Epic
If you've never heard of Coheed and Cambria by now, then where the hell have you been? With the successful 'In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3' released back in 2003, Coheed and Cambria have managed to bring the twisted fusion of emo and progressive rock to the world. But there's so much more to Coheed and Cambria than an unusual, yet compelling, fusion: the band's albums are all focused around a story that is the brainchild of front man, singer and guitarist of Co+Ca (for an easier name), Claudio Sanchez, the man you may have seen on television with the enormous hair.
And why might have you seen the band on television recently? Why, their first single from 'Good Apollo', 'Welcome Home', has been invading the music channels with an unholy fury - and it's little wonder, considering the stunning quality of the track, with its epic riffs, perhaps unashamed pillaging from Led Zeppelin, and Claudio's distinctive voice. There's so much more that could be said about Coheed's history and back story that would be relevant, but the real question should be focused on - is the album any good?
Well, it's certainly a step in the right direction. Coheed are impressively honing their sound, and Claudio's vocal range - of both pitch and timbre - is growing stronger with every second. If you like Rush, Coheed and Cambria are certainly a fine example of the progressive dream living on today in a thankfully less metal form - see: Dream Theater. Of course, if you already like Coheed and Cambria, then check out Rush, and hear the guys that have obviously influenced Co+Ca.
There's plenty of what was experimentally poked at with 'In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3', such as dual guitar riffs: one guitar palm-muted whilst the other plays a counter-riff away up at the 'dusty end' of the guitar - almost an emo stalwart. But where the emo ties fall short is Coheed's evolving songs, particularly in later tracks that often brush past 7 minutes without becoming stale in the process. As mentioned before, the vocal range of timbre in Claudio's voice has greatly increased as well. If you've never heard the voice before, then it'll come as a shock when you do - in fact, you'll probably mistake him for a woman. Albeit, a woman who can do creepy monstrous voices as well.
This album has a far more sinister sound than anything before, although acoustic tracks like 'Always And Never', 'Wake Up' and 'Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness' are still jolly nice. Synthesisers and electronic drumming are also new forays that haven't really been seen here before, but it fits well within the album. The songs that really stand out on the album have to be
'Welcome Home', 'The Suffering' - a song that pays great homage to their first album, 'Second Stage Turbine Blade', and 'The Willing Well II: Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness'. Oh, in case you somehow missed the name of the album, Coheed and Cambria seem to have some weird fetish for long names. Good stuff for prog-rock fans looking for the next big thing, or just fans of emo, really.