Customer Reviews

Year of the Black Rainbow

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Coheed & Cambria have been through a lot since their inception at the turn of the century. They have grown and matured so much and this album is a real treat for the fans who have been there since the beginning. It is easy to get lost in the idea that they should stick to their roots but this band has always been about progression. No album has sounded alike with these guys.

This is a rock album and a thumping good one at that. From the creepy opening track, to the proggy The Broken, atmospheric Far and heavy handed In the Flame of Error, this album is perhaps the best example of what this band is. It contains noticeable elements of their previous work and at the same time finds a new sound which may open it to a wider audience. However, this is not a sell out. This is a band doing what they do best which is adapting after the loss of their original drummer and the addition of ex-Dillinger Escape Plan's Chris Pennie. These guys have risen up and written a masterpiece.

There are too many effects and background noises to pick out the music. I really want to love this album, but there are parts that are so saturated with effects that a shredding solo sounds like a laser gun fight. The music is in there somewhere, I am sure of it! And where is Travis? Is he in the band still because the high guitar is completely muted by all of the background effects. Almost every vocal track is full of effects. The bass sounds droning instead of the talented walking fingers I am used to. And the drumming has suffered (just my opinion) since the drummer changed. The last album was forgivable since it was just Chris channeled into Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters (not his style of music). I completely respect the technically and mechanically insane drumming of Chris, but I feel that he is forcing the songs in his direction as opposed to how Josh felt more fluid.

The package:
This is a beautiful collector's item. The artwork is great (though not quite as good as the Christopher Shy work on their "Good Apollo" graphic novel, of course). The bonus booklet is sturdy and beautiful, the book is well bound, with a nice dust jacket artwork, and some great embossing work on the book itself. It's all packed up in a very robust cardboard shell. Top notch. For all that is in it, this package is a great value, and will look lovely on a shelf.

The music:
I've been a fan of Coheed & Cambria for years, and have enjoyed each of their albums sofar. Each one had its own style, with a rise and flow of lyrics and story that made for a beautiful production. This album, however, does not.

I would sooner blame the new producers. It's asif the motif for this album was "MAKE IT LOUDER" and they ran with it. Everything is just sound, sound, and more sound. Gone is the emotional rollercoaster of past albums. No significant changes in tones or musical method take place throughout the album. Instead, song after song, lick after lick, it all blends together into mediocrity. This is sad because although not a single song was memorable (after around 10 listens), there was a great deal of skilled musicianship going on throughout the album. And it was all for nought.

I almost wish I had never heard this album so that I could remember Coheed & Cambria with the spectacular finish that was No World for Tomorrow instead, being blissfully ignorant of this addition.

The story:
This book was certainly long awaited by many fans, myself included. I've enjoyed following the story of Heaven's Fence played out in Coheed's lyrics, and was immediately excited (though scared, because I know Claudio hasn't written anything of this scope before) when I heard of this.

My fears were somewhat justified. It's definitely not the worst book I've ever written (that distinction goes to Man o' War by William Shatner . . . wow), it certainly is not a piece to be appreciated for its addition to literature. What it is is a story. A playing out of events that needed to escape from the mind of Claudio Sanchez. And for that, it's great to finally read in detail the story behind the music.

I want to love it. But I just can't. Whatever virtues it might have, I think this album's biggest fault is that most of the melodies never really materialize or offer anything interesting. In my opinion, Coheed has been slowly unraveling since In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth.

The musicianship is there. The songs have a nice metal edge to them (see "Guns of Summer"). A lot of the riffs and rhythmic stuff are complex and enjoyable. However, there are no really powerful songs like "Welcome Home," "The Crowing," or "Al The Killer." A few of the songs show signs of life, like "Here We are Juggernaut," "Far," and "Made Out of Nothing." Though I have enjoyed it more (or disliked it less) with repeated listens, I still think Coheed has done a lot better in the past.

I wish you could use half stars, because I would like give it 2 ½ stars. But what the hey; the music is ambitious enough to warrant an extra half a star.

Now that I am coming down off of the "New Coheed Release" high, I can review this fairly objectively. I have been a Coheed fan since 2002, and I had myself really hyped up for this album to come out. When I first heard it, I thought it was great. Now it is just kind of forgettable to me. I know there are many here that love it, but this just isn't the Coheed that I fell in love with. This feels like an album full of filler songs with nothing that has the same substantial or epic feeling of previous albums. These tracks would've made GREAT, and I mean GREAT filler tracks for other albums, but the album doesn't really feel cohesive.

Anyways, track by track review:

1. One

This is a pretty cool opening track, and it really does help to set the tone for the rest of the album. The only thing really unifying the album is that the tracks (well, the first few at least) have a semi-industrial feel to them. This track also features the SSTB piano motif, semi-obscured by the noises around it. Nothing to complain about here.

2. The Broken

This was the first single released for this album, and it is a pretty cool track. This also establishes the vocal transition that Claudio was initially going through for NWFT. The first 3 albums had a more relaxed vocal style to me, it seems. Now he is really pushing, and it tends to make the vocals feel really overdone to me. This might just be a product of him getting older and his voice changing more. It just feels weird to me, though. But ya, this song is cool, but it feels like they cut it off short. They could've done so much more with this track to give it the scope of "In Keeping Secrets". Overall, though a solid track.

3. Guns of Summer

This is probably my favorite track off of the album. It's really straightforward with quite a lot of energy, and it is just fun to listen to. The chorus kind of reminds me of turn-of-the-millennium post-hardcore in some weird nostalgic way. Anyways, granted this is my favorite track, there really isn't much to say about it. It's a cool track that also feels like a filler track.

4. Here We Are Juggernaut

This was the 2nd single released from this album, and it is the most polarizing track to me. I literally HATE the beginning of the track. I absolutely hate it. The riff is cheesy, generic, and uninspired, the lyrics in the beginning are awful ("Keep your secrets in the dark, nothing matters anymore, bodies breaking, drive me crazy"). I just remember thinking "Wow this is awful" when I first heard it. Then all of the sudden, a really great chorus breaks out of nowhere. The song manages to be the best and worst part of this album at the same time. Verses are absolutely awful, yet the chorus is really really good. It feels so out of place from the rest of the album, though. It might have to do with the order of the tracks, but this feels like it should have been later into the CD. This song feels like an arrival, and we haven't even traveled anywhere yet. Once the song gets to the point where it is essentially just the chorus, it is really good. This one doesn't feel like a filler track to me, but it suffers from the same problem that "The Broken" suffered from. It got cut off very short. They had a great idea, but didn't know how to expand upon it, really. No development happened. The idea was thrown at us and taken away. This is the problem generally with this album as well.

5. Far

This is one of my favorite tracks off of this album. It might actually be tied with "Guns of Summer". It has a similar feels to "Feathers" from NWFT, but different at the same time. The solo section is simple, but very nice. This song feels more like a Coheed song than any of the other songs on this album to me. It has more of the fantasy feeling than any of the other tracks could offer us, and that's always been my favorite thing about Coheed. They have the ability to take us into their fantasy world. This album is just straight rock for the most part, so this song is a nice throwback to that fantasy world.

6. This Shattered Symphony

This track also suffers from an issue mentioned on "Juggernaut". The feel of it makes it seem like it should have been way later in the album, possibly before "Juggernaut". It feels like it would be a good lead in. It is yet another track that feels wrongly placed, and therefore has a less impacting place within the structure of the album. The song itself is really catchy. Claudio's slight harsh vocal lead in to the chorus is nice every time I hear it, the guitar in the beginning is a nice surprise, but, yet again, it feels like they had an idea, threw it at us, and took it right back. This isn't something I expect from Coheed. They've lost their progressive rock attitude and have just become rock, and that leads me to the next track...

7. World of Lines

"Hey guys, Iron Maiden is one of our inspirations." This track feels like it was written directly by Maiden. I mean, if you took out the vocals and told me that Maiden wrote it, I'd probably believe you. I really don't have much to say about this track other than "This is Iron Maiden". It just feels done.

8. Made Out Of Nothing (All That I Am)

My first instinct tells me that the placement of the track relative to the tracks around it is a little weird, and it is. However, I think that this track is EXACTLY where it needs to be. The other tracks surrounding it are out of order, though. This track feels a little bit more Coheedy than a lot of the other tracks on this album, but at times it can feel a little trite lyrically. I like some of the things that Claudio does vocally, like the transition at around 2:30 into the track. I like this track overall, but it feels like it could've been part of something bigger.

9. Pearl of the Stars

This track is very interesting to me. The track starts out with a very warm acoustic guitar with a constant synth that reminds me a bit of the manner in which Dntel creates atmosphere. The vocals in the beginning are very, very different for Claudio. They are supposed to represent Dr. Hohenberger, I do believe. He quickly gives up on this and goes back to his normal voice. The vocals seem less in your face in this track. I like this track because there are a lot of surprises that you could COMPLETELY overlook if you aren't listening carefully, like the trombone in the chorus, and the soft synths that you will hear randomly as well. The solo section is nice, if not a little predictable. This track is the high point of the album. It is the real climax to me, which is actually kind of upsetting. I'll explain why in my conclusion.

10. In the Flame of Error

The beginning of this track is deceiving. It would have you believe that this track is going to be the highpoint of this album, but it isn't. Its placement is appropriate, though. The falling action is happening here. The track makes it feel like the album is going to be coming to some kind of explosive end, and... well, more on that later. The track starts out with what is supposed to be an epic guitar part, but it is just kind of "meh" to me. It falls short of that epicness that is trying to get. The verses of this track are rather forgettable. The chorus is slightly less forgettable, but forgettable nonetheless. I don't go around humming it really, which wouldn't be a problem if the form of the track itself wasn't standard song form, which generally means that a memorable melody is a good idea. I like this bridge of this song somewhat, but overall this feels like a filler track to the album full of filler tracks.

