Well, it's finally come down to this. Five albums to review, five months of writing. Since creating it I spent the majority of my time with this blog writing a review for the songs off each of Coheed and Cambria's albums -- with a few every life posts here and there. It was just the main songs and did not include bonus or demo songs (although I also did not give the title track from The Second Stage Turbine Blade its own post, but that was because the song is very short). I've had fun working on writing these reviews. Coheed remains as my top favorite band and I wish them luck in their musical careers. I am especially looking forward to seeing them in May as well as looking forward to future material.

I haven't decided if I'll write reviews for some of the bonus or demo tracks. After this, I think I need to get away from doing album reviews for a while, and focus more on actually maintaining a blog that's more about me. With that said, the final review of my Coheed and Cambria Song Review Project.

Coheed and Cambria are one of the few bands I know of that sound really impressive live. Then again, I don't see too many bands in concert. More to the point, there are plenty of songs that I personally love hearing performed live than I do hearing them on the album. The penultimate song on Year of the Black Rainbow -- "When Skeletons Live" -- is one of those.




The opening drum pattern for this song is what manages to kick this song into gear. From that opening alone, I knew I was in for something. Or perhaps, I hoped I would be in for something. This song is another example of the type of progressive rock seen on such earlier songs as "Apollo I: The Writing Writer" or "Cuts Marked in the March of Men." But it also leaves a lot to be desired.

And it's why the fact that Coheed is so amazing and awesome playing their songs live. The energy created by the band and their fans is impressive to the point one could forget that there might be some things about Coheed's music they don't like. That's pretty much my feeling with "When Skeletons Live." Compared to other penultimate tracks such as "The Telling Truth" or "Neverender", this song just doesn't seem to fulfill the same feelings. What really helps to make up for it is the catchy and upbeat choruses:

Not many of the songs on Year of the Black Rainbow deal solely with the concept. Many of them were written more with the intent of letting the listener relate to these songs, while simultaneously being more in relation to what's been going on with the band members. Some songs such as "The Broken" and "Here We Are Juggernaut" have a slight conceptual overtone, but it's still not as noticeable.

"In the Flame of Error" is where the concept really shines through on this album. The title comes directly from a quote in the novel. In this part of the story, Ryan kidnapped Pearl Hohenberger to use her as leverage against her husband Leonard. By doing so, he persuades him to hand over his creations Coheed and Cambria (not knowing about the existence of Inferno at this point), as well as convince him to construct the deadly Monstar virus. The song follows Leonard's guilt over his willingness to develop the virus -- and thus spell doom over all of Heaven's Fence -- all in the name of saving his wife.

The other part of the song, however, deals with Leonard coming up with a plan to turn the tables on Ryan. While he indeed constructs the virus, he implants it within Coheed as well as installs a trigger mechanism within Cambria, effectively making it nearly impossible for Ryan to extract the virus. Still, Leonard struggles over this and comes to believe that he might truly be the "worst murderer the worlds will see."


The first time I heard this song, I thought for a split moment I had been listening to an Alice in Chains record. "In the Flame of Error" opens with a heavy, sludgy riff that's so reminiscent of a grungy sound. At the same time, it reminds me plainly of such songs as "Everything Evil" and other similar progressive Coheed songs. The verses consist of strong, loud drum beats coupled with similarly heavy rhythm leads. In this way, the song has a bit of metal vibe to it as well. This change of styles it what really makes this song as good as it is.

I also personally love the vocals on this track. This is why the song is more story than it is anything else, as helped by Claudio's vocals. You can almost feel the anger behind the vocals as if he's singing from the perspective of Leonard Hohenberger. When the band told fans that this album was going to be more melodic than previous records, and I can see now what they mean.

After the last three songs having little to do with the concept and more to do with personal struggles of the band members, the album takes a turn back into the actual concept. With that comes another love ballad. Going back to the band's earlier acoustic styles seen on songs as "IRO-Bot" and "Wake Up", Coheed presents another soft, beautiful tune that speaks to anyone who has ever been truly in love. Next up on the list for this album is my new favorite Coheed and Cambria acoustic ballad -- "Pearl of the Stars."

