imagination. This song is one of many examples why not just Coheed and Cambria, but music in general is such a beauty.
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