Customer Reviews

My Brothers Blood Machine (Dig)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have to say that another reviewer here stole my tagline of Claudio Sanchez meets Thom Yorke. That was my first impression of this album when I popped it in after getting it yesterday - I was immediately reminded of Radiohead, which was unexpected.

If you're a fan of Coheed and Cambria not just because they rock hard (which they do), but also because of the incredibly intriguing, detailed, and (at times) difficult to decipher story, you will likely enjoy this album a lot. The sound is very different from Coheed and Cambria, with the exception of some wonderful recognizable guitar work and vocal work on part of Claudio Sanchez.

The songs definitely interconnect with the whole Coheed and Cambria story, this time taking the story from the angle of Coheed's brother Jesse (aka The Prize Fighter, Inferno). Although I haven't listened enough to decipher all of the meanings behind them, they're clearly interwoven with the voices of children, women, and male characters.

This album is much more electronically influenced than Coheed and Cambria, but the great musicianship is still there. Fans of Claudio in particular will likely be surprised, in a good way, by how this album branches out in a different, but familiar, direction.

I gave it five stars because it captivated me instantly. I can't wait for the drive home so I can listen to it again.

I really enjoyed this album, from the art on the cover, to the tarot card lyric sheets, to the songs themselves. i don't think that i would have loved this album as much as i do, however, unless i was already a Coheed and Cambria fan, and bought it with the knowledge that it was a different story in the same universe. So unless you are a HUGE Co & Ca fan, listen to it before you buy it.

to the people that are upset that this album doesn't sound like Coheed and Cambria, please stop crying about it. It's a side project, if Claudio wanted this to sound like Co & Ca it never would have been released as The Prize Fighter Inferno but as Coheed and Cambria. That's the thing about side projects they give you a chance to do something different. Are you guys upset about Fire Deuce and Weerd Science too? But, I'm gonna get to my review. I love this album! it's beyond amazing! Yes a few songs are comparable to The Postal Service, there's a song that reminds me of Iron And Wine and even one that for some reason makes me think of Murder By Death. You can compare all you want, but in the end this album is amazing. Now, to everyone that's buying this album because it's part of the Co & Ca story, you might be dissapointed and confused. This album isn't about the same thing that the Co & Ca story is about, but more Jesse telling another story. A story about 2 brothers who build a machine to give the souls of people to God, because their insane mother told them that God talks to her and told her that her sons are to take over the job of Death and the way to please God is to give him souls. Confused? The main focuses are 3 families, The McCloud family, The Early Family and The Bleam Family. There's a bunch of sub plots and it is sort of complicated to understand. If you understand the story and the character relations with each other than it makes a little more sense, and the lyrics have much more meaning than if you don't understand. The cd is amazing, weither you're looking for a good story, a good listen or just looking to get everything Co & Ca related, this is a must have.

I can't stop listening to this album. Well, that's not entirely true. I did start listening to Coheed & Cambria after my first couple of listens because I hadn't heard them in a while and got "in the mood." However, aside from that one afternoon where I listened to In Keeping of Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 and Good Apollo, I have had a steady addiction to this album. Normally it wouldn't be a problem, but all of my friends hate it. (Luckily, I can't hear their complains through the headphones) My friends like Coheed and Cambria by the bye. That being said, just because you like Co&Cam, don't expect to like this. The first few seconds of "The Going Price of Home" says loudly "This is NOT Coheed & Cambria, and don't expect it to be!"
I bought and it upon first listen, I found myself repeating and repeating the CD, devouring the lyrics (cleverly places on the back of tarot cards), and annoying my friends with music they cannot stand.
To compare this sound seems a disservice, but for lack of better explanation, I feel I must. I would call it a folksy-Postal Service sound with Bram Stoker style lyrics. My friend always complains that Claudio sounds strikingly similar to Michael Jackson, and in the song "The Margretville Dance," I can't argue with him. Though, that song is one of my favorites. It is electronica and it is folk and it is acoustic and it is indie. I'm pretty sure I even heard a washboard in "Run, Gunner Recall, Run! The Town Wants You Dead!"
Normally, I do not find a album released as a side project taking this much of a hold on me, but I would dare say that this is one of the best albums released in 2006. Still, I would buy this album for "Who Watches The Watchmen?" alone.

Complete with a stylish collection of tarot cards which serve as the album booklet, this album easily has our pick for featured album cover of the month. But although the album artwork is beautiful, it gives the impression that The Prize Fighter Inferno is a hardcore or cheesy metal band. What the band really is is the side project of Coheed and Cambria vocalist, Claudio Sanchez. The Prize Fighter Inferno plays heavily with electronica, and although Thom Yorke and The Postal Service heavily use electronica, Claudio's version is different. It seems to draw upon less conventional rock n' roll influences, including old school funk, pop, and ambient electronica, to create a diverse and unique album.

Claudio Sanchez really does a wonderful job on his side project, The Prize Fighter Inferno. The melodies, and rythems are fantastic, not to mention his vocals have never been better. The folky sound his great, and the electronica his orchestrated very well. Run, Gunner Recall, Run. The Town wants you Dead!, is probably the most memorable song on the whole album. It is a truly great song. The other songs are all good, with awesome lyrics. Fans of Coheed & Cambria will definitly enjoy this album, and any one who enjoys truly beautiful songs.

I knew Claudio had a side-project to Coheed and Cambria, but I kind of just dismissed it until the guy at the music store threw it in for a discount at the music store when I bought the Live at Hammerstein. Hesitant of my purchase, I threw it in on the way home from the store and after the first track I wasn't really interested, I wanted to see my beloved Co&Ca live on DVD!

WARNING: GIVE CD A SECOND CHANCE...

On the 3 1/2 hr. ride home from school this break though, I was listening to the whole CD...wow!!! Back in the day (1998-ish) I used to love industrial and trance music like Meat Beat Manifesto and Orbital, since I got into playing electric guitar in 2000 I never listen to them anymore and turned myself into a rock maniac. While this not so much trance or rock, The Prize Fighter Inferno tingles the part of my brain that is not all rock and roll, and some of the tracks -- specifically "Fight of Moses Early..." and "Run, Gunner Recall..." -- show off Claudio's acoustic guitar skill. Some of it sounds a bit amateur, but some of these songs (as the liner notes/tarot cards say) are 7 years old! Most of the songs are well-mastered and put together, and are highly addicting and you'll hear yourself singing the catchy-as-hell choruses of "Who Watches the Watchmen?" and "The Margaretville Dance" much to your own chagrin.

Overall this is a great light album to listen to, as opposed to the in-your-face rock that is Coheed. Even though they're two different genres, the dark subject matter and even some of the melodies are really reminiscent of Coheed...but some of these songs have some extreme bass and are just plain weird to people if they're not used to Claudio's voice, make sure you pump it up in "Who Watches The Watchmen?" and put a hole in your floor from your subwoofer.

What everyone has to remember though, is this is NOT a rip-off of The Postal Service. Like I said before, the clever little tarot cards in the CD case say that this album has been written and recorded over 7 years, which makes some of these songs even older than Co&Ca itself (the tone of Claudio's voice in "The Missing McCloud Boys" is really similar to that of "IRO-bot", which was recorded in the Shabutie days).

To sum it up: You can see where Coheed songs like "Once Upon Your Dead Body" come from...just imagine a couple songs like that, a couple like "IRO-bot", but mostly Claudio lyrics set to Casio-style keyboard beats and acoustic guitar, and you got yourself The Prize Fighter Inferno.

Warning to Co&Ca fans: This is not them! If you're expecting a continuation of Good Apollo...you might want to preview the album first.

However, that does not mean this is a bad album. Quite the contrary actually!

What we do have here is Claudio Sanchez stretching his musical legs and delving into something new; mostly electronic beats and atmospheres. I wasn't kidding when I made the comparison to Thom York, because this is very reminiscent of "The Eraser" in its feel.

As usual, Claudio's voice shines, but that's really no surpise. What is surprising is the "danciness" to some of the songs on the album. On "The Margretville Dance," I could swear Claudio is playing a little homage to Michael Jackson...it really does have that feel to it.

But, it's not all like that. There is some acoustic guitar leading a few tracks and some atmospheric electronics leading the other songs. You can tell this album is 8 years in the making, due to the different sounds and moods from song to song.

If you are an "emo" fan..you won't dig this. But, if you like good music that stretches some boundaries, I highly recommend this album.

By the way, haven't really studied the lyrics too much yet...but this is a branch of the Coheed and Cambria saga....told from Jesse's POV.

Claudio Sanchez (Coheed and Cambria singer and guitar virtuoso) snuggles up to chilly electronics, acoustic explorations, and body moving dance beats (yeah you read right) on his debut solo release. For all Coheed fans, My Brothers Blood Machine is an absolute must.

Ever since I heard the acoustic demo version of "Junesong Provision" I was itching for a solo release by Claudio. The wait couldn't have come any sooner. My Brothers Blood Machine is richly diverse, beautifully constructed, and I highly enjoy it, spin after haunting spin. It's stripped-down and far from the guitar-blazing attack of Coheed, but it's equally as adventurous. With eight years of rusting ideas and miscellaneous musical fragments brought to fruition, they are finally captured for your listening enjoyment. And as far as the simple programmed electronics, I love them. I know some of you fear change, but change is good. Complacency kills. At first you might think you are listening to The Postal Service, but the wintry electro-beats will have your head locked in at an up-and-down motion nonstop.

I never really concentrated on the concepts/storylines surrounding Claudio's lyrics throughout Coheed and Cambria's discography. My Brothers Blood Machine is told from the point of view of the character "The Prize Fighter Inferno" from the story of Coheed and Cambria with recurring themes as the McCloud Family and references to their missing children. Personally, it doesn't interest me whatsoever. What interests me is the song-smith's radiating vocals and interesting song structures. Calming acoustics like "The Fight of Moses Early & Sir Arthur McCloud" and "Wayne Andrews the Old Beekeeper" will give you aural goose bumps while the keyboard-heavy "A Death In the Family" and the opener "The Going Price for Home" will have you quickly slipping on your favorite sweater and tossle cap. Every track isn't a winner, but the good outweighs the bad. The standout track for me is the danceable "The Margretville Dance," just as the chorus suggests: "Here they come to rock your body all night."

My Brothers Blood Machine also contains tarot cards. Seriously, how can you pass this up? This is definitely an exciting release by one of few front-men that can successfully pull off releasing his own solo album.

I went into this album with very different expectations. Thinking I would find an acoustic masterpiece, I was instead bombarded by techno loops and silly hooks. After the first listen I was almost offended that Claudio would have made something like this. Then I looked into the package for the lyrics.

The lyrics are printed on beautifully designed tarot cards. The CD itself is in a cardboard fold case that has a leather embossed print on it. It's all top notch and beautiful. The lyrics told a very different story than what my ears had heard. A story of murder, rape, betrayal and loss. The effervescent beats had deceived me and I took this album all wrong. So I went back for another listen, lyrics in hand.

Shivers crawled down my spine as the story unfolded in my mind. It was only then that I came to truly appreciate this album for what it is. It's a man creating a story and music, and shamelessly doing both however he felt like doing so. And the results, though odd at first, are awesome. It might take some time to get into, but I highly recommend it.

*IMPORTANT Warning:*
One problem with this CD, though, is the number of tracks on it. The last track is called "78", and the CD was authored in such a way that this track would be number 78. As such, 66 short, blank, tracks were inserted between it and the second to last track. This this is an interesting idea, I can't get it to properly play in any of my CD players. Not in my Panasonic stereo, not in my Toshiba DVD player, not in my Sony car deck. The only thing that has no reservations about it that I can find are my computers. As such, when playing in a regular player, the CD either won't read at all, or starts skipping after a few songs. This resulted me having to rip the CD, cut out the extra tracks, and burn a copy that I could use. Whoops. I think they should have noticed this fatal design flaw before selling it.