Speaking from the concept, Pearl is the name of one of the major characters. Specifically, she's the wife of Dr. Leonard Hohenberger, the scientist who, after the tragic loss of his son Joseph in a protest against Wilhelm Ryan's brutal war against the other Mages, created Coheed, Cambria, and Inferno -- artificial humans with immense powers and abilities -- as a way to stop Ryan. Although the three prove to be more than a match for Ryan's army, there is no real way to fill the void that has been left in Pearl's heart after her son's death. The best way for her to grieve is to take it out on the only person she can. In a way, Leonard bears some responsibility for Joseph's death by allowing him to attend the war protest despite knowing the dangers of such a thing.

But despite the relationship with his wife deteriorating and her sanity slowly crumbling, Leonard holds on to the hope that somehow everything will turn out okay. His love for his wife remains ever strong, no matter what the current situations have done to their lives. That being said, the song solely explores their relationship. I personally love the way this was done. First, there was a song that explore just the relationship between Coheed and Cambria, and then one that was a sort of mix between the two. Now, there's just one that focuses on the darker side of love and relationships.

The song's lyrics are also found in the novel: "Each night I wish to God He'd let her rest" and "I'd give you anything if only I'd have known you'd take it" are such examples. While these quotes are found at far different times within the novel's chronology than they are found in the album's chronology, the relationship between Leonard and Pearl is a critical one within the novel, so it needs a place on the album. And on an album that was influenced by relationships as much as it was struggle, why not add one more song that deals with this theme? Like other love songs on this record, this song gets its influence primarily from Claudio's wife. It's very poetic and personal in so many ways, but it speaks to anyone who's ever truly been in love. The greatest message is that no matter what happens, if you're willing to make it work, your loved one will always be by your side.

As I've said, this is my favorite ballad tune out of Coheed's career thus far. It's haunting yet beautiful, and simple but complex. The effects and piano add a wonderful ambient feel to the song, in keeping with the rest of the album's experimental genre. Further, Claudio's vocals are top-notch for me. The best thing about this is that he's not singing completely in his usual high key. Instead, he incorporates some low key vocals. While I don't think the low-key style is as great as his high-key, it was a well done result nonetheless. Chris' drumming is also what makes this song as haunting as it is. Instead of the conventional drumming, he uses mallets to give the drums a more orchestra-like feel to it, which I completely approve of.

Following in the footsteps established by the previous two songs, Year of the Black Rainbow continues to chronicle what's happened with the band in the last number of years and how far they've come. But not every one of the songs deals with the bad side. Aside from having to deal with bad media coverage and struggling to please their fan base, Coheed and Cambria have nevertheless come very far.

If "This Shattered Symphony" was about the the band's struggle with pleasing their fan base and "World of Lines" was a counterattack on media and other critics for not taking the band or their music seriously, it could only be natural for the guys to realize that despite all they've been through, they've also managed to make something of themselves. With that, "Made Out of Nothing (All That I Am)" is a most fitting title.

That's the simple explanation, really. The song is just about the last of those off the album that are least about the story than the others. As the song is a confirmation and a realization that the band has been "made out of nothing", the music style is thus a reflection of this mood. Lighter-toned, catchy, and a bit happier, this song has a slight No World for Tomorrow feeling to it.

However, the song is also rather generic. Vocally and musically, "Made Out of Nothing" reminds me a lot of a few other songs I've heard off many tunes. While the verses are truly amazing and memorable, they lead into rather unspectacular choruses. All in all, nothing that's particularly noteworthy, but still a good song nonetheless.

This song is much better explained by the band than I can fully explain it. I This review.

I love concept bands. I love concept music. Music that tells a story intrigues me so much more than music that doesn't. I think it surely helps I just love stories. Next to creating amazing music, Coheed and Cambria appeals to me so much because of the concept. Added to the fact their concept has a written form through novels and comics, the story becomes much more understandable and broad.

