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: