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.