However, it's for this reason that Coheed has been pushed to the side by critics. There's no point denying it; comics are generally considered a childish form of reading. The average college student probably doesn't read comic books, and knowing that some 30-something year old men are dabbling in science fiction comics as the inspiration for their music turns off the ignorant. It's one thing to give something a try and then express that it doesn't suit your tastes, but throwing aside any rational form of criticism and dismissing an artist's integrity on the sole basis that they deal in so-called juvenile practices is absurd and unfair. But Coheed and Cambria have dealt with that many times since the guys created the band. Often times, their music has been overshadowed by The Amory Wars story. So much so, in fact, that the band has sometimes been overlooked and not taken seriously.

In the last review I pointed out the similarities between the "Camper Velourium" series from IKSSE to the songs from this album. Where those songs followed a path that started with the first song sounding upbeat to the last sounding angry and aggressive, the three I'm pointing out on Year of the Black Rainbow do the opposite. "This Shattered Symphony" was a more brutal, heavy style of rock. As the band members now take their frustration to the media, the style becomes more hard-edged, but yet not nearly as brutal. "World of Lines" is instead a more conventional style of rock; hooky riffs, catchy choruses, simple formula. The hard edge comes from its style of quick-paced rhythm and lead work that reminds me of "Gravemakers & Gunslingers" from NWFT. Put simply, the song sounds like it punches you in the face.

The song also demonstrates the the guys haven't lost their touch for writing really, REALLY catchy tunes despite the album's lyrical content.


"World of Lines" is another shining example of the album's "fuck you" persona. This time, that message is directed prominently at the media and just about anyone else that criticizes others for essentially being different. I know what you're probably thinking at this point. Yes, this message of "screw the media" is not new, and it's not fun hearing about over and over again. And that's why when I learned of what this whole song was about it sort of bugged me at first.

I have mixed feelings on this. For one, I do in fact dislike how Coheed has been mislabeled and dismissed over the years because of who and what they are as people and as musicians. But, really, the same old attack against the media is just old. And frankly, it's not going to go away, so maybe I should just deal with it. The point was still made, however, and it's that we are all different.

I'm not even going to attempt explaining the story for this song. For one, it feels like doing so would mean missing the point of this song. Second, while there is a chapter in the book titled "The World of Lines" it appears to have little to do with the song itself. 

"World of Lines" holds a message that relates so directly to life and growing up, that the song seems to be incredibly important to Claudio. So much that the band chose the song as the album's second single (the first having been "Here We Are Juggernaut"). Last year, a short film was created documenting the message that "World of Lines" represents. So, I end tonight's review with this music video. Enjoy!

As of this post, I've officially written one hundred posts for this blog. Most of them have been more reviews than anything else about my life, so I figure I can shed a bit more on my life. Namely, my likes. With that, here we go. One hundred likes in no particular order!

Have you ever felt like what you do was never enough for some people? Were you hold to certain expectations and because you didn't meet them you somehow "failed" in the eyes of the public? Did you struggle trying to please everyone?  I'm certain we've all been through that before.

Longtime fans of Coheed and Cambria, especially those who watched the guys grow from a small band playing at schools and basements in Nyack, New York into an award winning rock group playing at big venues all over the world were lucky enough to see the band progress through the last ten years. After Claudio's trip to Paris and the subsequent inspiration that led him to create The Amory Wars (then known as The Bag.On.Line Adventures of Coheed and Cambria), their first album -- SSTB -- was released. For many looking for something that was different from mainstream radio pop and alternative rock, Coheed was that. Since then, well, some feel as if Coheed has lost their edge.

I'm not one of those people. I've always appreciated anything this band has come out with. It's not me being a fan boy, it's just simply that what they put out is good and always has been to me. Others think differently. For many, Coheed has been going down since IKSSE. I can't count the number of times I've heard someone say "I want the next album to sound like Second Stage" or "I hope we'll get another In Keeping Secrets soon!" It's annoying to say the least, and apparently Claudio agrees.

With today being Valentine's Day, I feel it very fitting to review the next song from Year of the Black Rainbow. As I've stated, the songs from the album have a strong love overtone to them. As the album's story deals with Coheed and Cambria's days as fighters before their minds were wiped, so does it deal with how they related to each other. With Claudio's marriage, the album feels natural to have taken on such a tone.

Anyone who's familiar with Claudio Sanchez's side project The Prize Fighter Inferno is also familiar with his love of fiddling with electronics and effects. Such tracks as "The Going Price for Home" and "The Margretville Dance" are such examples. While listening to the tracks on Year of the Black Rainbow, it feels as if some of the tracks have such a feel. But no other song has nearly the same feel as "Far."

In fact, "Far" was originally a Prize Fighter Inferno song. Listening to the song, it's very evident how much influence the electronica style had on this song. The guitars are layered with effects that remind the me, or probably any listener that's as familiar as they are with Claudio's work of such songs as "Who Watches the Watchmen?" or "Accidents." To drive the point home further, the drums have effects layered onto them. I remember several people complaining that the drums were electric-based, when in fact they aren't. Rather, Chris recorded the drums for the song on a drum set composed of steel trash cans and sheets of metal, which were then layered with some effects to give them the electronic feel.

I had a hard time enjoying "Far" when I first took a listen to it. At first, it sounded very generic and... well, different. This was one of the few instances where I sort of understood why so many hated the production on this album. It was strange and over-saturated. As time went on, however, "Far" has become one of my most favorite of Coheed tunes.

The song is very much a love song, but in a sort of twisted way, as the lyrics would demonstrate. For Claudio, it is his confirmation that the love between him and Chondra is strong enough to withstand anything.

As I've pointed out a few times before already, the songs from Year of the Black Rainbow don't exactly follow the chronology of its respective novel. It's more accurate to say that the songs explore some of the events that occur within the novel, but the story really took a back seat on this album. But the album isn't so much about the physical confrontations going on so much as it is psychological and emotional. As many of the songs will later point out, the album has a love theme to it.

Which isn't all that surprising, considering Claudio's marriage to his long time girlfriend back in 2009. The songs from this album are peppered with her influence, some more obvious than others. "Here We Are Juggernaut" is a much more subtle reference, no doubt helped by the fact it's not quite a love ballad as seen on previous records. If you're not familiar with the term "juggernaut" allow me to divert your attention for a brief moment. A juggernaut, as defined by dictionary.com, "any large, overpowering, destructive force or object." For Claudio, the love between him and his wife is an overpowering force that can't be stopped. 

Conceptually, the song's title refers to a line that Coheed says to Cambria. This is an example of what I meant by the album not exactly following the chronology of the novel. Where "Guns of Summer" dealt with events leading up to their creation, I think "Here We Are Juggernaut" goes back to the mission the two are on. As IRO-Bots developed with superhuman abilities and powers, them and Inferno prove to be more than a match for most of the soldiers of Ryan's Red Army. Thus, they themselves are a juggernaut. Going back to the love theme, I believe the song is exploring the future relationship the two will have. During this part of the novel, it's evident that there's some mutual attraction between the two, despite Dr. Hohenberger's designs. However, Coheed and Cambria are "programmed" to believe any relationship they would pursue would prove disastrous.

Regardless of whether you play RockBand or not, or if you're one of those people who claims to hit every note and bashes anyone who misses even one, you can't deny that the above drum track is at least difficult. This track doesn't even begin to fully compliment how remarkable and technical it really is.

The addition of Chris Pennie to Coheed could only mean that they band's music was bound to be more technical and aggressive. Aside from the rest of the band's general progression, those who knew Chris' past work with The Dillinger Escape Plan knew that his skills would be the perfect fit to Coheed and Cambria's new direction. The last song -- "The Broken" -- was a great example of how Chris provided a new sense of style to the band's progressive chops. As one progresses through the rest of the album, this style becomes more evident. And there's no better example than "Guns of Summer."

Without a doubt the most aggressive and fast-paced song in Coheed's career to date, "Guns of Summer" is one of those that could most likely take some time to getting used to. As soon as the song begins, the guys waste no time in shoving the music in your face. At first, the song sounds like a complete mess; the guitars are layered over each other with riffs that are played so fast it feels as if Claudio and Travis were trying to break their fingers. The drums are equally ridiculous (the RockBand drum track gives you some idea). Only Mic's bass lines show sign of sheer simplicity.