11. When Skeletons Live

I think that this was the first track that they recorded. You can still hear the ghost of former Coheed in this track, especially in the verses. The verses can be a little sparse, but they do still have a semi-Coheed feel. The chorus, however, feels very empty to me. There is a semi-lead part going on in the chorus that should have definitely been brought out more, but it gets buried. The bridge to this song feels good because it has a bit of Claudio harmonizing with himself, something that this album is REALLY missing. The way this track ends is a little lackluster, but that can be forgiven! The next track will be a "The Light & The Glass" scale work, right? Right?!?!

12. The Black Rainbow

Starting out, this track is really cool. At this point, I am hanging onto the hope that the last track can redeem this album. The album is already coming to an end, and it feels like it hasn't even been 10 minutes. It doesn't feel like there has been a journey at all. Maybe this last track can take us on a journey, right? Well, it certainly presents itself like that, but this track was LITERALLY just the guys messing around one morning. at around 2:15 into the track, the track starts getting big with Claudio saying "It's over, it's over". The feel at this point is that this track is going to progress and become amazing. Then you realize that what happens at 2:17 repeats for about 4 minutes. That's it. It does start getting a lot denser as it goes on, but it doesn't necessarily progress. However, this does provide one of the coolest moments for the album, where at a little after 6 minutes in, the sound suddenly, and VERY VERY VERY abruptly gets cut off. It shocks you every time that you hear it, and then the music from "One" starts back up, where you can also hear someone laughing in the background. I haven't finished reading the novel yet, so I don't know if it is Ryan, Hohenberger, or who, but there is laughter there nonetheless. But anyways, this track is supposed to be the cork on the bottle that has been filled with this music, but it is a damaged cork being put on a bottle that is only half full.



I have said positive things about the tracks themselves, but Coheed has never been about individual tracks to me. In fact, I can't really listen to just one track by Coheed. I need to listen to an entire album. All of their tracks on previous albums feel relative to each other. For enthusiasts of art music ("classical"), here is a parallel that I can run: Listening to one track by Coheed is the equivalent of listening to one movement of a symphony. Sure, you can feel satisfied, but you are missing the entire point of the work if you leave out the rest of the movements. To understand a whole work, it is necessary to listen to all parts. Coheed has always been better about producing albums that are that cohesive than most other people could ever dream about. "Year of the Black Rainbow", however, completely fails on this front. The progression from track to track makes no sense. Part of this problem, to be quite honest, is the fact that Claudio no longer has the fantasy in mind when he writes the music. The fantasy is what really was able to drive the previous albums to such incredible degrees, and the loss of the fantasy is the loss of the quality. The other albums can take you up Mount Everest. This one takes you up an elevator to the top floor of a 20 story office building.

Also, the new drummer, Chris, really didn't do much on this album. His stuff with Dillinger was nuts, but it seems like he is just doing basic patterns and waiting for a paycheck. Can't say that I blame him, though.

In summary, the album does not flow well, the tracks make good filler tracks (not good for an entire album, though), but this album is ultimately forgettable. I hate to say this, because I love Coheed, but this album is by far their worst work. If you are already a Coheed fan, you more than likely have this album already. If you are thinking about getting into Coheed, DO NOT use this album as your judgment of the band. Listen to the first 3 albums that they put out, for those are their best works, and they are arguably some of the best albums of the last decade. I still love Coheed, but this just wasn't them.

Christmas time just came for me again, this time in April because the new Coheed & Cambria release was delivered to my door. Hard to believe that an older person like me can get that excited about a band's new release but this is Coheed & Cambria, a band that I discovered through their last studio release, "No World for Tomorrow". The Neverender concert dvds were great and covered their recorded work up to that point but I really something new, and now here it is. The opener, "One" is another of those atmosphere pieces that just gets the listener ready for the bombast that is about to begin. The 3rd track, "Guns of Summer" really announces the band's presence with authority and by the time track number 7 starts, "World of Lines", my favorite track at this point with several listens, Coheed & Cambria are really rocking in a legitimate claim to enlist new fans. With songs like this, their fan base will only get bigger. The entire CD could never live up to the expectations that I had for it for all the months of waiting but after the smoke clears, the release is a winner. I still think that "No World for Tomorrow" is better but that is not a fair assessment on only having this CD for a day. The 2 "demos" that are available on the deluxe edition are worthy of inclusion and sound more like completed songs than working demos. If you like Coheed & Cambria, you have already ordered this but if not, you will enjoy what is offered here.

Coming from a die hard coheed fan, this album is a sheer disappointment. Not because the songwriting or musicality is suffering, but simply because it is so saturated with effects and samples that the old technical beauty of coheed is nowhere to be found. Hearing the songs live you can tell what Claudio and the gang was really trying for, and they do deliver live. This CD is just a muddled mess of FX that I doubt the band had much control over. Good try tho.