I would like to take this moment to point out something I missed when writing my last song review. I didn't happen to mention the whereabouts or the fate of the character known as Sizer, who has been out of the picture since "Three Evils." He actually makes his return in the previous song, "Blood Red Summer" when Claudio Kilgannon, struggling to come to terms with the new found destiny that lays before him, finds the broken and torn up Sizer on the streets of Shylos 10 and re-assembles him. The two meet up with Jesse as he lands on Shylos to find Claudio. As of right now, our little band of heroes consists of Claudio, Jesse, Sizer, Chase (the other IRO-Bot that Jesse created), and Ambellina, a fallen Prise who has been tasked with helping and guiding Claudio on his journey.

We return to the story as the group searches for a way to get off Shylos 10 discreetly, hoping to not draw the attention of Wilhelm Ryan, his right hand man Deftinwolf, or their army. They enlist the services of a freighter pilot named Al, who commands a ship known as The Camper Velourium. With Al's services, the group hopes to find passage to Ryan's base of operations -- House Atlantic. As the group travels with Al they discover his life and get insight into his character. A sharpshooter in his earlier life, Al has an almost sexual obsession with his sniper rifle, which he lovingly calls 'Faint of Heart'.

And thus begins the first of several multi-part musical suites that Coheed and Cambria would utilize in this record and the two that followed, starting with "The Camper Velourium" series, chronicling events during this trip to House Atlantic. "The Camper Velourium I: Faint of Hearts" is similar to "Three Evils" in that the song is a reflection of character development more so than it is a chronicle of events. The song is told from the point of view of Al, indicated by such lines as "So I bid to you goodnight, sleep tight, my love." And yes, his love is in fact his sniper rifle.

As disturbing as this might sound, it's important that the band wrote a song that has a catchy and upbeat tune to it. After all, it's a love song, or as much as a love song can be when that love is between a psycho and his gun. This is another reason why the band appeals to me so much. Storytelling is imperative to Claudio Sanchez when it comes to writing his lyrics, and accompanying those lyrics with music to fit the theme is equally important. The song contains many moments of upbeat, bouncy music -- Claudio's rhythms include hints of lead, Travis' main job as lead guitar showcases an uplifting melody, Mic keeps to a catchy set of chugging bass lines, and Josh's drumming pattern even includes a cowbell in the mix.

Claudio again utilizes vocal layering in the song. This is especially noted during the verse and bridge, where an underlay of Claudio can be heard singing in a slightly lower pitch in near perfect sync to his usual higher pitched octave. However, even this vocal layering -- and the fact Claudio is singing VERY well on this song -- isn't my favorite. Nope, it's that Claudio actually sings "Koo-koo-katchoo" of Beatles fame. It's as if the band wanted to incorporate light-hearted and humorous moments in this song in order to balance out the psychotic aspect of it.

The song ends with a very fitting line of "Tonight, sleep tight, my gun." However, "The Camper Velourium" is far from over.