But Coheed has not always been about simplicity. They've always been experimental. What better way to experiment than utilize what skills they've developed over the years and apply them?

After a few listens, it becomes apparent "Guns of Summer" isn't as messy as it feels. The crazy verses transition into equally loud and powerful choruses, but they're a bit more simple in that the riffs use chords. But of course, the band quickly pulls the listener back again with a wacky solo and bridge, only to end with a final chorus. The solo and bridge are truly my favorite moments of this song. Again making use of their experiments with noise and ambient sounds, the band compiled together a bizarre sounding solo. What I find most interesting about it though is that the sound of it feels as if it could be something that came straight out of The Second Stage Turbine Blade, further driving home that the album is a prequel. In fact, there are plenty of moments where these tunes are a mix of Coheed's earlier sounds, which I'll get into later. To put it simply, the song is all over the place while still retaining a strict formula. It's both chaotic yet orderly, which perfectly reflects the concept behind the song.

The story can get confusing here. First, allow me to explain the novel a bit. The novel begins with Coheed and Cambria (the characters) on a secret mission, long before their memories were erased. They've been sent on this mission by their creator, Dr. Leonard Hohenberger, who, until this album, has had no appearance in The Amory Wars series. After this chapter, the novel goes back in time to explain how Coheed, Cambria, and Inferno were created, and why. In the next chapter, the novel chronicles the rise of Wilhelm Ryan, an ambitious Mage destined to guard one of the sectors of Heaven's Fence. Not content with such a position and sure of his own superiority, Ryan starts the brutal Mage War to take supreme control of Heaven's Fence. The Prise do almost little to nothing to stop his conquest, being the servants of God and fearing a riddle He gave them long ago -- a riddle that would spell doom for Heaven's Fence should His designs be challenged.

(To digress here for a moment, this "doom" turns out to be Claudio Kilgannon years later.)

Anyway, the Mage War rages across Heaven's Fence and affects even the ordinary Man, the general citizens. So much that many of them rise up to protest the war, asking for peace. One of these is young Joseph Hohenberger, son of Leonard and Pearl Hohenberger. "Guns of Summer", both the song and chapter, pretty much follow Joseph's decision to attend a protest. However, this decision proves folly, as he and many of the other protesters are killed by Ryan's Red Army. This act of brutality and the loss of his only child eventually lead to Leonard's determination to strike back against Ryan.

In the meantime, an eerie celestial phenomenon appears over Heaven's Fence, an expansive stretch of blackness that appears to defy the very laws of nature: The Black Rainbow.

I've read the novel and listened to the album many times and I still feel excited. Well, stay tuned for the next review!

One day in late January, 2010 a countdown appeared on the Coheed and Cambria homepage. It was easy enough to figure out what the prize at the end of it would be. The new album was already set for an April release, and Coheed was more than likely to pre-release some new material to hold us over until the rest of the music appeared. When the timer reached zero on midnight of February 9, "The Broken" was listened to for the first time. And when I heard that song for the first time, it's an understatement to say it blew me away.

I'm a guy who prefers hard, edgy rock music. Acoustics and softer tones are amazing when my mood prefers them, but I can't resist something loud and heavy that just makes me want to headbang and rock out. Luckily, Coheed is the type of band with a variety of music to suit any of those moods and needs. After the hauntingly beautiful instrumental we're treated to a track that's right up there with such concert openers as "No World for Tomorrow" or "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3."

"The Broken" is another example of how the band took their producers words into consideration. The song uses a heavy dose of electric overtones that give it a sort of "dirty" feel. The guitars are hard and heavy, and are clearly some of the most intricate riffs Claudio and Travis have dished out. One of the best moments of this song is that "The Ring in Return" makes a comeback during the song's solo, albeit it's layered over with noise. Mic proves his worth with a sickly bass groove that demonstrates he's not just there for rhythm. The best part is his chugging "horse gallop" playing style during he bridge -- it reminds me a lot of Steve Harris.

