Coheed and Cambria – Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness

Coheed And Cambria have a lot to make up for in Alberta, and I mean a lot. Whenever anyone talks about the band, the thing that they always come back to is their horrible Warped Tour performance in 2004. You’ve heard the story, when everyone waiting until 7 for the band to play and then Claudio Sanchez steps onto the stage piss drunk. Not only couldn’t he play his own songs, but he made some comments he definitely shouldn’t have before promising they’d be back to make up for the set list. It’s been over a year and they still aren’t back so now the only thing keeping their Alberta fans filled with hope is the prospect of a brand new album: Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness. And the reality is, if the album fails then the band will lose a lot of support. Luckily for them, they seem to have been abel to make up for their horrendous display at Warped, for the most part anyway.

Sanchez and his band mates have picked up where In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3 left off. Big, long, monstrous, atmospheric prog. rock anthems lined with chanting choruses and vocals you wouldn’t believe came from a man. Like always they kick off their album with a phenomenal instrumental introduction – but this time they don’t ruin it like they did on Secrets. Instead, Keeping The Blade is an erie 2 minute piece of music that both awes and stuns you; for me, it reminds me of the the scenes in Fable when your guy is walking through the cool calm forest – and I just love that. After that, the band kicks into two of the highlights of the album: Always And Never along with Welcome Home.

One thing I have to say about Coheed is that they are probably the only band who is capable of singing about actually killing someone and make it sound not only powerful and passionate but also loving and sincere. They are the only band out there who could slowly croon “I’ll do anything for you./ This story is for you./ (‘Cause I’d do anything you want me to… for you.)/ I’ll do anything for you,/ Kill anyone for you.” (Wake Up) and make it work.

Sadly though, you could easily chop off the last half of the CD without missing much as the only songs that really stand out are the single, The Suffering, and Mother May I. The rest are just filler. ParticularlyThe Willing Well series (tracks 12 to 15). All of them clock in at over seven minutes and just seem to drag on for way too long.

So Coheed And Cambria aren’t totally excused, but this CD with the abnormally long name sure has kicked them up a notch. Sure, there’s a few songs that are forgettable, but they are more than forgiven with songs like Wake Up. They just need to make it up to Edmonton and put on an amazing show for us to fully forgive them now.