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Coheed And Cambria

Good Apollo, I\\\'m Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World For Tomorrow

Written by: AP on 15/01/2008 17:33:41

Concept albums are commonly thought to be a difficult trade with more than ten flops to every success. Yet somehow Coheed And Cambria have managed to successfully pull off a four-part epic that\'s as much a musical adventure as it is a conceptual one, leading many to label them a concept band rather than a band with concept albums. The beauty of their creation is that Coheed And Cambria can be approached purely as a rock band without having to be familiar with what they narrate (a series of graphic novels called The Amory Wars, written by Claudio Sanchez himself), and they successfully pull that off, too.

The album is essentially divided into two parts: the main section and a grandiose five-part finale that almost entirely focuses on wrapping up the saga. It all begins with a curiously understated introduction by Claudio Sanchez and his acoustic guitar before treating us to some of that familiar progressive flare with the title track \"No World For Tomorrow\"; a song that showcases the band\'s instrumental skill with hair-raising might. Claudio and Travis possess an incredible ear for soulful riffs and solos in exactly the right places that give the album a multi-layered, complex feel rarely witnessed in today\'s music industry. But at the same time, they know how to write poppy, catchy passages like those heard in \"Feathers\" and \"The Running Free\", as well as groovy hard rock anthems like \"Gravemakers & Gunslingers\". It\'s these songs that devoted Co&Ca-fans will find refuge in.

But above everything else, \"God Apollo, I\'m Burning Star IV, vol.2: No World For Tomorrow\" pertains to the idea of closure - something that shines through in not just the epic crescendo of \"The End Chapter\" but also through lyrical flashbacks that are admittedly a pretty neat trick. It\'s hard not to snap into a smile when the famous words \"what did I do to deserve?\" are reiterated in \"No World For Tomorrow\", or when the apocalyptic instrumental piece \"The End Chapter I: The Fall of House Atlantic\" sets the mood for the operatic finale that is to follow. In a sense, it\'s these songs that give the album its character, but at the same time they limit its accessibility, with more emphasis placed on wrapping things up in an artistic, almost cinematic fashion than on the classic rock vibe in the beginning of the album.

As the release date of this album might suggest, I\'ve been listening to it for quite some time now and find my sentiments divided. On the one hand, with its epic progressive riffs and catchy tunes it returns me to the \"In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3\" era and thereby to the Coheed And Cambria sound that caters to my taste the most. On the other hand, I find myself increasingly intrigued by the massive soundscapes explored by the more artsy-fartsy tracks that give the album that science fiction soundtrack feel - the way it was intended to be. But what happens now, the end complete?

Download: Feathers, Gravemakers & Gunslingers, No World For Tomorrow, The End Chapter III: The End Complete, The Running Free

For the fans of: The Mars Volta, Three

Listen: Myspace

Release date 23.10.2007

Sony