What really helps to drive this song home is Chris Pennie. His skills were barely seen if not at all on No World for Tomorrow (he wrote the drum parts, but they were practically watered down). This album gives Chris a chance to show off his skills. Pardon me for the lack of professionalism when I say this, but the only way to really describe Chris on this album, and in this song, is "beastly."

I completely love the vocals on this track. They're powerful and dynamic. As I've said, Claudio has come a long way as a vocalist. His style remains slightly high pitched but it is also more controlled.

As far as the story, the only connection I can put this song to is the first chapter of the novel. Parts of this album are out of sequence chronologically, but I feel safe in saying that this song takes place in the middle of the story (middle chronologically that is). As the album explores the origins of Coheed and Cambria and why they were built, it also details some of their missions and adventures during their time together with Inferno as the K.B.I. In this song, Coheed and Cambria are on a secret mission on Howling Earth, trying to discover what operations are going on here. It's hard to explain, but maybe later I'll go into more detail.

According to Claudio, "The Broken" is mainly about accepting your flaws and embracing them. In doing so, you become more empowered. Not only is this message applicable to the story, it's a theme I agree very much with.

The only complaint I have about the song is that it's too short. It's shorter than any other opener (again excluding "Always & Never" from FFTEM). Still, that's a minor thing. Overall, I don't understand those who complain about overproduction on this album. With a good pair of headphones, every instrument can be heard clearly, and the layering is simply superb. "The Broken" might be more saturated with effects than previous records, but the result was good.

According to Claudio, "The Broken" is an example of where Coheed and Cambria are right now in terms of their style. To that, I can only say that I can't wait to see where the future takes them.

Today I'd like to end this with a music video for "The Broken."

After Year of the Black Rainbow was announced, there was undoubtedly an increase in hype and fanaticism amongst the die hard fans. More Coheed music was naturally a happy announcement for those of us that loved the band's work. So fanatic were some of their fans, in fact, that they couldn't help but notice something peculiar about the album title.

Each of Coheed's albums have been titled in strange ways. And I'm not talking about the long titles and choice of words, but rather the clues behind them. Each album's title has reference to its place in the story, whether subtle or obvious: The Second Stage Turbine Blade is the second part of the story. Similarly, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 and both Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV albums are the third and fourth parts of the story, respectively. With that in mind, so many people expected Year of the Black Rainbow to have a reference to the number 1 in its title. For some reason, some people were disappointed.

One really overreaching theory I heard was that the clue lay in the word "year." That is, since a year is a measure of time as one full revolution of a planet around the sun, that's where the "one" reference came in. That was by far the silliest idea I'd thought of. More to the point, it's not as if the album really needed such a reference anyway. Most of us already knew that the album would be a prequel. Still, I like to think Claudio Sanchez is a man of humor.

"One" -- the first track of the album, and chronologically the first track of The Amory Wars musical saga, is the reference to the album being the first of the series. Sometimes I can't help but think Claudio named this song as it is just to poke fun at some of us. If this is true, I approve.

Like the opening tracks of most of their records, "One" is instrumental. And it's also the first one after the guys took a small departure from that formula on No World for Tomorrow. As the song begins, it's clear it's not the same tune we're normally accustomed to. Instead, it's much more... eerie.

The song is an indicator of the bleak and dark atmosphere that the rest of the album would follow through with. It's clear already that Coheed took Ross and Barresi's ideas to heart. The songs on this album feature musician Wes Styles, notable for his keyboard playing during the band's Neverender tours. Combining elements of original tunes and a bit of the old themes into the mix, the entire song consists of Styles playing as a brooding, howl plays in the background.

"One" is my favorite intro track. The eerie and bleakness of the song gives me this chilling feeling that sits perfectly well with the prequel record. As I listen to this song I always have this feeling that, if this were a movie, we'd witness the creation of Heaven's Fence (literally), as well as a summary of events  leading up to the next song. In fact, "One" leads very smoothly into it in a way that could only be described as bad-ass, as the howling grows louder and more ominous.

