When it comes to the progressive rock group Coheed and Cambria, there is no middle ground. It seems people either love them or hate them. I happen to fall in the former half of the crowd. I have all the respect in the world for Claudio Sanchez (lead vocals, guitar), Travis Stever (lead guitar), Michael Todd (bass) and Chris Pennie (drums), the four guys who make up the band. So when I heard that Coheed was getting ready to release their fifth studio album titled "Year of the Black Rainbow," I became instantly eager to hear what they had come up with now.
What separates Coheed from most other rock groups working today is that all of their material is tied together through concept albums. The story that is told through Sanchez's lyrics is known as "The Amory Wars," which has also begun publication as a series of comic books. Sanchez is the creative mind behind the fictional saga, which takes place in and around a system of planets called Heaven's Fence. It should be worth mentioning that "YOTBR" is a prequel to the entire saga. Ok, I know that is a lot to take in and you are probably thinking what in the world am I talking about. Don't worry because you don't need to understand the story to appreciate the music. So just where does the new album stack up in Coheed's musical library?
Pretty much all of Coheed's albums begins with a purely instrumental track. "YOTBR" is no different. "One," fittingly titled as it is the first track on the album, is a haunting, melancholy instrumental that runs almost two minutes leading into "The Broken," which is probably the catchiest and best song on the album. "The Broken" is vintage Coheed, with multiple layers of guitars, a driving bass line and just a full, encompassing sound altogether. The fade in to the third track "Guns of Summer" is seamless, with Pennie's drums leading the way.
With those three tracks sounding the opening salvo, I want to focus on some of the better material of the record, starting with "Here We Are Juggernaut." "Juggernaut" is the first single from the new record, and much like "The Broken" it is a very melodic piece of music. "Pearl of the Stars," the only real slow song on the album, is also well done. Coheed is known for having at least one slower song on each of their albums. "Pearl" is decent, but it is not quite as good as some of their earlier slow-paced material like "The Light and the Glass" and "Wake Up.""World of Lines" is a fast-paced tune, with driving guitar and drums, and to me is very similar in sound to "A Favor House Atlantic," a song from one of their previous albums. The last really standout song on the new record is "In the Flame of Error," which is easily the second-best song on album, with a sound reminiscent of earlier Coheed songs from albums like "The Second Stage Turbine Blade" and "Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Vol. 1." Overall, the album gives off a semi-dark mood from the opening to the ending note.
So, what is lacking from Coheed's newest output? Well, most of the tracks on "YOTBR" run from the four to five minute mark, which is pretty much the norm for the band when you consider their previous albums. There is a lot of experimentation with electronic sound on this record, because Coheed has never been afraid to try and change their sound. I've already said that many of the songs sound similar to their older stuff. However, I would say the other half of the new record sounds very original. It's almost like they took half of what they had done before and blended it together with new concepts and ideas. I should also mention that Atticus Ross (Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction) and Joe Barresi (Queens of the Stone Age, Tool) produced the record, which probably accounts for some of the new sound.
For the most part, this experimentation works on "YOTBR," however, I would have liked it toned down a bit. Claudio's high-pitched, at times wailing vocals are still present in nearly every tune. Still, I have to compare "YOTBR" to my favorite album of theirs which is "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3," really for the fact that almost every song on that record was nearly flawless and "YOTBR" does not quite reach that level of excellence. On the new album, it is really more hit and miss between the songs I mentioned earlier. For instance, "The Broken," "Guns of Summer," and "Here We Are Juggernaut" all flow well back-to-back-to-back, but "Far," and "This Shattered Symphony" do not really sound that great when played in order on the track listing.
Regardless, "YOTBR" is still a very solid effort by four very talented musicians that will leave most die-hard Coheed fans more than satisfied. They are a band who will continue to have just as many fans as they do detractors.
