Alright so on the chopping block is another request. This is a band who some would say is an emo band but in fact they are not. Yes the singer for this band has kind of a nasally voice however the subject matter is sci-fi. The band I am talking about is the band Coheed and Cambria and I too thought they were emo when I first heard them. Anyway, let’s take a look……….
The Second Stage Turbine Blade- so as I said in my intro this band writes music about science fiction stuff and this is part one of a four part series. This one is about something called The Armory Wars and I guess it is a comic written by the lead singer/guitarist Claudio Sanchez. Basically the story introduces the characters husband and wife Coheed and Cambria. As I said yes they sound like they could be an emo band but they are not and after listening to this album, you realize that they are not. Overall, it’s a good rock album. I give this one 9/10
Standouts: Junesong Provision, Devil In Jersey City, Delirium Trigger
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3- so this is the second chapter in the four part series and this is about: “Ten years after “Second Stage Turbine Blade”, son Claudio emerges from the depths of Shylos Ten, the Fence’s “quiet” planet where the Red Army performs its brutal interrogations and imprisonments. In finding out that his entire family has been murdered, Claudio begins his quest for vendetta. His foes, Supreme Tri Mage Wilhelm Ryan and General Mayo Deftinwolf sense that he is still alive and holds special powers. They know they must stop him before he defeats them. Meanwhile, Inferno (Jesse Kilgannon) takes up arms against the Red Army (“Man your Battlestations”) in an effort to seek the same kind of vengeance on him. In Claudio’s re-emergence he teams up with Ambellina, the Prise who is selected by her peers to be his guide. The pair along with Sizer, a disassembled IRO-bot, seek out Inferno to find answers as to why his family were killed, but their plans take an unexpected turn in a ship called the Camper Velourium, and a freighter pilot named Al the Killer.” As far as the album goes, it’s one of those you can listen to right after the other one. Overall, it’s a pretty good album and I remember seeing music videos for this when Fuse did their Warped Wednesdays. Listening to it now, it’s a pretty solid album. I give this 9/10.
Standouts: A Favor House Atlantic, The Crowing, Cuts Marked In The March Of Men
Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness- damn that’s a long record title. So this is the third chapter of this series and this one begins to resolve the issues of Claudio Kilgannon’s quest to protect the Keywork, and sheds more light on the demise of Coheed and his wife Cambria. Also, it expands on the issues of the Monstar virus and Jesse’s involvement in the saga. This one is probably where I would tell people to start because I’m pretty sure this is their most successful record. Everything sounds grander on here. I give this one 10/10
Standouts: Welcome Home, Mother May I, The Willing Well III: Apollo II: The Telling Truth
No World For Tomorrow- I guess there isn’t a lot of information on The Armory Wars for this album. The only thing I know is that it’s seems to be almost like a pause between stories. Anyway, what’s unique about this album is that Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) plays drums on here so that’s kinda cool. Overall, it’s a good album but not as strong as the last album. I give this album 8/10
Standouts: Feathers, No World For Tomorrow, II-Radio Bye Bye
Year Of The Black Rainbow- so now that The Armory Wars is done, this next album is a prequel to that story. According to what information I found out on it: “It tells of how Wilhelm Ryan came to power by killing or abducting all the other Mages. A mysterious black rainbow also appears in the sky the day Ryan takes supremacy. A civilian, named Doctor Leonard Hohenberger, is dissatisfied with the Supreme Tri-Mage’s rule and is inspired by the Prise to create three IRO-bots, known as the KBI: Cambria (“Knowledge”), Coheed (“Beast”), and Jesse (“Inferno”).” Anyway, this one was kind of boring to me. I would say it’s safe to say that the band has evolved musically. I give this album 8/10
Standouts: The Broken, World Of Lines, When Skeletons Live
The Afterman: Ascension- this is part one of a double album. This one has a bunch of things going on here. The story on this goes: Focusing on the famous cosmonaut Sirius Amory (pronounced SY-rus A-mer-EE), the story describes Amory’s scientific investigation of “the Keywork”, which, up until this point, has only been identified as a mysterious energy source that supplies nutrients to the 78 planets that make up Heaven’s Fence. This expedition is overwhelmingly discouraged by Amory’s wife, Meri, who considers it to be nothing short of suicide. Despite Meri’s disapproval, Sirius goes forward with his mission. It’s got that rock sound, a little bit of electronic stuff, and some synth sounds going on here. It’s a very unique record to say the least but interesting. I give this 8/10
Standouts: Good Night Fair Lady, Key Entity Extraction II: Holly Wood Cracked, Key Extraction I: Domino Destitute
The Afterman: Descension- so the band released both albums together and that’s the version I listened to and yes you can definitely listen to one and then the next one right after that and not lose any focus. I’m glad there is a version combining both because this one is just as good as Ascension. The story for this one goes: Sirius still encompassed in the protective aura of Evagria; however, she has become weakened due to the cost of energy necessary to keep The Afterman alive. As her power drains, Amory is convinced that these will be the last moments of his life. It is at this crucial time that Sirius is saved by the entity of Sentry the Defiant, the soldier who gave his life to evince the brutality of Vic the Butcher. I give this album another 8/10
Standouts: The Hard Sell, Away We Go, Key Extraction V: Sentry The Defiant
The Color Before The Sun: so this is the first album not to be a concept album. I guess they wanted to take a break from The Armory Wars. It’s a good album and just goes to show that they don’t need to write music about science fiction stuff. Musically, it kind of has elements of everything they’ve done so it’s a nice balance. I give this one 9/10
Standouts: Island, Atlas, The Audience
The Unheavenly Creatures- and now we are back to The Armory Wars. Although that was pretty much the only information I found out about this album. Judging by the cover and album name, it might have something to do with monsters and a love story. Sound wise, this album picks up where Descension left off. I get that this is a concept record but to me this probably could’ve been shortened just a little. Overall, not bad. I give this 7/10
Standouts: The Dark Sentencer, True Ugly, The Gutter
This is a band that I remember seeing on the Warped Tour schedule but I never bothered to check out. I think it’s because I had a hard time listening to Claudio Sanchez’s voice. I can see how some would think that this band is an emo band but like I said before, they are far from it. Looking past the vocals, the band is actually really good and these guys can definitely play. Now for the story descriptions, I only to,d part of it. One to the things about this band is that there is a comic book/graphic novel to go along with the music which makes for a very unique and different experience. I have not checked it out (maybe some day). But if you want to listen to something different then definitely give these guys a listen.
Album Rankings:
- Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
- In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
- The Color Before The Sun
- No World For Tomorrow
- The Second Stage Turbine Blade
- Year Of The Black Rainbow
- The Afterman: Ascension
- The Afterman: Descension
- The Unheavenly Creatures
Sinister Reviews 