Monday, February 28, 2011
"While you were sleeping, we were stealing your heart"
8:19 PM | 
Posted by
Kevin
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.
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.
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Year of the Black Rainbow is a much more hard-edged style for Coheed; it was definitely much more simple and stuck to a formula. But the guys still show their liking for long-winded, progressive jam sessions. In the last song off the record, the sort-of-titular track called "The Black Rainbow," the band delivers one last full band tune that all at once seems to comprise the energies of several of their other closer songs. The song starts off with a quiet howling, calling back to the beginning of the album with "One." Then, as the piano and guitars enter, I feel a eerie resemblance to "On the Brink" from No World for Tomorrow. But yet throughout the song it still retains that haunting ambient atmosphere that was present on the rest of the album, definitely helped in part with the use of theremin and synthesizers and sequencers. In short, it's just as noisy as the rest of the album.
When Claudio's singing comes in, I feel reminded of such similar sounding vocals from the days of IKSSE-- not in terms of pitch, but just the way it's so melodic. Slowly, the song builds into a crescendo, before exploding into a loud, vibrant session that at the same same reminds me of "The Final Cut" and "On the Brink" once again, the latter reason being Claudio's repetitions of "It's over, it's over! It's all coming apart!" Indeed, it is over. These lines literally signify the end of The Amory Wars concept. From SSTB to this last album, the story made its circle. And the song continues in this vein in true Coheed and Cambria jamming out fashion until it fades out with the same eerie howling before coming to an abrupt stop. But yet another call back to "One" is heard a final time before it too fades, and the listener is left with a maniacal laughter as the album comes to a close.
For the album it's one, "The Black Rainbow" suits well. It truly ends the album on an excellent taste. However, it's a rather disappointing song. It pales very much in comparison to any of the closers, with special notice to "21:13." The problem I have with this song is just how repetitive it is. The first several "It's over" lines get tiring after that. It's comparable to the "Hail" repeats from "On the Brink", which were far better.
That being said, the song isn't bad, and as I've said it fits its respective album as a closer very well. It just doesn't sound nearly as great as it could have been. However, I would love the opportunity to hear this song live. I can imagine the energy the band would give off during it to be as impressive as it was during those many moments they played an extended jam session of "The Final Cut."
Before ending this review, I'd like to explore the concept a final time and quickly explain just what "the Black Rainbow" is. Following his triumph over the other Mages and rise as Supreme Tri-Mage, Wilhelm Ryan turns his eyes to the heavens. His goal is to become akin to God and lead the people of Heaven's Fence astray. Seemingly in response to this, a celestial void appears over the worlds of Heaven's Fence -- a void that appears to rip into existence itself, leaving nothing but blackness. Hence, "the Black Rainbow." The problem with it, however, is that no one is ultimately sure what the Rainbow means -- God challenging Ryan, or merely something created by Ryan himself to show that he is the ultimate power. Regardless, it's appearance triggers fear within the hearts and minds of the people, culminating in the eventual creation of Coheed, Cambria, and Inferno.
The novel ends with Inferno erasing the minds of his comrades so they may lead normal lives, while he carries on the work of his now dead creator. Before his death, Leonard discovers an antidote to the Monstar virus buried within Coheed; an antidote that lives within another IRO-Bot. He names it after his son, calling her Josephine -- the very same that makes a final appearance in SSTB. With the plans set in motion, Inferno watches over Coheed, Cambria, and Josephine as they begin a new life together, thus bringing the story full circle back to The Second Stage Turbine Blade.
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