As far as the public eye knew, the months that followed the release of No World for Tomorrow could not have been more different than what it witnessed during the lead up to that album. Coheed and Cambria were back in full swing. Extensive touring followed the album. The Amory Wars concept had been complete despite some setbacks, and the guys were eager to continue their progression in their musical careers. With this came the addition of former Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Chris Pennie to the band, whose skills offered a new dynamic to the band. The guys seemed to have found their place in the world.

With the latest album having been the conclusion to the story, they took time in the fall of 2008 to embark on a series of sixteen night concerts known as Neverender. Played across four cities -- New York, NY; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; and London -- the shows comprised four nights in each city, during which the band played one of their four albums in sequence. From The Second Stage Turbine Blade to Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow, they played the songs back to back. For Claudio Sanchez, this seemed to be a way to give back to the fans who had stuck with the guys for so long; a sort of treat before the band went back to write the long anticipated and often promised "prequel record."

Naturally, the shows were a huge success, and probably helped the fans become increasingly excited for more Coheed music. As I look back on it, part of me wonders if perhaps Claudio hoped these shows and news would hold the fans over for a time -- distract us, if you will, while the guys tried to find themselves again.

By Claudio's own admission, he had hit a roadblock in the aftermath of NWFT. This isn't too surprising; all artists, musicians, writers eventually have those moments. The trials his family suffered with the loss of his aunt, and the personal issues that caused half the band to split no doubt left the the guys without a sense of direction. Claudio apparently even toyed with the idea of moving on without working on the prequel record, and leave the concept "open ended." Still, they pressed on.

Good news would arrive in March 2009. Fans already knew that the band was in the writing process, but no news of song titles appeared until then. Such titles as "Pearl of the Stars" and "When Skeletons Live" appeased the fans to keep faith with Coheed, as did the release of several Amory Wars comics. However, it would be more than a year before the next album even hit store shelves.

That day finally came on April 13, 2010.


The album was entitled Year of the Black Rainbow. Comprising material inspired by nearly ten years of influence, the album's title was especially fitting. As listeners would find in the album's lyrics, the songs dealt a lot with the struggles the guys have gone through both as musicians and as people. In that sense, while this album is the so-called prequel record, its story concept is not nearly as noticeable as it was on earlier albums.

Don't get wronged, however. The story is still present. This album chronicles the rise of Wilhelm Ryan and his plan to take on the title of Supreme Tri-Mage. In the midst of his tyranny, one scientist takes it on himself to strike back against Ryan, largely in part due to the personal damage Ryan's hunger for power has done to his family. It helps when one reads the accompanying novel. Year of the Black Rainbow -- or YotBR -- was released in two main formats: standard CD and Deluxe. The Deluxe Edition included both the record and a DVD entitled "The Making of Year of the Black Rainbow", but the best prize was a novel with the same name written by Claudio Sanchez with additional help by Peter David; the first time any Coheed record was released alongside a written medium of the story. Throughout the reviews, I'll be referring to the novel to help explain the songs. Note, however, the songs are not necessarily in the order of the actual novel. Still, I'll try my best.

Musically, this album is very experimental. YotBR was produced by Atticus Ross and Joe Barresi. Though you might not be familiar with the names, the bands they've worked with might ring some bells -- Ross worked with Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction, and Barresi with Queens of the Stone Age and Tool. If you're familiar with such bands, then you're familiar with the sort of noisy atmosphere that comes with those tunes. Using what Ross and Barresi had to offer, Claudio found inspiration in song writing again. The result is an album that uses multiple layers of noise and ambient sound.

For many, this style was disappointing. The heavy use of electronics, synthesizers and effects demonstrate that Coheed and Cambria have come far since The Second Stage Turbine Blade -- something that I know a lot of fans do in fact disapprove of. But, more on that later. Suffice to say that Year of the Black Rainbow is a different record from any before.

As of right now, this is my favorite Coheed record. There isn't a single song off this record I don't absolutely love. I've been looking forward to reviewing this album since I started, and I'm happy to end this review series with this record. Thank you for sticking with me in reading, if you have. Enjoy.

As always, the tracks: