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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Year of the Masterpiece Album, April 19, 2010
There are some people out there who simply don't like Coheed. Maybe it's Claudio's high-pitched singing, maybe it's his huge frizzy hair, but something about the band turns them off. Other people are obsessed with the band. These people tend to love pretty much everything the band releases, and these are the same people who have religiously read the comics that tell the story of the music.
On the other hand, I fall in between these two extremes. I think Coheed is a great band. In fact, I think that if history is fair, they would be regarded in the future as one of the premier bands of this era, much the same way that classic bands from the 60's and 70's are thought of now. I particularly liked Coheed's second and third albums, but I think their first exhibited "Debut Syndrome" where a band hasn't quite reached its potential, and their fourth release exhibits "Mid-Career Rush-To-Release Syndrome", where a talented and successful band pushes a release out the door without taking the time to make sure it's up to the standard of their previous releases.
Year of the Black Rainbow, however, is everything I've ever wanted in a Coheed album, for the following reasons:
1) FOCUS: A fair criticism of the band's past releases is that they lack focus. Sure, there is a cohesive story, but I'm not talking about that. What I mean is, everything from album titles, song titles, song lengths, and consistency indicate that the band tries to do too much. Compare the two Good Apollo volumes (for example, the first had a title with 15 words in it, and the second had a 5-song way-too-drawn-out closing epic), versus YOTBR. The album title, song titles, and song lengths on YOTBR are symbolic of the new focus of the band. Sure, you might say "Who cares about titles? And isn't it good when a band stretches out and frees itself of the conventions of radio-length songs?" To that, I say sure, titles don't matter much, but they can be symbolic of the band's approach to the underlying music, and "stretching out" can be great but only if it's done well, and Coheed has been guilty of doing it poorly in the past.
2) MELODIES: Melody in music is a funny thing. I like certain melodies, and I dislike others, and it's hard to explain why. On YOTBR, nevertheless, there are TONS of great melodies. Specifically, Claudio's vocals are very catchy and melodic throughout the album, and that makes it an addictive listen. Just the simple fact that there is so much melody on the album is great by itself; Coheed can be described as a metal band, although they certainly are a multi-genre band, and a lot of metal is often terrible because of its lack of melody.
3) DRUMS: As I get older, it takes more for music to keep my attention. I look more and more for technical proficiency, even though the most important quality in music, in my opinion, is good songwriting, which generally has pretty much nothing to do with technical proficiency. Finally, Coheed is moving towards combining the best of both worlds. They've always had great guitar work, a trend that continues on this album, but drumming has IMHO been weak up until now. Enter Chris Pennie. YOTBR is his first album with Coheed, and the guy is a freakin' virtuoso. I love his work on this album and can't wait to hear what he does on future Coheed albums. He was an excellent addition to the band and gives them exactly the kind of rhythm-section power they needed, much in the same way that Keith Moon and John Bonham made their bands exponentially better than they otherwise would have been. Just listen to Pennie's work on Guns of Summer and prepare for your mind to be blown.
BOTTOM LINE: If you have never liked a Coheed album, chances are you won't like this one either. But if you have liked anything they have done in the past, or if you have never heard any of their music, you need to give this album a chance. Also, VERY IMPORTANT: when I first listened to this album, I was disappointed. As I listened to it more, I realized that it truly is a masterpiece. If you don't like it at first, be patient with it, give it multiple listens, and I guarantee you will not be disappointed in the end.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Full Circle, April 21, 2010
To give a point of reference, I am a huge fan of this band. I am not a fan who knows the story like the back of my hand, but I am someone who appreciates the talent, creativity, and innovation they have displayed to this point. The music has always been where it's at for me. Their first three albums have forever placed them among my top three favorite bands.
That said, this one has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me. My first taste was "The Broken", via their myspace page, and my first couple listens through that song left me nervous about the forthcoming album release. If that was the direction, I was not sure I was interested. I know I am not alone in this sentiment, and like many others, I decided not to let that doubt prematurely ruin this album for me. I reserved judgment until I could take in the album as a whole. I am glad I did.
It took longer for this one to "sink in". Probably because of the wall of sound surrounding the real music beneath. That is my biggest gripe with this release, and it is really unfortunate. I listen to Good Apollo vol 1 and enjoy the bits of production and sound effects. Here it all seems a bit too much. I cannot help but wonder how this is going to sound live.
However, after a little over a week of listening to nothing but YotBR, it has grown on me considerably. Without too much searching I have been able to find the Coheed that I love. Part of that is in the progression of their sound, but I can hear parts of all of their work in this album. I truly enjoy this album and am very relieved that my first impression of "The Broken" was not upheld. I have even grown to like that song quite a bit.
Overall I would liked to have given a 3.75, but since I cannot, I rate it a 4. I don't see it as a "4 star" album, but it is better than a 3 or 3.5. I am disappointed by what I see as over-production. I am in love with the evolution of their sound and continued push forward, while not letting us forget who they are: a very talented band who consistently puts out excellent music. If you cannot find what you love about Coheed in your first few plays through YotBR, I encourage you to keep listening, it's in there.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The saga comes full circle, April 13, 2010
This review is from: Year Of the Black Rainbow (CD/Book/DVD) (Audio CD)
Year of the Black Rainbow is the fifth studio album from the concept rock band Coheed & Cambria. This album represents the prequel story to the saga and is intended to tell the events leading up to Coheed's first studio album The Second Stage Turbine Blade. This deluxe edition (which I would highly recommend) comes with the studio album + bonus tracks, a 350 page novel telling the story of The Year of the Black Rainbow, and a documentary DVD about the making of the album. Each component is reviewed briefly below. I'm sorry the review is so long but I had to review a CD, a DVD, and a novel! If you don't care about the details, to sum it all up - you should buy this album. If you already knew you were going to get the album but were curious about the deluxe edition - you should buy the deluxe edition. Details below:
Year of the Black Rainbow CD:
For their fifth album, Coheed and Cambria have continued the evolution of their sound. Several of the songs contain an electronic influence through the use of keyboards, but the overall sound is still undeniably Coheed. As the lead singer/songwriter Claudio Sanchez states in the documentary DVD, beginning the writing process with these electronic elements helped him to break through his writer's block and to make songwriting fun again. The use of the electronic elements isn't overdone at all and I think it really complements the sound of the album as a whole. In addition, this is the first album that new drummer Chris Pennie has recorded on. You can immediately hear the difference in style that he brings to the table on many of these songs. Chris is an amazingly talented and technical drummer and you can hear his skills in his unique beats and his quick and precise fills. In particular, the drumming on the track In the Flame of Error really stands out for me as being incredible. He weaves in and out of various beats and drops in and out of half time at a moments notice. In addition, the drums on Guns of Summer are just crazy and you need to hear them (possibly multiple times) to appreciate them. Pennie is clearly adding something to the band and not just playing generic beats and hiding in the background. I applaud the band for not being afraid to let the new guy show off his chops and also contribute to the sound of the album. It sounds simple, but it isn't something that most bands would feel comfortable with.
The track list consists of 12 songs + 2 demo tracks that were not put on the final version of the album. I'm not a big fan of reviewing each track separately but I think there is something on here for everyone. Rock driven songs (The Broken, This Shattered Symphony, When Skeletons Live, World of Lines), softer ballad type songs (Pearl of the Stars, Far), new experimental type songs (Guns of Summer, In the Flame of Error), catchy radio friendly songs (Made Out of Nothing, Here We Are Juggernaut), and a jam track that builds and builds (Year of the Black Rainbow). I honestly love all of these tracks and I think each one shows off why Coheed and Cambria are one of the best band currently making music. The two bonus tracks (Chamberlain and The Lost Shepherd) are actually quite strong, except that they aren't recorded as well as the final tracks (obviously...they are demos). In particular I really like most of the elements in the song Chamberlain, but I am not a fan of the electronic beeping during the bridge. I love the verse and chorus of this song. The verse especially reminds me of "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin. They are definitely worth hearing and could probably have been included on the album if the band had chosen to do so (they discuss not including them in the DVD).
Year of the Black Rainbow Novel:
I love, love, love this idea! I am of the opinion that it is not necessary for someone to learn the backstory behind the concept of Coheed and Cambria in order to enjoy the music. The music can stand alone as brilliant on its own, but for many fans - me included - knowing the story behind the songs and the lyrics helps brings us that much closer to the music and the meaning behind it. Up until now, parts of the story had only been released in comicbook form (telling the events of The Second Stage Turbine Blade) and graphic novel form (giving us a picture of the events of Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV). I own and have read all of these comics, but I am not the biggest fan of the comicbook medium on the whole. It just doesn't speak to me and in fact, the only comics that I own are the Coheed and Cambria and Kill Audio comics. That is why I love the idea of the prequel story being released as a novel. The book was co-written by Claudio Sanchez and Peter David. I have already read the book and I throughly enjoyed the read. You will learn the origins of Supreme Tri Mage Wilhelm Ryan, the creation of Coheed/Cambria/Inferno, the origin of the dragonfly, the backstory of Admiral Crom and Mayo Deftinwolf, all about the Black Rainbow, the story behind Josephine's birth, the evolution of Coheed & Cambria's relationship, and many more things. It is a fascinating read and I would recommend it to any Coheed fan looking to learn more, or anyone who is interested in the band but doesn't know where to start. I would even tell you to read it if you don't care about the band at all. In my opinion, reading this book is probably the best way to help you learn more about the universe and the backstory where these events take place.
Year of the Black Rainbow DVD:
The DVD contains a short 30 min documentary about the making of the album and copies of a few small teaser trailers (about 1 min in length each) that the band put up on their website prior to the albums release. The documentary is quite interesting and gives fans a picture of what went on behind the scenes in the writing and recording of this album. You learn a little about certain songs and how they were written and you get the meet the producers and get their take on the album. My only small complaint about this documentary is that the production and editing of the video give it sort of a "negative" feeling. It is hard to explain, but the documentary only has interviews with individuals (not the band together)and for much of it they are discussing how this is the end. I think they are just referring to the completion of the saga, but I wish the DVD had more of a positive energy to it and not a negative vibe. It actually sort of made me sad in the end because I was thinking about Coheed and Cambria no longer making music. Maybe this is just my opinion, I'm not sure. It is still really interesting and definitely worth watching.
Year of the Black Rainbow Packaging:
The packaging is perfect and really well designed. The hard cover book that the CD and DVD comes in, contains the lyrics sheets and some really cool graphic design images. This is probably my favorite way I have ever seen lyrics presented. In addition, the case that holds the CD/DVD book and the novel is really well designed and a perfect way to display the content. I am very happy with how everything looks and was put together. The only complaint I have is that the glue that is used for the case everything comes in (that the book and cd/dvd slide into)is kind of cheap. I have noticed the paper peeling away because it has come unstuck.
Summary:
Buy this deluxe edition! You won't regret it. Coheed and Cambria have proven time and time again how much they care about their fans by providing amazing content like you will find in this deluxe package. The album is brilliant, the novel is a terrific read, and the DVD is an interesting look into the bands recording process and the making of an album. Now that the saga is complete, who knows where Coheed and Cambria will go now; but I can guarantee that I will be along for the ride wherever it takes me.
Note: Just to straighten something out. Amazon currently has this deluxe edition listed as having 3 discs. That is incorrect - there are 2 discs (CD and DVD) and a novel.
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