"If I had my way, I'd crush your face in the door"

Seeing as how the Writer has already disposed of Ambellina, I partly think this song is the Writer's thought about what he'd instead like to do to Erica Court. Rather than do that however, he chose to take his pain out on a fictional representation of her. His grief has ended. With a final word to Claudio, who merely cradles Ambellina's quickly dying body in his arms, the Writer departs with his bicycle Ten Speed (no longer demonic looking).

I've always liked to see this song as the Writer giving Claudio some guidance, as opposed to commands. While the Writer's method for ending his suffering is brutal, I like to believe there's some redeeming quality to him. Until the story is completed in its comic book form, I want to keep to this belief. And this belief is that the Writer imparts to Claudio a crucial lesson: while he might have been "created" by the Writer, and though his fate seems to be out of his hands, Claudio will see to it that the world he lives in comes to an end and Ryan is defeated because it will be his decision, rather than the Writer's. With that, the Writer leaves. Claudio is left to speak to Ambellina one last time and the two reveal the love they've grown to have for each other, before the fallen Prise breathes her last. Claudio has now understood his role. The Crowing is awakened.

Coheed and Cambria wrote a very terrific song for this part of the story. The guitar riff has become iconic and immediately recognizable by most if not all Coheed fans, and the song was used quite frequently as a closer at concerts because it just works so well as one.The song relies more on the instrumentals than it does on vocalization, although Claudio's groaning vocals help to add to the atmosphere of the song, most especially in such lines as "The bloodiest cadaver, marked in your words, I'm the joke, I'm the bastard" and "This is no beginning, yeah, yeah... this is the final cut, I'm in love." After that, it simply goes on with Travis and Claudio exchanging leads and rhythms and fades out with a slow, almost mournful piano piece.

After a minute or so, however, the song picks back up with a strange, out-of-place, and yet quite groovy tune, known simply as "Bron-Y-Aur." In a way, this is the album's hidden track. However, unlike previous records, this track has no place in the story. By Claudio's own admission, it's to be thought of as the sort of tune you'd find on the ending credits of a movie; something that's just there for no other purpose than to amuse. Indeed, for an album that was as heavy as this one was, this little tune helps to add a bit of happiness back to the mix.

Part of what makes this song such a great closer is that the band likes to mess around with it and use it as a jam session, where the guys just "do their thing." I'm ending this album's review series with a clip of 'The Final Cut" played live. Be warned: when the guys "do their thing," they really do, and the song goes on for nearly twenty minutes. However, if jamming is your kind of thing, then sit back and enjoy the music.

If you don't sit through the whole thing, I completely understand. Also, a note: the drummer seen in the videos is not Josh Eppard, who recorded on this album. That is Coheed's current drummer, Chris Pennie, more of which I'll explain in due time.

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