As if I haven't shown this enough already, Coheed and Cambria have been a big part of my life in the last half decade. From music to books to comics and to art, Claudio Sanchez's story has influenced me and inspired me in many ways.

Since I've been working on the song reviews for No World for Tomorrow, I felt it would be appropriate to show another drawing I did several years ago.

Every story that involves a final battle needs awesome music to go with it. Star Wars has incredible music for its epic scenes, as do the Harry Potter films, or The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Most fantasy/science fiction tales like these have such scores. And what better way to demonstrate a final battle than with a bit of music that's aggressive, heavy, and really helps to set the mood?

"Gravemakers & Gunslingers" sounds like a metal song just from its title. Rightly so, seeing as the song itself sounds like an 80's metal riff (a la a style similar to Iron Maiden than hair metal, I should say). This is why I said "Mother Superior" was a moment for the listener to catch his or her breath. From here on out, the album -- and thus, the end of the story -- follows through rather swiftly in its events. And "Gravemakers & Gunslingers" is an excellent way to start this off.

To put it very simply, this song is a very much "in your face" kind of song. It's like it punches you in the gut, your face, your stomach... hell, it punches you everywhere. It means you know you're in for something aggressive. The guitar riffs and bass lines follow roughly the same throughout the song, complete with strong and heavy drumming from Taylor Hawkins, as well as an Iron Maiden-esque type guitar solo that's still in the vein of the Coheed style. To me, this song is a full blown jam session, showcasing even further what Coheed is capable of.

I won't bother trying to get into minute detail about the story in this song. For one thing, I don't know everything that's going on. There is a new villain introduced within No World for Tomorrow that I haven't any clue about, and likely won't until some written medium of the album is released -- which likely won't be until the comics for another couple years or so. And for another thing, even if I did know everything about The Amory Wars, there would be a lot to explain. Based on assumptions, speculations, and discussions with fellow Coheed and Cambria fans, there appears to be a lot going on in "Gravemakers & Gunslingers" alone. This new villain I spoke of is the supposed gunslinger, who apparently helps Claudio Kilgannon in certain parts of the story... Yeah, like I said, I'm not going to try to explain it.

I will say this at least: it's clear that the final assault on House Atlantic has begun. Claudio, Sizer, Chase, all the IRO-Bots created by Jesse, and perhaps assorted citizens of the worlds of Heaven's Fence have mobilized into a force to be reckoned with and are now charging into Wilhelm Ryan's base. I think it's fairly simple to see that point of view given the line "We'll be marching to the top of this tower as God isn't at home."

That line speaks quite a bit, actually. First, let me point out the nature of Wilhelm Ryan. Ryan was once one of twelve mages that were tasked with overseeing the twelve sectors of Heaven's Fence. However, Ryan was discontent being but a simple mage. Believing in his own superiority, he initiated a brutal war known as the Mage Wars and almost single-handedly defeated the other eleven mages; some died, and some were transformed into Onstantine Priests thanks to Ryan's twisted experiments. He went on to become the self-claimed Supreme Tri-Mage and conquered Heaven's Fence. Ryan's ultimate goal was to overthrow God. Why this above line speaks volumes is that, now that we've listened to the previous record, we understand that God is essentially the Writer.

The Writer has left Heaven's Fence's destiny in the hands of his character Claudio. Is it benevolence? Or is it an act of cowardice? Regardless, God's presence is no longer a factor in this war, and the fact He isn't means that Claudio Kilgannon cannot be stopped.

The story is nearing its conclusion.