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: