Coheed And Cambria - In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3 - Review
First Impressions
We're back to peak Coheed, and this is by far the craziest album I've heard from them so far.
Having listened to what comes after and before, you'd expect this album to be quite predictable in sound. A change in direction from the super harsh and raw punk of Second Stage to the super polished and masterful conceptual work of Good Apollo IV.
Now, in certain aspects, the path they took here makes perfect sense. This is a much more ambitious album, it feels properly epic in some spots like Good Apollo, and it has the raw energy of Second Stage.
However, where it goes off the rails is in the progressive aspect. This is a full on prog metal album. I don't know what they were taking when they made this, but this has moments that are crazier than anything I've heard from these guys. You have full 8-10 minute epics here. Some insane shred work, hardcore style screaming, sudden and jarring tempo changes. Honestly it sounds like too much on paper, but that's where the rawness really saves it.
The way these guys carry their energy is EVERYTHING. No other band could pull off an album this crazy. The super fast paced and garage-esque nature of the first album is still here, but now they can play better. Claudio can sing better, apparently he can scream, the guitars can absolutely rip, and the drums are just way too tight.
Lets break it down by parts. As most albums do, there are about three or four types of songs.
The first type is the classic, catchy pop punk tunes. Three Evils, Blood Red Summer, Faint of Hearts, A Favor House Atlantic. You're never going to get a Coheed album without these. And really, in between the narrative of the albums and the crazy prog moments, it's these songs that make or break the albums. And damn it, they are just perfect in this one. Every melody, every chorus, they are just so catchy, so poppy it almost makes you want to be sick, but you cant.
Faint Of Hearts and Three Evils are just complete masterclasses in pop writing. Three Evils has such a driving force and speed. The verses and the choruses are almost too happy and cheery, and then the bridge comes with full on hardcore-style screeches that are juxtaposed with the super sweet melodies. It works so well.
And Faint Of Hearts is just flawless from the first note to the last. It's my favorite song of the album. The way the rhythms of the guitars contrast with the vocals. The constant soloing over the verse, which by the way is pretty damn shreddy for a "background" element. The melodies of the bridge almost make it seem like THAT is the chorus, mostly because they drop the name of the song during it. So it feels like you're constantly building up during it's entire length, which is just so smart.
One thing I have to point out is how there is ALWAYS a guitar melody under the vocals, it doesn't matter if it's a verse, chorus, bridge. They guitars just cannot stay still. And honestly it gives off this restless energy that fits perfectly for this band. It makes everything a little more playful and dynamic.
The second type of songs are ones I will call "hardcore" inspired, which I'm not too sure if that is the case, as I don't know much about hardcore but that's the vibe I get from them. I'm mostly talking about two songs here. Backend Of Forever and AI The Killer. These... are where the album loses it's perfect 10 for me.
I don't think they are bad songs by any means. In fact I find Backend Of Forever really fun. It feels like a precursor to the extremely playful and cynical edge that Good Apollo IV has. But this kind of sound just does not hit me. The super fast paced, filtered scream vocals, are just not my style. At least they weren't in this album.
The last type of song here is the one that caught me off guard the most. The full on prog epics. The title track, The Crowing, The Light & The Glass, 21:13. I would expect to see these tracks from a power-prog band, not a punk inspired band from the 2000s. And they are incredible.
The title track is up there with some of the most epic tracks I've ever heard in a prog album. It's so dramatic, and really the first song that made me feel like I was in this larger-than-life sci-fi war story. By the time it cuts to complete silence and starts building up to the final "woah-oh's"... that is the most climactic moment of the album, and one of the best moments of their entire discography.
The Crowing, while shorter, continues this more dramatic sound. The verse riff is the best part, no doubt. This is not because the riff is incredible. It's pretty good, but what makes it is the incredible drumline underneath. The way he syncopates rhythms and trades the snare with the hi hat is just absolutely perfect.
Then when it starts to feel more epic and dramatic, it hits with you with a full breakdown chugging on the open e string, with screams and once again some insane out of nowhere shreds. Another one of my favorite moments of the album.
The last song I want to talk about is 21:13. Which I can't decide if it's an extremely clever rush homage, or the laziest rush homage I can think of. Regardless of that though. This is the best way to end an album like this. It is by far the craziest song of the album. It is the longest, the one with most sections, with the most disparity between the sections.
You have vocals so high honestly they sound painful, more screams, some crazy tempo changes so jarring it feels like the song somehow went into 1.5x mode. And to top it all of, an absolute beautiful reprisal of Time Consumer from the first album.
Did I like this more than Good Apollo? No. But I mean that album is literally flawless from front to back. This was an extremely close second for me. It's only got a few tiny blemishes, and the rest is absolutely amazing. This is the peak of their raw aggressive energy.
Ranking
The Camper Velorium I: Faint of Hearts
21:13
Three Evils (Embodied In Love and Shadow)
In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3
Blood Red Summer
A Favor House Atlantic
The Crowing
Cuts Marked In The March Of Men
The Camper Velorium II: Backend Of Forever
The Light & the Glass
The Camper Velorium III: AI the Killer
The Ring In Return
Rating